The red heifer, the principal component of the water for impurity, signifies the redeeming Christ, for He is the reality of all the offerings and in particular as the redeeming One He can remove the defilement of death.
The context of Numbers 19, where the red heifer is mentioned as part of the water for impurity, is that there was a lot of rebellion among the children of Israel, and as a result, death was present in the camp, and the children of Israel were defiled by death.
Whether they were involved in the rebellion or not, all those in the people of Israel were defiled by death, for the result of God’s judgement on the sin of rebellion is death, and death was widespread.
We may think that we are not affected by such a situation or condition, but the truth is that we all are affected by death, and in particular we are affected by the effect of the sin of rebellion.
Even in the church life, the genuine church life in the Lord’s recovery, there are some rebellions from time to time, and whether or not we are involved in these, the death that follows affects all those around.
God hates death, and he considers death being more defiling than sin. In God’s eyes death is abominable and detestable, and the defilement of death needs to be cleansed and purified.
So God offers a way for us to be cleansed from the defilement of death, which is the water of impurity; the red heifer is the main component of this water, and it signifies the redeeming Christ.
It is interesting, however, that there’s an offering mentioned in the book of Numbers and not in the book of Leviticus, where all offerings are introduced.
This offering, which is Christ Himself typified by a red heifer, is really unique; there are at least ten points making it different from any other offerings that we read about in the book of Leviticus:
- It is called a sin offering, but it is in Numbers, not in Leviticus.
- It is the only offering where the blood of the sacrifice is also burnt; in all other sacrifices, the blood is poured out, but in the water for impurity, it is burnt.
- A heifer is a female calf, a young female calf; most offerings are male – this one uses a female calf.
- There’s a specific color mentioned: red; none of the other offerings specify the color of the sacrificial animal, but this one has to be red.
- This is an offering offered not on the altar; the red heifer was not slain on the altar but outside the camp, and it was not slain by the priest; we don’t even know who slays it, for Num. 19:3 says that someone can slay it in the presence of the priest.
- This particular offering is not mainly for forgiveness but for cleansing.
- It was not offered for sinners but specifically for God’s people.
- It is not an offering for sin but for death, for dealing with the defilement of death; it is called a sin offering, but it is for death – there’s no sin here, there’s only death.
- It is not an offering for a past matter, like a past sin, but an offering for the future.
- The purpose of this offering is the restoration of fellowship, for it is an offering for God’s people to restore their fellowship with Him.
How we can Enjoy and Experience the Redeeming Christ as the reality of the Red Heifer
The water for impurity had more than one components, but the main one was the red heifer, which signifies the redeeming Christ.
When most people read or speak of the red heifer, they speak of eschatology, of the fact that Israel has to breed red heifers so that when the temple is built they have a red heifer and offer it.
We should not focus on this primarily, for this can be easily done; breeding the red heifer is not something complicated, but touching, enjoying, and experiencing the redeeming Christ as the reality of the red heifer is what matters.
We need to see and experience the reality of the red heifer, which is the redeeming Christ; He can deal not only with sin but also with death and its defilement. We need to see the specific characteristics of the red heifer and how they were fulfilled in the Lord Jesus, the redeeming Christ.
The color red signifies the likeness of the flesh of sin, which is for the bearing of man’s sin outwardly. This is the reason that the color of the animal was specified; the red color – only the skin and the hair are red – shows that Christ came in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, but He had no sin in the flesh.
Christ came as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29), and when He came, He was in the likeness of the flesh of sin (Rom. 8:23) to condemn sin in the flesh. For Christ to be our Redeemer, He needs to have the likeness of the flesh of sin.
The color red represents our sin (Isa. 1:18); the red heifer signifies the Lord being made sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21). Hallelujah! He came in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin so that we, sinners who believe into Him and look to Him, would not perish but have eternal life!
The red heifer was without defect, signifying that although Christ was in the likeness of the flesh of sin, He did not have the sinful nature (see Heb. 2:14; 4:15; Rom. 8:3; 2 Cor. 5:21). The red heifer was to have no defect; Christ had no defect but rather, Him who knew no sin God made sin on our behalf so that we may become the righteousness of God in Him.
We have defects and spots, but He had no defect, no spot, and no blemish. He was a clean man, having a clean experience, and not having been touched by sin. What a Christ! That the red heifer was without blemish indicates that Christ was perfect (Num. 19:2; Exo. 12:5-6).
We are sinful, full of defects and blemishes, and we are spotted; but the Lord came in the likeness of the flesh of sin – He looked just like us – and concerning sin, but He did not have the sinful nature, neither did He ever commit a sin. Such a One is what we need; such a One can deal with our sins and remove our sins, and He cane also deal with our sinful nature.
![This sacrifice was to be without spot [defect] and without blemish and was never to have come under a yoke. Being without spot and blemish refers to His life. Never having come under a yoke refers to His work. In life He is without blemishes. In work He has never been under a yoke. In His life and person, the Lord Jesus is without spot and blemish. Not only is He without blemish, but also in His experience He is clean, that is, He has never been under a yoke. He is a clean man, and He has a clean experience. Many people are without blemish, but they have been yoked. But in His experience, the Lord Jesus was never yoked. He never touched the things of sin. He was never oppressed by sin or dominated by sin. He was never provoked to sin. He is completely free. Watchman Nee, The Gospel of God (2), ch, 25](https://i0.wp.com/agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/This-sacrifice-was-to-be-without-spot.jpg?resize=450%2C674&ssl=1 "This sacrifice was to be without spot [defect] and without blemish and was never to have come under a yoke. Being without spot and blemish refers to His life. Never having come under a yoke refers to His work. In life He is without blemishes. In work He has never been under a yoke. In His life and person, the Lord Jesus is without spot and blemish. Not only is He without blemish, but also in His experience He is clean, that is, He has never been under a yoke. He is a clean man, and He has a clean experience. Many people are without blemish, but they have been yoked. But in His experience, the Lord Jesus was never yoked. He never touched the things of sin. He was never oppressed by sin or dominated by sin. He was never provoked to sin. He is completely free. Watchman Nee, The Gospel of God (2), ch, 25")
The red heifer was to have never been under a yoke; this signifies that Christ was never used by anyone, especially or for by God’s enemy, Satan.
The farm animals usually do work on the farm or in the field, and a yoke is used to subdue them; but this young female calf, in order to have been qualified to be sacrificed, could have never borne a yoke.
This is a type of Christ, the real red heifer, who was never used by anyone, especially not by God’s enemy of for Satan’s purpose – not even once!
In His experience, the Lord Jesus was never yoked by sin or by Satan; He was never oppressed by sin or dominated by sin, neither was He provoked by sin – He was completely free. Only the Lord Jesus has never been used by Satan, the world, or sin.
Unlike Him, we have been used by sin, we bear the yoke of sin, and the world uses us; before we were saved, we bore many kinds of yokes, and even after our salvation, we may still be yoked by the world or by sin. Oh Lord Jesus!
We need such a One, the redeeming Christ, to deliver us from any yoke and cleanses us from any defilement of death!
The red heifer was brought outside the camp and slaughtered; Christ was crucified outside the camp – on Calvary, a small mount outside the city of Jerusalem (Num. 19:3; Heb. 13:12-13; Matt. 27:33).
Most animals are sacrificed on the altar in the temple, but the red heifer for the water of impurity was to be slaughtered not on the altar of the burnt offering but outside the camp. To be slaughtered outside the camp means to be in a position rejected by God’s people.
When someone in the people of Israel became unclean, he needed to dwell alone outside of the camp (Lev. 13:46); those who are rejected by God and His people had to be outside the camp, for they are unclean.
The red heifer was slaughtered outside the camp where unclean people were, in order to deal with their uncleanness.
Oh, Hallelujah, Christ came to deal with our uncleanness, and He came where we are – outside the camp, in an unclean place, and there He was crucified for us. Christ was rejected by men, He was brought to an unclean place, and there He was crucified for us, outside the city of Jerusalem.
The red heifer was a female calf, and the Lord is a male; in the Bible the male represents objective truth, whereas the female represents subjective experience.
For example, Adam, Abraham, and Isaac represent certain objective truths or testimonies, and Eve, Sarah, and Rebecca represent the corresponding subjective experiences or practical applications.
Christ was crucified not merely for us to know about it and understand it but to experience it. The redeeming Christ is not something for our understanding and apprehending as a spiritual doctrine but for our subjective experience.
Today in our Christian life we can enjoy and experience the redeeming Christ as the reality of the red heifer, and we can apply Him to our subjective experience so that we may be cleansed from all defilement brought in by death.
Thank You Lord for coming in the likeness of the flesh of sin to bear our sin and deal with our sin. We praise You, Lord, for You only bore the likeness of the flesh of sin but did not commit any sin! Hallelujah for our Christ, the One who did not have the sinful nature, who was perfect, and who had no blemish! We praise You, Lord, for being the blameless and spotless One, and as such a One You were never used by Satan for his evil purposes. Thank You for dying for us to redeem us. You are our redeeming Christ, the reality of the red heifer. Thank You Lord for going outside the camp, being despised and put to shame, and dying for us so that we may be redeemed, brought back to God, and cleansed from any defilement. Lord Jesus, we come to You to enjoy You as the redeeming Christ in our experience. Save us from only knowing and agreeing with what You have done for us; apply this to our experience!
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References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by bro. Mark Raabe for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1960, vol. 1, ”Synopsis of Numbers,” ch. 24, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Numbers (2), week 5, The Water for Impurity.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Lamb of God so pure and spotless, / Lamb of God for sinners slain. / Thy shed blood has wrought redemption, / Cleansing us from every stain. / Lamb redeeming, Lamb redeeming, / Bearing all our sins away, / Bearing all our sins away! (Hymns #1089)
# For that which the law could not do, being weak, / In the flesh, God sending His Son, / In the likeness of flesh, and concerning sin, / He condemned sin in the flesh. / That the righteous requirement of the law / Might be fulfilled in us, / Who do not walk according to the flesh of sin / But who walk according to the spirit. (Scripture song)
# The Righteous on behalf / Of all unrighteous men, / Was judged upon the cross / To save us from our sins; / Removed the barrier and redeemed / To bring us back to God, / All praise to Jesus, Lamb of God! (Song on, The Trespass Offering)
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