- Then a clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there and on whoever touched the bone, or the slain or the dead or the grave. Numbers 19:18 – Today we are reading about the sacrifice of the red heifer. To not bog us down with too much detail, see this as God offering His people a more accessible means of purification after someone had made themselves unclean. In Leviticus 14 we see the outline for what someone was to do if they were ceremonially unclean, and the process was long and expensive. While that method still could be followed, the Lord was giving His people another means of purification, one that was easier and more affordable for His people. Something that must be noted is that in order for the unclean person to become clean, a clean person must be present to help. In our verse above we see that a “clean person” was to take the hyssop branch and do the sprinkling. Meaning that if there was no one clean, there would have been no one to fulfill this part of the ceremony, meaning everyone would have remained unclean forever. While that is certainty taking this situation to the extreme, it does show the immense importance that there were individuals actively putting in effort to remain clean. In our context, we aren’t having to worry about ritual cleanliness, we’ve been made holy by Jesus. Yet in order for the lost to find that holiness in Jesus the lost need people actively putting in effort to remain in a holy life for the Lord. People aren’t going to hear about the saving grace of Jesus from someone deep in sin. People aren’t going to flock to Jesus when the example of disciples they see is exuding nothing of the character of Jesus. Our world needs disciples putting in the effort to live holy lives. Live as the “clean” individual in our passage for the lost will not be drawn to Jesus by our sin. I love you, but Jesus loves you more -Mac – Daily DEVO 3369
- Then the priest shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. But the priest shall be unclean until evening. Numbers 19:7 – Often it takes us getting dirty to do all that God is asking of us. Here throughout this chapter it speaks on the process of becoming clean after touching or being around something that has died. Whether you were the one who touched it, or even the one who helped the unclean person in the purification process afterwards, there was a “getting dirty” of yourselves in that. If you’ve been cleansed by the blood of Jesus know we don’t have to worry about getting spiritually unclean by stepping into the mess of someone else to help them. It may though mess up our life in other ways. It may add stress, it may exhaust you, it may even change your perspective on people. It most likely will get messy when you choose to help others, but that’s our calling. If our heart is cleansed by Jesus, but our hands never get dirty helping others, have we truly chosen to follow Jesus’ example? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1435
- Numbers 19 – Pastor Mac Daily DEVO And a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering. Numbers 19:9 – Let’s breakdown what’s going on in this chapter. A heifer was taken and offered as a sacrifice outside the camp. As we see in verse 9, the ashes then of this heifer were to be taken to a clean place outside of camp to be saved and used for future purposes. Whenever then there was someone who had sinned and they were separated from the people and God because of this sin, water would be mixed with some of the ashes and this mixture would be sprinkled on them as a part of their cleansing process. Without then this heifer being sacrificed, there would have been no way to make these sinners clean before the Lord. Again, this chapter is alluding to the future sacrifice of Jesus made for all sinners. For we too were once unclean, separated from God because of sin. Then Jesus sacrificed all for us, washing us clean. Without Him and His sacrifice, any hope of salvation and Heaven would be gone. While today we don’t need the sacrifice of animals or the ashes of this heifer to make us clean, we do still need the sacrifice of Jesus in our life to make us right with the Lord. If you have never come to Jesus to have Him wash you clean of your sins, today can be the day. If you have found cleansing and forgiveness in Jesus, be sure to demonstrate your gratitude for that today by how you live. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2300
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