Tues.’s Devo - The Red Heifer

Read: Numbers 19:1-20:29: Luke 1:1-25; Psalm 56:1-13: Proverbs 11:8
The red heifer was the picture of Jesus on the cross. The red heifer had to be without defect or blemish and one that had never been yoked. Jesus was without sin and not under the law. The red heifer was killed outside the camp just as Jesus was killed outside of Jerusalem. All of Jesus was given, filleted and crucified on the cross. The wood, hyssop and scarlet wool (his robe) were props at his crucifixion. Everyone who applies the blood of Jesus to their lives must then be washed in the water or baptism to wash their sins away.
A dead body or someone who fails to purify himself refers to a person who is unsaved and fails to be saved. A person who dies in a tent represents a person who dies unsaved. Their tent is their old man and if they die in that state they will not be saved in eternity. An open container is a person who opens their door to every sin and does not allow God to close the door to sin in their lives. These will also not receive eternal life. They must apply the ashes, or death of Jesus to their lives and be changed with the pure water of the Word. Then on the seventh day, they will be clean. The seventh day represents the last day of their lives.
Moses led the people back to the same place they had come to when they left Egypt and needed water. On the first occasion, God told Moses to strike the rock and water would come from it. That water sustained them for 40 years. They were at the end, about to enter again and they were without water. This time God told Moses to speak to the rock. He struck it twice, instead. First Corinthians 10:4 says that Christ was the rock that followed them in the wilderness. Jesus was struck once for our sin. Now, we confess Jesus because he has already died. Everything Moses did was to be a picture of what God was going to do. When Moses messed up the picture, which cost him the promised land.
Aaron also had to die for his sin of rebellion. The only two people that got to enter the promised land of the original people that left Egypt were Joshua and Caleb.
Luke is an orderly book of the life of Jesus so it is our correct timeline. God came to the priest, Zachariah and promised him a son that would announce the coming of his son, Jesus. John was to be like Aaron was to Moses. He was filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb. Elizabeth was the aunt of Mary. Since it was the day of Atonement and the Jews mark birthdays from the day of conception, John’s birthday was the Day of Atonement. During the day of atonement, the people were to examine the state of their lives and the life of their nation and repent before the Feast of Tabernacles which represents Jesus’ second coming. After that it would be too late.
John the Baptist came preaching repentance from sin so the people would be ready for Jesus’ first appearance.
Lord, help us to prepare our hearts and lives for your second coming. Let us see that we are pictures of what God is doing on earth.