Numbers 19-20:13
Review:
 Last week in chapter 17, we saw God’s final proof that Aaron and his sons were the only ones to make up
the priestly line
 Aaron’s staff budded and brought forth fruit
 Fruit is the evidence of God working in and through a person
 Fruit is produced when we spend time before the Lord – in His presence
 Chapter 18 dealt with the provisions for the priests and Levites
 Neither group received an inheritance in the Promised Land
 Their inheritance was the Lord – the fact that they got to minister before Him
 Their sustenance was to come from the people
 The priests received the offerings made to the Lord – they were regarded as holy
 The Levites received the tithes of the people
 Even they were required to tithe
 With the rebellion and challenge to leadership settled, God now turns back to instructing the children of
Israel
Chapter 19 – Intro:
 Back in chapter 14, God pronounces a curse on the disobedient generation that would not enter the promised
land
 It was a curse of death – they would die in the wilderness and the next generation, their children, would
be the ones to enter the land
 This became the longest funeral march in history
 Over the next 38 years, some 600,000 men plus women and even the mixed multitude would litter
the wilderness with their bodies
 Death compassed the nation for those years of wandering
 Rom 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death …”
 Since death was the ultimate reminder of sin, and God is a holy God who can not abide with sin,
provisions had to be made to purify those defiled by death
 If anyone came into contact with a dead body, a grave or even an exposed bone in the wilderness, they
were considered to be unclean
 They would bring that uncleanness into the cam and thus defile the tabernacle and sanctuary of the
Lord
 With all the people dying because of the curse, almost everyone, at one time or another, would come
into contact with a dead body
 Chapter 19 deals with the procedure for purifying a person defiled by a dead body
 It involves the sacrifice of a red heifer which is burned with other specific items, those ashes mixed with
fresh water are used to purify defiled people
 This sacrifice is very different than the others
 A cow, not a bull, is the victim
 The priest doesn’t do the sacrifice, he merely witnesses it
 It takes place outside of the camp, not at the tabernacle
 The entire animal, including the blood, is burned
 Though it is for purification, everybody who takes part in the sacrifice as well as administers the
cleansing water become defiled
 Lets look at the procedure for the sacrifice, then we’ll see how people are to be purified, and finally we’ll
see a picture of Jesus Christ in it
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The Purification Sacrifice (19:1-10)
 First we see that a red heifer is to be the animal sacrificed
 A heifer is a cow that has not yet born a calf
 All other offerings from the herds were to be bulls – this is the only mention of a cow
 It believe the key is that it is the female brings forth life
 The heifer was to be without blemish or defect
 No yoke, the implement of bondage, could have been on the animal
 The animal was sacrifice outside the camp
 Normally, the sacrifices were done in the tabernacle courtyard
 Even the sin offering was sacrificed in the tabernacle even though it’s carcass was to be burned
outside the camp
 Eleazar, Aaron’s son, was to witness the sacrifice
 Normally, it was the priest’s job to actually sacrifice the animal
 He was then to sprinkle some blood seven times in front of the tabernacle
 This, I believe, was a recognition that the sacrifice was made unto God and He accepted it
 Gen 9:5 “Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I
will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's brother I will require the
life of man.”
 The animal was to be burned outside the camp – presumably by the person who slaughtered it
 The entire animal was to be burned, including the blood - all the other sacrifices required that the blood
be completely drained and poured out before the alter
 Three additional elements were to be burned with the animal
 Cedar wood, hyssop & scarlet
 These same 3 elements were used in the purification process of a leprous person – Leviticus 14
 The ashes were then collected by a clean man and stored in a clean place outside of the camp
 Notice that all involved in this process became unclean
 Eleazar, the one killing and burning the animal as well as the one collecting the ashes were considered
unclean
 They were required to bathe, wash their clothes and remain unclean until evening
 This speaks of the infectious nature of sin
 Simply being around it can defile a person
 This is really an odd procedure, and Moses spends quite a bit of time discussing it
 First because death was a daily reality to the people
 Also because of what it foreshadowed – it is a wonderful picture of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sin
The Cleansing Procedure (19:11-22)
 Any association with death brought contamination to a person
 Someone who touches a dead body – family members and those who bury the corpse
 A person who enters a tent where someone died
 A person who touches someone who dies on the field of battle
 If you stumble across a human bone in the field
 Even if you touch or walk upon a grave
 That is why the Jews kept the tombs bright and whitewashed – so they wouldn’t accidentally be
defiled – Jesus blasted the Pharisees for their hypocrisy on this matter
 Matt 23:27-28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs
which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all
uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of
hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
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Whoever was defiled must be purified on the 3rd and 7th days by water mixed with the ashes from the red
heifer
 If they weren’t purified, they were to be cut off from the people – either excommunicated or executed
 A person, a tent and the vessels were to be purified with the water
 Ironically, the person doing the purifying became unclean
Twice, in verses 10 & 21, say that this is to be a perpetual statute for the children of Israel
 Whenever the ashes began to run low, another red heifer was sacrificed, and it’s ashes were mixed with
the original ashes
 History tells us that 9 red heifers had been slaughtered
 Since 70 AD, no red heifer has been born in Israel (almost 1900 years)
 In March 1997, what appeared to be a red heifer was born
 The people named her Melody – it would have been easier to get near Ft. Knox than that animal
 The people heralded it as a miracle and began a push to reclaim the temple mount, rebuild the
temple an begin the sacrificial system again
 Israel is now frantically looking for some of the original red heifer ashes from 1900 years ago so
they can purify a priest and allow them to continue the ritual we just read so that they could
purify more priest
 Legend has it that some of the original ashes were hidden, preserved somewhere under the
temple mount
 In 2000, after 3 years of watching Melody, white hairs began to grow on her tail and she was
disqualified, probably much to her relief
The people are still looking for the ashes and waiting for a red heifer to be born
A Type of Christ
 John 5:46 “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.”
 Did Moses write of Jesus – Yes
 His references to Jesus were in allegories
 We see Jesus in Abraham offering Isaac, Joseph being betrayed by his brothers, the Passover Lamb,
the tabernacle, the sacrifices of Leviticus, the brass serpent in Numbers 21 as well as the red heifer
here in chapter 19
 Whenever you read the OT, you should always ask – “Where is Jesus?”
 Charles Spurgeon “The true heading of all the books of Moses is to be found in the words of
Jesus, “Moses wrote of me.” Take the Lord Jesus Christ with you as a key, and how ever difficult
books like Leviticus or Numbers may at first sight appear, there is not one enigma in the whole
collection which will not speedily open & yield instruction. To us, the types are not a dark mystery
to perplex our faith, but an open vision to delight our eyes.”
 Jesus is the heifer
 He was perfect, without defect or blemish, never being under the bondage/yoke of sin
 2 Cor 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.”
 1 Peter 2:22 “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”
 1 John 3:5 “And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no
sin”
 He is the one who brings forth life
 John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
 John 11:25-26 “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he
shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.”
 Even the procedure of the sacrifice foreshadowed Jesus’ death
 He was brought before a relative of the high priest first to be condemned
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John 18:12-13 “Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested
Jesus and bound Him. And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was the father-in-law of
Caiaphas who was high priest that year.”
 Jesus was killed outside of the city of Jerusalem
 Heb 13:12-13 “Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood,
suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach”
 The 3 added elements also foreshadowed His death
 The cedar wood is a picture of the cross
 The hyssop was the applicator for the blood – Passover & sprinkling on the Mercy seat
 Scarlet – the color of the blood
 A clean person stored the remains in a clean place outside the city
 Luke 23:50-53 “Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just
man. He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews,
who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the
body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of
the rock, where no one had ever lain before.”
Jesus Himself, by His sacrifice, cleansed and purified us from our sin
 Heb 9:12-15 “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most
Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the
ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new
covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those
who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.”
Apart from Jesus Christ, Numbers 19 is just another odd ritual – in light of Jesus it is a wonderful picture of
our redemption from sin
Chapter 20 Introduction & 20:1
 As we move from chapter 19 to 20, we move ahead 38 years
 The entire record of Israel’s wanderings is covered in chapters 14-19
 Besides the provision for the priests & Levites, only 2 things are recorded
 The purification from death – chapter 19
 Continued rebellion against God and His authority
 That sums up those 40 years – rebellion and death
 Nothing constructive, nothing worthy of recording came out of that time
 So to is our times of disobedience to God
 If you’ve ever backslidden – what good came out of that time of wandering?
 Would that we would learn to obey God, follow the path He has for our lives knowing that He loves us
and only desires the best for our lives
 Ps 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.”
 Prov 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all of your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In
all of your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.”
 Notice that verse 1 says they are back in Kadesh
 This is the place from where the spies went into Canaan and then returned and refused to enter
 They have come full circle
 The only thing they accomplished was to waste time
 That is what disobedience accomplishes – wasting time
 It also delays the blessings that God wants to give us
 Time is short, we can’t afford to waste time through disobedience
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Rom 13:11-14 “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for
now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand.
Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk
properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and
envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
 Eph 5:15-18 “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time,
because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
We read a rather cold obituary of Miriam
 She was Moses’ older sister, according to Ex 15:20-21 we saw that she was a prophetess who led the
women in praise of God’s deliverance and we know that she had a place of respect in the camp
 Also according to Num 12, Miriam rebelled against Moses
 She appeared to be the leader of that rebellion because God struck her with leprosy
 Moses interceded on her behalf and God cured her
From that point in chapter 12 to chapter 20:1, some 38 years, there is no other mention of her
 Could it be that she no longer had a position of respect or that she was no longer used of God
 Did her rebellion against Him cause her to be disqualified, put on the shelf?
 Did she hold on to bitterness for all those years and did it possibly resurface from time to time?
 I wonder how many believers, through continuous rebellion or disobedience, disqualify themselves from
the service of God?
 People who have giftings from God, yet because of rebellion, bitterness or disobedience find
themselves unused
 Paul was concerned about this very fact himself – 1 Cor 9:27 “But I discipline my body and bring it
into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified”
 We need to remain useable to the Lord – how? Through submission to His authority and those He
placed in authority and to remain obedient to His word
Same Old Story (20:2-6)
 A new generation but the same problem
 After being miraculously provide for and protected for 40 years of wandering the desert, the people
begin to complain again
 This time it’s not the old generation, it’s the new generation
 They learned from their parents – what are we teaching our children?
 I believe that the mention of the complaining happening at this point, at the very same place speaks
volumes to what those 40 years of wanderings were like
 I believe that people continued to complain throughout that entire time
 Put yourself in Moses’ shoes – wouldn’t you be a bit tired of it?
 Notice that Moses and Aaron didn’t change either
 The immediately fell on their faces and interceded to God on their behalf
 What a model of a shepherd Moses is, yet he is human and fails
 His failure costs him dearly – to whom much is given…
Moses Blows It (20:7-11)
 God’s instructions to Moses are quite clear
 Back in Exodus 17:6, some 40 years prior to this event, Moses was commanded to strike the rock at
Horeb and it would bring forth water
 Now he is commanded to speak to the rock and it would bring forth water
 Moses, no doubt fed up and exasperated with these people gets in the flesh
 In anger he rebukes the people – you rebels
 He strikes the rock, not once but twice, yet the water flows
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Even though Moses disobeyed, God still provided for His people – gives me comfort
Though God provided for the people, He had to deal with Moses’ mistake
Moses’ Consequences (20:12-13)
 When we see what Moses did, how he failed, it doesn’t seem like too big a deal
 He struck the rock rather than spoke to the rock
 It seems that God’s consequences do not fit Moses’ crime
 Moses is barred from entering the promised land – Aaron is likewise barred
 That seems very harsh
 After putting up with these complaining people for 40 years, after repetitively interceding on their
behalf so that God wouldn’t toast them – now he is barred entry
 We can even empathize with Moses – we would have allowed God to toast the people long ago
 Is God being unfair? Why doesn’t God give him a break?
 There are 4 major reason’s for the severity of the consequences Moses has to reap
 First, God say that he didn’t hallow Him before the people’s eyes
 He didn’t set God apart as holy before their eyes
 Moses gave the children of Israel the impression that God was angry with them – He wasn’t
 It was Moses that was angry and frustrated
 Second, he gave the impression that He and Aaron were providing the water when in reality God was
doing it
 It is a dangerous thing to take credit for what God is doing
 That is why 1 Cor 1 says He chooses to use the foolish things of the world so that no flesh should
glory in His presence
 Third, was because Moses ruined the typology God was establishing
 Remember, Jesus is in the OT in many different allegories – the rock was also a type of Jesus
 He was smitten once on the cross for our salvation
 Now, anyone who desires to be saved must simply confess and repent – speak to the rock if you will
 Jesus doesn’t need to be re-crucified over and over
 On the cross He said – “It is finished”
 No further smiting need be done – Heb 9:26-28
 1 Cor 10:1-6
 Fourth, if Moses entered the land he himself would have ruined another typology
 Moses represented the law which can not save a person
 If he lead the people in, then that would mean that by the keeping of the law, we could earn a
right standing with God
 Rom 3:20 “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight”
 It is Joshua who leads the people into the promised land
 Joshua means “Jehovah is salvation”
 Joshua translated into the Greek is Jesus
 Only Jesus can save us and lead us into the promised land
 The point is the severity of misrepresenting God to people
 All of us who go by the name Christian can be guilty of this
 When people see our lives, what representation of God are they left with?
 The 3rd commandment is “Do not take the Lord’s name in vain”
 A name is synonymous with a person’s nature
 Are we taking His name in vain by our very lifestyle
 God take that very seriously – ask Moses
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