Ep 734 – Numbers 19

The book of Numbers is full of references to sin and the need for cleansing. That was what the entire sacrificial system was all about. And in Numbers 19, God outlines a very specific kind of cleansing required for anyone who had become defiled by contact with a dead body. And, as is true of just about every single aspect of the Old Testament sacrificial system, this rite was intended to point toward an even more important cleansing that would become available when God sent His Son to die for the sins of mankind. He gave His life by dying in the place of sinful human beings, providing a cleansing from the contamination of death we inherited from Adam. And, unlike the sacrifices made in the tabernacle in the wilderness, Jesus Christ’s sacrifice was offered once and never had to be repeated. His purification of our impurity was permanent, not temporary. His sacrificial death was effective, making it possible for all who place their faith in Him to receive permanent cleansing from sin and release from the penalty of death they deserved.