Numbers 19:1-13 KJV And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto
Aaron,
saying, (2) This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD
hath
commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring
thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which
never came yoke: (3) And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the
priest,
that he may bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her
before his face: (4) And Eleazar the priest shall take of
her blood
with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the
tabernacle of the congregation seven times: (5) And one
shall burn
the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with
her dung, shall he burn: (6) And the priest shall take
cedar wood,
and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of
the heifer. (7) Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and
he shall
bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp,
and the priest shall be unclean until the even. (8) And he
that
burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his flesh in
water, and shall be unclean until the even. (9) And a man
that is
clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without
the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of
the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification
for sin. (10) And he that gathereth the ashes of the heifer
shall
wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: and it shall be unto
the children of Israel, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among
them, for a statute for ever. (11) He that
toucheth the dead body of
any man shall be unclean seven days. (12) He shall purify himself
with it on the third day, and on the seventh
day he shall be clean: but
if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall
not be clean. (13) Whosoever toucheth the dead body
of any man that
is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the
tabernacle of the
LORD; and that soul shall
be cut off from Israel: because the water of
separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his
uncleanness is yet upon him.
In this ritual and ceremony, touching or coming into contact with a dead body rendered a person ceremonially unclean.
But the person purified by this ritual on the third day since he touched death had something to yet await.
However, if one did not take advantage of the third day opportunity of cleansing, upon the seventh that person would be cut off from the entire nation of Israel, without hopes of ever being involved again in the Tabernacle worship of God. God's Spirit manifested in the Tabernacle for the sake of distinguishing Israel from all other nations and raising them up to glorify God by blessing them and favouring them.
So get the picture.
There is a third day of opportunity to apply the ashes of the red heifer to purify the person. And there is a seventh day when the person could do nothing but simply stand in relationship to Israel upon the experience of the third day cleansing or not. I want to stress that nothing could be done at the seventh day to rectify the situation or improve upon it. The seventh day events of either reinstatement into the worship of and relationship with God was determined by whether or not the third day cleansing was experienced. A period of seven days is found in the bible many, many times.
Whereas the end of each of the first 6 days saw the words "and the evening and the morning were the _____ day," this is not so with the seventh day.
And that rest was intended for mankind to enter, because we read: Hebrews 4:3-5 KJV For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. (4) For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. (5) And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. We enter HIS rest, in reference to the seventh day when He first rested.
Hebrews 4:6-9 KJV Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: (7) Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. (8) For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. (9) There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. Long before David spoke of a specific DAY -- TO DAY -- wherein they could rest, and even before Joshua who brought them into th rest of Canaan, there was the original rest day of the first week of earth's creation.
What happened?
Romans 5:12-14 KJV Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (13) (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. (14) Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. DEATH PASSED UPON ALL MEN.
And the duration of ONE WEEK is highly representative in this ceremony.
All of our lives will naturally END one day.
But between the time of Adam's sin and the ultimate end of the physical as we know it today, JESUS CAME TO THIS WORLD TO DIE FOR OUR SINS.
Luke 24:46 KJV And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: He died for YOU!
2 Corinthians 5:14 KJV For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: So if our lives are represented by a WEEK, and we started out our lives by having been born in sin, with death looming over us all, the no wonder the day of Christ's death, STANDING AS OUR DEATHS, was followed by THREE DAYS before He arose from the dead. Spiritually speaking about something is not the same as physically considering that something.
Spiritually speaking, since we were born in SIN, we touched touch as soon as we were born.
Spiritually speaking, from the moment you were born spiritually dead into this world, until you accept Jesus Christ and claim HIS DEATH for your salvation, IT IS THREE DAYS.
Nothing is done on our spiritual seventh day by ourselves.
Not only were each of us and our individual lives represented by this spiritual week, but all the history of mankind was considered. Mankind was cut off from God's work the day Adam touched death when he sinned.
Hebrews 8:2 KJV A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. Hebrews 9:11 KJV But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Hebrews 9:24 KJV For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: A Tabernacle in Heaven in which He wants to bring us again!
ANOTHER TABERNACLE is in view as well! 2 Corinthians 5:1-9 KJV For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2) For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: (3) If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. (4) For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. (5) Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. (6) Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (7) (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) (8) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (9) Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. We can say THIS TABERNACLE is our bodies!
AND BELIEVERS who accepted the THIRD DAY opportunity, are purified.
We WAIT and win more souls and do His work during the next FOUR SPIRITUAL DAYS until the SEVENTH end day of TOTAL RECOVERY. However, those who do nothing about the third day opportunity...
(13) Whosoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon him. Notice the terms... HIS UNCLEANNESS IS YET UPON HIM.
And there is also a note to the believer.
Matthew 25:21 KJV His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. |