Numbers 19:10, commentary and pictures

The verse belongs to the red heifer offering described in Numbers 19:1-10, which stands as an exception among the Levitical sacrifices in that it is not set forth in the opening chapters of Leviticus. That ordinance of the red heifer continued in use even though it is not mentioned again in the historical books of the Old Testament. Its designation as a statute for ever does not mean the ceremony must last as long as God exists. Forever can describe a period limited by the nature and circumstances of the subject spoken of, so the ordinance could endure only for its appointed time and be abolished at Christ's death.

Purification through the ashes of the heifer was an exception to the rule that purification under the typical law was made by blood. Purification without blood applied where no sin was involved, such as physical defilement caused by sickness or accidents. This does not conflict with the rule that forgiveness of sin requires the shedding of blood. The ordinance points to Christ, with the redness of the heifer connected with Adam and Christ identified as the second Adam.

The sprinkling of the ashes upon the defiled, which sanctified to the cleanness of the flesh, is a type of the blood of Christ cleansing the conscience from dead works. That sprinkling did not take place in the second apartment, the holy of holies. Its place among the types fulfilled by Christ shows that His ministry in the greater and more perfect tabernacle includes the general service of the whole heavenly sanctuary and is not confined to the most holy place. The clean man who gathers the ashes must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening, while the same ashes mingled with water cleanse the unclean person, because two lives were represented in the sin offering, the innocent life of the victim and the imputed sinful life of the offerer, so that the same blood and ashes both convey defilement and cleansing.

The defilement of the clean gatherer reveals Christ on the cross made sin and suffering as the vilest of sinners. At the same time He cleanses sinners by virtue of His own pure life, as when He cleansed the thief. The keeping of the ashes for both the children of Israel and the stranger sojourning among them means the death of Christ benefits every person. The sacrifice was performed once for all for the whole people, yet it did not give indiscriminate purification to the whole house of Israel, but made a provision of cleansing which individuals had to personally avail themselves of in order to be freed from personal impurity, so Christ tasting death for all men still leaves each person to go through singly what He did for all.