Red Heifer Journey

The Journey of the Red Heifer 
Have you ever wondered about the red heifer in the book of Numbers?

  Numbers 19 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2 “This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under a yoke. 3 Give it to Eleazar the priest; it is to be taken outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. ...
9 “A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and put them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of cleansing; it is for purification from sin.

I can not help but see the red heifer as a "type" of our Lord and Savior Jesus.  He too was without blemish-perfect in every way. He was without a yoke of sin. They were both led to slaughter for a purpose, to make one cleansed and purified. 

Jesus came to fulfill the law. To make a new way for all to be cleansed and made pure.

"Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose." Matthew 5:17

As the red heifer was led to slaughter to be a sin offering for the whole camp,  Jesus chose to carry the cross on the same path as the red heifer for the sins of the world. He knew he was carrying the sins of the world.

Hebrews 13: 11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.13Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. 14For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.


15Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

 The painful journey of Jesus as he carried the cross for the cleansing and purification of the whole world is beyond my understanding.  It begs from me, my life as a living sacrifice.  As we have struggles and trials in this life, we are being led from the comforts of the city, to a journey of sacrifice.  We look to Jesus for our strength knowing that this is not our home. We praise Him for the washing and purification of our souls as we look forward to the city that is to come.

As I look out to the pasture and see the cattle, I think of Jesus.  His perfect sacrifice and the eternal city that awaits me.
 ~2RJL