Numbers 19:17, commentary and pictures

For one made ceremonially unclean by contact with the dead, a portion of the kept ashes of the heifer burnt outside the camp for sin was put with pure running living water in a vessel and applied by repeated sprinkling with hyssop upon the person and what he had touched. The cleansing was by sprinkling required by the law, not by immersion, and is distinct from Christian baptism which is commanded by a word meaning immerse. The ordinance points to Christ, by whom people are washed, sanctified and justified, the ashes sanctifying to the cleanness of the flesh as the type of the blood of Christ cleansing the conscience from dead works. The running water represents the Word by which Christ sanctifies and cleanses, the same cleansing David sought when he prayed to be purged with hyssop and washed whiter than snow. Though the sacrifice was performed once for all as a preserved provision for the whole people, it gave no indiscriminate purification, but each defiled person must individually avail himself of it to be freed from personal impurity and saved from being cut off.

Ceremony and Wording

The provision is for a person made ceremonially unclean by contact with the dead, and touching any dead carcass makes him unclean. His body, as the Lord's tabernacle, is contaminated by that touch, and to remain in that state means being cut off from God's people. The remedy is a preserved provision kept for future use, for the ashes of the burnt heifer offered for sin were gathered and carefully kept after the burning. Its blood was sprinkled seven times toward the temple before the whole animal was burned, and the burning took place outside the camp in a rough, uncultivated valley.

For the unclean person a portion of those kept ashes is put with running water in a vessel. The water is pure water from a running brook, living water continually in motion and thus manifesting life. That mixture is then sprinkled with hyssop upon the unclean person and upon all his surroundings and belongings affected by contact with him during his uncleanness. The sprinkling is repeated to purify people and their surroundings from ceremonial defilement, and the sprinkling was required by the law as sprinkling, not immersion.

The clean person who gathers the ashes and the one who sprinkles the water of purification becomes unclean by handling the same offering that cleanses the sinner. He must wash his clothes and remains unclean until evening. This purification is an exception to the rule that purification in the typical law required blood, since it uses ashes mixed with running water in a vessel without blood. It was for cases of fleshly defilement, and it belonged to the general gifts and sacrifices and washings of the earthly sanctuary service in the holy place, not to the second apartment, the holy of holies, nor to the special Day of Atonement work alone.

Type of Christ

Numbers 19:17 belongs to the red heifer ordinance which points to Christ, standing in the record of sin and among God's object lessons teaching the true way. In the sin offering two lives are represented, the innocent life of the victim and the imputed sinful life of the sinner. The same offering therefore conveys defilement to those who handle it and cleansing to the sinner, which explains how the blood of the sin offering could both bring defilement into the sanctuary and cleanse the sinner. On the cross Christ was made sin and suffered as the vilest of sinners, yet by virtue of His own pure life He cleansed sinners, as when He cleansed the thief.

The ashes from the burnt heifer of purification for sin were mixed with pure running water and used in repeated sprinkling to purify the unclean person and his surroundings and belongings, and this sprinkling points to cleansing through Christ by whom people are washed and sanctified and justified. It represents Christ presenting His blood before the Father in the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary to cleanse people from the defilement of sin. It belonged to the general gifts and sacrifices and washings of the earthly sanctuary service in the holy place, not to the second apartment, the holy of holies, nor to the special Day of Atonement work alone, and the ashes sanctifying unto the cleanness of the flesh are the type of the blood of Christ cleansing the conscience from dead works.

The water represents the Word by which Christ sanctifies and cleanses, and David asks for this same mode of cleansing when he prays to be purged with hyssop and washed whiter than snow. As touching a dead body represents sin and death, the cleansing represents being quickened when dead through trespasses and sins and made alive together with Christ by grace. Purification without blood in such cases of fleshly defilement involved no sin and does not provide remission of sin. The cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary for sin is different, since sin's penalty is death so atonement requires life for life, and only Christ's blood can cleanse it.

Doctrine and Application

The red heifer sacrifice was performed once for all for the whole people, yet it did not give indiscriminate purification to the whole house of Israel. It made a preserved provision for personal cleansing from death-defilement, of which each defiled person must individually avail himself in order to be freed from personal impurity. The ashes of the burnt heifer were gathered and carefully kept for future use, and when a man touched any dead carcass he became unclean. His body, as the Lord's tabernacle, was contaminated, and remaining in that state meant being cut off from God's people. To save him from that calamity a portion of the kept ashes was mixed with water from a running brook in a vessel, and that mixture was sprinkled with hyssop upon the unclean person and upon all his belongings affected by contact with him during his uncleanness.

Its sprinkling of ashes mixed with running water did not take place in the second apartment, the holy of holies. It belonged to the general gifts and sacrifices and washings of the earthly sanctuary service in the holy place, not to the special Day of Atonement work alone. The ashes sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh as the type of the blood of Christ cleansing the conscience from dead works, and its place outside the most holy place proves the ministry of Christ as high priest through the greater and more perfect tabernacle covers the whole heavenly sanctuary and was not confined on His ascension to the most holy place. The purification rite for an unclean person by ashes mixed with running water in a vessel and sprinkled on the person was required by the law and symbolized purification, and it was not immersion. It is distinct from Christian baptism, which is commanded by a word meaning immerse.

The ordinance is part of the ceremonial law God gave Israel that guards against contact with the dead. The laws the Lord gave to Israel are the best code of health laws in the world. Its spirit is directly against superstitious practices such as pressing lips against the lips of the dead. Following this Bible instruction prevents the spread of disease such as tuberculosis.