SCRIPTURE: NUMBERS 19
BIBLE VERSE:
“Whoever touches a human corpse will be unclean for seven days. They must purify themselves with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then they will be clean. But if they do not purify themselves on the third and seventh days, they will not be clean. If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse, they defile the Lord’s tabernacle. They must be cut off from Israel. Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean; their uncleanness remains on them.” (Numbers 19:11-13)
THE WATER OF CLEANSING (vs. 1-22)
The Lord commanded the Israelites to bring a red heifer without defect or blemish and give it to Eleazar, the priest. The priest will slaughter it outside the camp and take some of its blood to sprinkle toward the front of the Tent of Meeting seven times. the heifer is to be burned. The priest is to take some cedar wood hyssop and scarlet wool and throw them into the burning heifer. Then the priest and the man who burns it must wash his clothes and bath himself with water. They will be unclean till evening.
A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp for the Israelites to use in cleansing and purification from sin. the man who gathers up the ashes of the heifer must also wash his clothes for he will be unclean till evening.
Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be unclean for 7 days. He must purify himself with the water on the third and on the 7th day, he will be clean. Whoever touches the dead body of anyone and fails to purify himself defiles the Lord’s tabernacle. That person must be cut off from Israel.
When a person dies in a tent, anyone who enters the tent or anyone who is in the tent will be unclean for 7 days. And every open container without a lid fastened on it will be unclean.
Anyone who touches someone who has been killed with sword out in the open or someone who has died a natural death or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave will be unclean for 7 days.
HOW TO MAKE AN UNCLEAN PERSON CLEAN?
Put some ashes from the burned purification offering into a jar and pour fresh water over them. A ceremonially clean man is to take some hyssop, dip in the water and sprinkle the tent and all the furnishings and the people who were there. He must also sprinkle anyone who has touched a human bone or a grave or someone who has be killed or someone who has died a natural death. The man who is clean is to sprinkle the unclean person on the third and 7th da. On the 7th day,, he is to purify him. The person being cleansed must also wash his clothes and bathe with water. Then he will be cleaned that evening. An unclean person will be cut of from the community. Anything that an unclean person touches become unclean and anyone who touches it becomes unclean till evening.
THOUGHTS:
God wanted the Jews to be clean by avoiding uncleanness of all kinds especially contamination from dead bodies. It reminded people to avoid sin because of the defilement it brings.
God made provision to restore persons who became defiled. Blood had to be shed by offering a heifer. The ashes were used to make “water of purification”. The defiled person can be cleansed by using the water of purification. His word provide cleansing for our inner person.