Sun.’s Devo - The Red Heifer

Read: Numbers 19:1-20:29; Luke 1:1-25; Psalm 56:1-13; Proverbs 11:8 God told Moses to find a spotless red heifer and bring it outside of the camp and have it killed. Eleazar was to take some of its blood on his finger and sprinkle seven times toward the front of the Tabernacle. (Eleazar was Aaron’s son who would take his place as high priest in the Promised Land.) Then the red heifer was to be burned while he watched. Eleazar was to take a stick of cedar, a hyssop branch and some scarlet yarn and throw them into the fire where the heifer is burning. Then the priest and the one who killed the animal were to wash themselves and their clothes. This red heifer represented Jesus; the cedar - the cross, the hyssop branch was at the cross, and the scarlet yarn represented his blood that would flow on to all generations from then on. If anyone touched a dead person, they were unclean for 7 days and had to purify them selves on the third and seventh day. If the person died in the tent, all who entered the tent would be unclean for seven days. Any open container in the tent would be considered unclean. Anyone who touched a dead person on the field or in a grave was considered unclean. The tent and the person would be sanitized with the ashes of the heifer that had been dipped in fresh water. On the third and seventh days of their quarantine they were to be sprinkled with this water by a clean person to be clean. What does all this mean to us? When we are born, we begin our “week” which spans our lifetime. If we are saved that day becomes our third day where the plant conforms to the seed put in it. (See day three of creation in Genesis One.) Our seventh day is the end of our life where we are pronounced clean of all our sins forever. This was also for them a way of stopping infection from a person that might have died of some sickness. They were nearing the end of their 40 years and had come close to their land. They camped at Kadesh which means “set apart for purpose” and God had to end the lives of three important people because they would not be able to enter. Today we read about two: Miriam and Aaron. Miriam died first. The people were complaining because their was no water. Their parents had complained about the same thing right before they could have entered into the land. God told Moses to gather the people at the rock that had followed them through the wilderness. “ And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4) Aaron gathered the people to the rock and instead of speaking to the rock, he spoke to the people and said, “Listen you rebels! Must WE bring you water from this rock?” Then Moses struck the rock twice and the water gushed out of the rock. God was extremely upset at the two of them since they didn’t follow instructions at all. Jesus was the rock and he was struck once for our sins. They had demonstrated that at the first rock. He was to speak to the rock this time which is how we pray. So Aaron had to die and his mantle passed to his son, Eleazar. The king of Edom refused their passage through their land which would cost them dearly in the future. Luke was like an investigative reporter who had compiled stories of eye witnesses of Jesus life. He compiled it in order in his book. He gave this book to his mentee, Theophilus. Luke went to great detail to let us know that Zechariah was a descendant of Aaron and was a legitimate priest. He and his wife, Elizabeth was barren. It was Zechariah’s lot to burn incense on the Altar of Incense. While he was there, Gabriel appeared to him and told him that he and Elizabeth would have a son named John. He would be a Nazarite and would possess the spirit and power of Elijah. He would prepare the People for the coming of the Lord He would turn the hearts fo the fathers to their children and cause the rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly. Zechariah wavered in his faith so Gabriel told him he would not be able to speak until the cild was born. John came out gesturing to the people and they realized that he had seen something wonderful in there. Elizabeth became pregnant and went into seclusion for 5 months. Lord, it is easy to see your hand in what is going on in the nation. I pray for all the nations living in fear. I pray that they come to You for comfort and salvation. Watch over our hearts and let us rise with courage and confidence. If you are for us, who can be against us!