Chapter 19

Some parts of the Bible are easy to interpret. The meaning is clear from the moment you look at them. They can still be difficult to put into practice, but understanding them isn’t the problem.

Some parts are hard to understand. You find them hard to reconcile with your knowledge of God, or you don’t entirely grasp some of the social nuances needed to “get it.”

And then there’s Numbers 19.

HUH?

I read this passage this evening with mounting huh-ness. Why is the red cow being burned? Why is it that ash from the burning of a red cow makes water holy?

What is a red cow?

From this passage, however, you do catch a glimpse of the reason behind something which will be seen over and over again in later books – the mania for religious cleanliness that pervades the people of Israel.

A common phrase you read here is “ceremonially clean.” A person needed to be ceremonially clean to involve themselves in just about any part of Israelite public life. And it was a big deal – if you weren’t clean when you participated in ceremonies, you were ostracized. Once again, it was a picture to the people of how Holy God is, and how much our sin had offended Him.

And whilst I don’t get some of the details, I do get that it was important for people to prepare before facing God.

Another thing I thought I’d mention – notice how much of this ceremonial uncleanness has to do with death. This is actually a really important thing, because if we can get through our heads the concept of “death = unclean”, we can understand a lot of what happens in the New Testament.

For example – in Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, the priests cross on the other side of the road from the wounded man. This is callous even in our culture, but in theirs, they are basically saying “He’s dead anyway, so I’ll treat him that way!”

Another example – Jesus called the Pharisees “Whitewashed tombs” – tombs were painted white so you couldn’t possibly miss them. It wasn’t to make them presentable, it was to make sure you don’t touch them. So when Jesus applies this picture to the Pharisees, it was about as offensive as it was possible to be.

This puts the resurrection in a very different light.

Yes, death is an enemy. Yes, it is exciting that Jesus defeated this enemy.

More than that, however, death is the ultimate expression of the uncleanness brought about by sin! So when Jesus dies, He becomes unclean; yet in Him, things work backwards.

Normally, when the clean and unclean touch, the clean becomes unclean. But in the case of Jesus, His cleanness is so great that He can make the unclean clean! Death itself is “cleaned away”, if you like, and it is such a great cleanliness that we cannot become unclean again!

Once again, therefore, the book of Numbers is seen to be looking forward to Christ Himself.