Num 19:13 | KingComments | STEP | Touching a corpse causes at least seven days of impurity for the Israelite. A corpse stands for the death that came into the world through the sin of man. Touching death must remind a member of God’s people that he himself is the cause of death in the world. Death and sin belong together, they are inextricably linked ( ). Neither of them belong to God. God cannot tolerate them in His presence. Whoever has come into contact with it must be cleansed to be with God and have fellowship with Him. This is provided by the water for impurity, the preparation of which we have just seen. There are two phases in cleansing. It should be borne in mind that in Christendom it is not about literal days, but about a certain period that is necessary for the spiritual work in the soul. The cleansing water should be applied on the third day. Three full days are needed to realize the defilement. It often takes time before we realize that we have defiled ourselves. A quick confession is not proof of a profound work in the soul. Sometimes there is a direct insight into it, but it takes a while before we realize its depth and we realize that cleansing and forgiveness are necessary. God wants us to reflect on what happened. Our heart will become painfully aware that, despite redemption and atonement, it has again been defiled and stained by a sin, a sin for which Christ has suffered. Even if only for a moment, we have been pleased with something that has caused His suffering. These may be a little thing that may remind us in the distance of death, like a bone ( ), but for God is connected to death. We have forgotten this suffering for sin and have been light-hearted with sin. I have dishonored Him again as a believer and made the suffering of the Lord Jesus worse by this sin. How important it is to look at death as God looks at it. This will make us vigilant not to come into contact with death. Unfortunately, we don’t always escape it and sometimes we’re inattentive. That doesn’t make the matter for God any different. The impossibility for us to go through the world without being defiled does not make sin any less defiling. The world is for God one great cemetery ( ; ). Should that make us despondent? No! It makes God’s grace all the greater when we see that He has given the means of cleansing for every defilement, no matter how great or small, in Christ’s sacrifice ( ). What God wants us to learn is that we not only look at sin in the same way as He does, but also look at Christ’s sacrifice in the same way as He does. The first feeling that a defiled soul tastes is the bitterness that he has sinned both against the love and against the holiness of God. This will be the effect of the application of the water for impurity. With the realization of sin comes also the realization of what has happened to the Lord Jesus for that sin from God’s side. Then this bitter feeling – and this is probably the meaning of the second sprinkling on the seventh day ( ) – will turn into deep joy through the consciousness of the love and great grace of the Lord Jesus. On the seventh day, that is, after a complete period, – the number seven speaks of completeness – there is again “the joy of Your salvation” ( ) and the restoration of the enjoyment of fellowship. A clear example of the third day of cleansing and seventh day of cleansing can be seen when Peter has denied the Lord Jesus. Peter experiences the third day when the bitterness of his denial comes to him ( ). He also experiences the seventh day, the restoration of fellowship through and with the Lord by a charcoal fire at the sea of Tiberias ( ).

‏ Numbers 19:13

Defilement and Removing Impurity

Touching a corpse causes at least seven days of impurity for the Israelite. A corpse stands for the death that came into the world through the sin of man. Touching death must remind a member of God’s people that he himself is the cause of death in the world. Death and sin belong together, they are inextricably linked (Rom 6:23a). Neither of them belong to God. God cannot tolerate them in His presence. Whoever has come into contact with it must be cleansed to be with God and have fellowship with Him. This is provided by the water for impurity, the preparation of which we have just seen.

There are two phases in cleansing. It should be borne in mind that in Christendom it is not about literal days, but about a certain period that is necessary for the spiritual work in the soul. The cleansing water should be applied on the third day. Three full days are needed to realize the defilement. It often takes time before we realize that we have defiled ourselves. A quick confession is not proof of a profound work in the soul. Sometimes there is a direct insight into it, but it takes a while before we realize its depth and we realize that cleansing and forgiveness are necessary.

God wants us to reflect on what happened. Our heart will become painfully aware that, despite redemption and atonement, it has again been defiled and stained by a sin, a sin for which Christ has suffered. Even if only for a moment, we have been pleased with something that has caused His suffering. These may be a little thing that may remind us in the distance of death, like a bone (Num 19:16), but for God is connected to death. We have forgotten this suffering for sin and have been light-hearted with sin. I have dishonored Him again as a believer and made the suffering of the Lord Jesus worse by this sin.

How important it is to look at death as God looks at it. This will make us vigilant not to come into contact with death. Unfortunately, we don’t always escape it and sometimes we’re inattentive. That doesn’t make the matter for God any different. The impossibility for us to go through the world without being defiled does not make sin any less defiling. The world is for God one great cemetery (Eph 2:1; 1Jn 5:19).

Should that make us despondent? No! It makes God’s grace all the greater when we see that He has given the means of cleansing for every defilement, no matter how great or small, in Christ’s sacrifice (1Jn 2:1-2). What God wants us to learn is that we not only look at sin in the same way as He does, but also look at Christ’s sacrifice in the same way as He does.

The first feeling that a defiled soul tastes is the bitterness that he has sinned both against the love and against the holiness of God. This will be the effect of the application of the water for impurity. With the realization of sin comes also the realization of what has happened to the Lord Jesus for that sin from God’s side. Then this bitter feeling – and this is probably the meaning of the second sprinkling on the seventh day (Num 19:19) – will turn into deep joy through the consciousness of the love and great grace of the Lord Jesus. On the seventh day, that is, after a complete period, – the number seven speaks of completeness – there is again “the joy of Your salvation” (Psa 51:12) and the restoration of the enjoyment of fellowship.

A clear example of the third day of cleansing and seventh day of cleansing can be seen when Peter has denied the Lord Jesus. Peter experiences the third day when the bitterness of his denial comes to him (Lk 22:61-62). He also experiences the seventh day, the restoration of fellowship through and with the Lord by a charcoal fire at the sea of Tiberias (Jn 21:15-17).