Num 19:3 | KingComments | STEP | The heifer is not sacrificed and does not come on the altar. It is slaughtered and burned. Eleazar does not slaughter the heifer himself. Nor is it a question of substitution, not of the atonement work done on the cross for the benefit of the sinner. The red heifer is not about removing sin, but about removing the defilement caused by the touch of death as a symbol of sin. The slaughter and burning of the red heifer is done only once. It is not repeated and thus symbolizes the eternal power of the work of the Lord Jesus. That it is not repeated is a big difference with all other sacrifices. That is because this is about the water for impurity in the event of defilement. It is not necessary to slaughter a new red heifer for every defilement. It is about maintaining the relationship with God and restoring when there has been contact with sin. The water for impurity is there for every Israelite and for every defilement that can be caught during the whole wilderness journey. Like the sin offering, the red heifer must be brought outside the camp, away from God’s presence. It emphasizes the horror God has of sin. Then the value of the blood is emphasized. We are determined by the value of the blood when we see how it is sprinkled seven times in the direction of the tent of meeting. The direction in which the blood is sprinkled indicates that defilement is not only a personal matter, but also affects the whole. The complete consuming of the sacrifice, the burning to ashes, indicates God’s total judgment of sin. When it comes to sin, there is nothing God can spare, nothing that has any attraction for Him. Ashes speak of a completely executed judgment.

‏ Numbers 19:3

The Heifer Outside the Camp

The heifer is not sacrificed and does not come on the altar. It is slaughtered and burned. Eleazar does not slaughter the heifer himself. Nor is it a question of substitution, not of the atonement work done on the cross for the benefit of the sinner. The red heifer is not about removing sin, but about removing the defilement caused by the touch of death as a symbol of sin.

The slaughter and burning of the red heifer is done only once. It is not repeated and thus symbolizes the eternal power of the work of the Lord Jesus. That it is not repeated is a big difference with all other sacrifices. That is because this is about the water for impurity in the event of defilement.

It is not necessary to slaughter a new red heifer for every defilement. It is about maintaining the relationship with God and restoring when there has been contact with sin. The water for impurity is there for every Israelite and for every defilement that can be caught during the whole wilderness journey.

Like the sin offering, the red heifer must be brought outside the camp, away from God’s presence. It emphasizes the horror God has of sin. Then the value of the blood is emphasized. We are determined by the value of the blood when we see how it is sprinkled seven times in the direction of the tent of meeting. The direction in which the blood is sprinkled indicates that defilement is not only a personal matter, but also affects the whole.

The complete consuming of the sacrifice, the burning to ashes, indicates God’s total judgment of sin. When it comes to sin, there is nothing God can spare, nothing that has any attraction for Him. Ashes speak of a completely executed judgment.