Another beautiful day in the neighborhood! Numbers chapter 19.
God instructed Moses and Aaron to take a red heifer and present it to the priest who is to do a special sacrifice whereupon the ashes would be kept and used at a proper time. They were to be used for the purification of an unclean person. When a person became unclean God wanted them clean again. As I have said in the past, God is Holy and nothing unholy can be in his presence. So when a person becomes unclean, they had to be cleansed. It's that way for us today spiritually. We face temptations all day long. We are faced with tempting decisions that hurt our relationships with the Lord. but we have available to us a cleansing alternative. Jesus Christ died for us to take our punishment so we could have our sin or disobedient acts / thoughts forgiven. That way when God looks at us, he doesn't see our unholiness or unclean spiritual bodies, but he sees the Holiness of Christ in our lives for Christ is in our lives!!
Now having Jesus is not an excuse to keep on sinning (Romans 6: 1-13). Jesus has set us free from the desire to sin. So if we faced temptations as a Christian and give in to the temptation so that we sin or do wrong doings, then we need to confess our sins to the Lord and He will forgive us and cleanse us making us holy again. Walking daily with God in Holiness is a life learning process. We'll never reach perfection on this Earth. But if God sees our heart is desiring more of him, then that is spiritual growth. Spiritual growth is a good thing.
- Do you have a sin problem? Give your life to Jesus for forgiveness of sins.
- Now you have Jesus in your life to help you walk more and more in a Holy manner. He will gradually change your life for good. It's an ongoing process. If you mess up along the way, you can be cleansed again by confessing your wrongdoings to the Lord (I John 1:9).
Be encouraged!
So true – thank you for those thoughts, Pastor Blair. I’ve met Christians who think that since they are saved, they have been given a “get out of jail free“ card. That they can freely sin or they think they won’t be tempted to sin anymore. That’s not the path God chose for us. We still need to ask forgiveness when we fall victim to the flesh and or Satan. I’ve also met nonbelievers who think Christians should be perfect – they forget we are still human and still subject to temptation of sin until He calls us home. Even as He walks with us, He allows us to make our own choices.
The instructions for the red heifer sacrifice came years after all the others. It was necessary because a whole generation (estimated at 1.2 million people) had to die in the wilderness because of God’s judgment of their sin. Death was the strongest of defilements because it was the final result of sin. The ceremonial cleansing was not so much literal as symbolic to allow them to approach God in worship once again. The sacrifice and cleansing took place outside the camp. There are two reasons for the red heifer sacrifice: health and holiness.
o Health – this side of the discovery of bacteria and infection, it seems only common sense to stay away from disease and death. But in Numbers, only God knew these things.
o Holiness – God was distancing them away from the Egyptian practices of keeping mummified remains of ancestors in one’s home. He was reminding them of His holiness.
Today, holiness can belong to any of us who choose to keep our distance from the death sin brings and from the disease and decay of the superstitions of the world.
Blair and Jeanine, great comments and explanations! Thank you for helping a newbie have a deeper understanding of this chapter. I didn’t realize why the dead body made someone automatically unclean (loved ones passing, etc.) but the mummification explains it!
I recognize in this chapter God calling on those who are clean to help cleanse and purify those who are unclean. Pastor Blair I love how said Jesus is our cleanser and purifier because we all fall short and become unclean from our sins.
It is also a reminder that I want to work towards be cleansed! To let go of the sin that holds me back and be holy in the presence of God. Also by being clean, help those who are unclean and don’t know Jesus, to be cleansed and purified. Leading others is what we are called to do, but if we are complacent with our uncleanliness and are trying to lead others, we may lead them astray, and directly into sin! I know in my own life I fall into complacency, where my small sin starts to add up and take
over. Usually too much time on social media, too much Netflix with inappropriate content, gossip with friends… sins that won’t land me in jail, but certainly sins that keep me from becoming clean and holy before the Lord. I pray I can start to consciously eliminate the small sin in my life and walk with the Lord and allow Jesus to cleanse me!
What I read today reminds me of 2 Corinthians 7:1.
Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.