THE ASHES OF A RED HEIFER
Part 1
"For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ASHES OF AN HEIFER sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God" (Heb. 9:13-14).
In the worship of the Old Testament great principle of truth and eternal spiritual realities were conveyed through outward signs and symbols. The eye is quicker than the ear. And there is therefore no language so expressive as the language of symbols. The multitude will better catch your meaning by one apt symbol than by a thousand words. The mind shrinks from the intellectual effort of grappling with the subtle essences of things, and loves to have truth wrapped up in a form which can easily be taken in by the eye, the ear, the sense of touch. This explains why there is such a tendency towards ritualism in the apostate Churches. Where man's spiritual life is strong, it is independent of the outward form; but when it is weak it leans feebly on external aids. And it was because the children of Israel were in so childish a condition that God enshrined His deep and holy thoughts in outward forms and material patterns. The untutored and unspiritual people must have spiritual truth expressed in symbols, which appealed to the most obtuse. For fifteen hundred years, therefore, the Israelitish worship gathered round the most splendid ceremonial that the world has ever seen.
Numbers 19 is a most unusual chapter in the Old Testament. All the offerings in the Bible are bullocks and rams, but here there is an exception - a heifer, a female cow whose never given birth. All the offerings in the Old Testament are slaughtered and offered to God, but this offering of the red heifer, though killed and burned, is very different from the rest. While all others are offered to God to meet current claims - that is, the sin-offering, the burnt offering, or the peace offering according to the need of the day - the red heifer alone was not for the present need. It was offered to meet future needs. The ordinance of the red heifer stands alone. While other sacrifices are often brought before us, this recorded in no other part of Israel's history.
Through Moses and Aaron the Lord commanded the people to bring a red heifer - one without spot or blemish and which had never been under the yoke of service - and present it to the High Priest. The High Priest in turn gave the red heifer into the hands of Eleazar the priest to be taken outside the Camp and slaughtered there in his presence. It was not one of the sin-offering of the Day of Atonement, nor was it one of the offerings of the people subsequent to the Day of Atonement - indeed, it was no "offering" at all, for no part of it was offered on the Lord's altar or eaten by the priests. It was sacrificed, but not in the same sense, nor in the same place, as these offerings - in the Court. It was not even killed by one of the priests, nor was its blood taken into the Tabernacle of His presence. The red heifer was taken outside the Camp of Israel, and was then killed and burned to ashes, - flesh, fat, hide, blood, etc. - except a little of the blood taken by the priest and sprinkled seven times toward the front of the Tabernacle (Revised Version). While the body of the heifer was being incinerated, Eleazar was to throw cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet thread into the burning fire. When all was consumed, the ASHES of the heifer were not brought into the Tabernacle, but were left outside the Camp, gathered together in a heap, and apparently accessible to any of the people who had use for them. Under the prescription of the law, a portion of the ashes was to be mixed with running water in a vessel, and a bunch of hyssop dipped into this water was to be used in sprinkling the person, clothing, tent, vessels, etc., of any one who contracted ceremonial defilement through touching or approaching a dead body. Thus, any one who became legally unclean through touching a dead body, was cleansed or purified by being sprinkled with water containing some of the ashes of heifer. This "water of separation" could be used for other purificatory purposes. According to Num. 31:21-13, metal vessels captured among the spoils of war could be cleansed from idolatrous contamination by being passed through the fire and then sprinkled with this water.
CEREMONIAL UNCLEANNESS
In view of the many wonderful sacrifices provided for sin in the Old Testament, and the fact that this heifer was in no sense related to these, we must look elsewhere for the antitype to this red heifer, for had it in any sense been an atonement for sins, it would of necessity have been killed by a priest as indicating that fact. What, then, did this sacrifice of the red heifer signify? What does it have to do with the cleansing or purification of the people of God?
The cleansing for which these red cow ashes were prescribed, were of a peculiar kind, namely, specially for those who became CEREMONIALLY UNCLEAN by coming into contact with DEATH. It is called a "sin-offering" only in the sense that a ceremonially unclean person came under the jurisdiction of the law, with penalty if he were not properly cleansed according to law. The ashes of the heifer were not designed to remove MORAL SIN, it was only a ceremonial cleansing, called by the writer of Hebrews that which "sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh" (Heb. 9:13). Bullocks were offered by people who had committed sin in its usual sense - moral sin. If I were Israelite, and had sinned against my neighbor, or against God, I could bring a bullock or sheep to God and offer it as a sin-offering because I had wronged or offended either man or God. But the offering of the red heifer was different. In relation to its purifying work no man had been wronged, nor had God been disobeyed!
Here is a man who is pure as a lily, he has loved and obeyed and walked righteously with man and God. But he has touched something unclean. He has come into contact with a dead body. Because he has been so defiled, he cannot stay in the Camp, neither can he approach the Tabernacle; he cannot have fellowship with either man or God! "And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp...whosoever is defiled by the dead: both male and female shall you put out, that they defile not their camps in the midst whereof I dwell. Whosoever touches the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifies not himself, DEFILES THE TABERNACLE OF THE LORD; and that soul be cut off from Israel: because the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him, he shall be unclean" (Num. 5:1-3; 19:13). The very presence of death caused all fellowship and worship to cease!
"...and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the UNCLEAN, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh" (Heb. 9:13). The word "unclean" here refers to such as had been defiled by contact with dead bodies, as when one had died in the family. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathaea helped to bury the dead body of Jesus, which made them ceremonially unclean; being conscientious Jews, they would have themselves ceremonially cleansed. The uncleanness here referred to related to the body only, and of course the cleansing of the water of separation extended only to that. It was not designed to expiate moral offenses. A man's body might be clean in the ceremonial sense - he might not have come into contact with any dead thing, or any leper, or any bodily discharge; but he might just have wickedly lied about his neighbor, or committed adultery with his neighbor's wife, or stolen some man's money. But the "water of separation" could not avail for these! It could not cleanse the heart; it could not atone for sin; it removed neither guilt nor penalty. It could only cleanse the body, thus meeting the requirements of the law, and removing the obstructions to fellowship with men and entrance into the presence of God. The ashes of the red heifer HAD an efficacy - removing ceremonial uncleanness, and in clearing the way for the one who had been polluted to be brought again to approach and worship God. Ah! though we have committed no act of sin, though we have not knowingly rebelled against the will of the Lord in anything, yet, because of our contact with the death around us, the presence and influence of the flesh, the world, and the devil, how often have we felt far away from the presence of God! It was not sins that separated us - it was, rather, the NEGATIVE INFLUENCE upon mind and emotion and conscience!
The red heifer is pre-eminently a Wilderness type. It was God's provision for defilements along the way, and it prefigures the blessed provision of Christ to meet our need in passing through a DEFILING WORLD of death on our way into the fullness and image of God. A great portion of our tears of sorrow and sympathy are related to this world's system. Much of our emotional outburst is triggered by the pressures of the situations and circumstances about us of this world. Our mental attitude is strongly influenced by this world's spirit. And it is our soul-life which is so affected. We do not like our emotions and impulses moved upon by this world. We do not our thinking, attitudes, reasoning, or will bent to conform to this world's way. How we DETEST it all, how we LOATHE the contamination acquired by contact with the corruption and death of THIS WORLD! No one need explain what an awesome terror death holds, or how dreadfully it affects those who are in its presence. Men fear death because it is so final, chilling, depressing - in a way that penetrates into the very soul. Death emanates its own negative aura and imparts something of its power to all who contact it, penetrating the emotions, clinging to the mind, possessing the thoughts, affecting the attitudes, disturbing the feelings, troubling the soul - giving a sense of uncleanness. On the spiritual plane, many who read these lines understand how they are affected by the spiritual death they contact daily in the world - how after a hard day in a smoke-filled office, engrossed in earthly things, dealing with ungodly men of corrupt minds, listening to coarse talk and dirty jokes, surrounded by sin and perverseness - there is a stunting affect on the spiritual awareness, and often a time of quietness, seasoned with prayer and praise, is needed to restore the conscious awareness of HIS LIFE AND VICTORY. Ah, we have touched the REALM OF DEATH, the DEAD BODY OF UNREGENERATED MAN, and there is an attachment of its defilement which must be purged, washed away in the flow of HIS LIFE.
By way of illustration, I remember when, as a young minister I attended a "spiritualist" meeting. The "Spiritualist Church" was holding the dedication of their new building and announced a special meeting on a Sunday afternoon, including a public demonstration of ESP via "messages" received from the "spirit-world" through a "medium". I desired to go, not to partake, not to receive any "message", and certainly not to pursue their teachings or practices; but as a spectator, to acquaint myself with their activities. I felt the Lord gave me the liberty to do so. I do not recommend it. Make no mistake about it! There was a powerful spirit operating in that place. It was not mesmerism, magic, or trickery of any sort. It was satanic. And it was real.
The medium requested each member of the audience to write on a slip of paper any question to which he needed the answer, along with the name of one deceased relative to be contacted for the information. While these were being collected, the medium bandaged his eyes with a black blindfold and several scrips of adhesive tape. The papers were placed in a basket at the left side of the huge pulpit. Then he began his demonstration. A strange demonic "anointing" came upon him. He took one piece of paper at a time, held it over his head, contacted a spirit which identified itself as the person named on the paper, and after some conversation with the spirit, received the answer to the question. Some of his answer were short, others more detailed. When a certain spirit identified itself, a woman jumped up, screaming, "Oh, that's my dead grandmother!" He talked to one doctor telling him in what book, and on which page, he would find certain medical information he sought.
There was power there alright, but it was the power of Satan - dark, forbidding, sinister. There was no spirit of praise. There was no atoning blood. There was no salvation experience. There was no joy. There was no exaltation of Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. There was no worship of the Lord, no presence of the Holy Spirit, no flow of HIS LIFE, and nothing for the inner man. There was naught but the shadowy presence of death, DEATH, D-E-A-T-H! I had entered into the province of the darkest realm of spiritual death. I felt death. I smelled death. I touched death. My soul was defiled by that death. Its presence hung like a shroud over my spirit for days. I felt unclean. God seemed a million miles away. The heavens were as brass. Joy had fled away over the mountain. There was not the conscious awareness of the lovely presence of Jesus. I struggled. I prayed. I mouthed words of praise. I battled my way through to victory. Finally the clouds broke and the sunlight of His glory burst afresh within my soul. Oh! I promised God in that glad hour that never again would I step foot into the domains of darkness out of mere curiosity. And yet - I had not sinned! Not for one moment had I departed from my Lord! It was not sin that separated me from fellowship, but the NEGATIVE INFLUENCE of a dark realm upon my mind, emotions, and conscience. I had approached death. I had contacted death. There was defilement. I was unclean. There was a separation between me and my God. I shuddered as an Israelite of old might shudder as he hearkened to such words as these: "He that touched the dead body of any man shall be unclean seven days," and again, "Whosoever touched the dead body of any man that is dead, and purified not himself, defiles the Tabernacle of the Lord." But praise God! He has provided a cleansing!
But the anxious reader, whose whole being breathes after the holiness of God, may eagerly inquire, What, then, are we to do, if it be true that we are surrounded on all hands, with defiling influences, and if we are so prone to contract that defilement? But then, what of the ASHES OF THE BURNT HEIFER? What of the WATER OF SEPARATION? - what can these mean? They set forth the wonderful provision of God in Christ applied to the heart by the power of the Spirit of God. "He shall purify himself with it the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean" (Num. 19:12). If we contract defilement, that defilement must be removed ere we know the free flow of His life. But we cannot get rid of it by any effort of our own; it can only be by the use of God's gracious provision, even the WATER OF SEPARATION. An Israelite could no more remove, by his own efforts, the defilement caused by the touch of a dead body, than he could have broken Pharaoh's yoke, or delivered himself from the lash of Pharaoh's taskmasters.
THE BODY OF DEATH
There is a death that lies closer to us than all this. The first eight chapters of the book of Romans form a self-contained unit. The four and a half chapters from chapter 1 to 5:11 form the first half of this unit and the three and a half chapters from 5:12 to 8:39 form the second half. A careful study of these chapters will show that the subject matter of the two halves is not the same. For example, in the argument of the first section we find the plural word "sins" given prominence. In the second section, however, this is changed, for while the word "sins" hardly occurs once, the singular word "sin" is used again and again and becomes the subject primarily dealt with. The question is, Why?
It is important to understand that in the first section it is a question of "sins" in the plural - that is, the ACTS OF SIN that I have committed before God which are many and can be enumerated. But in the second section it is a question of the singular "sin" - that is, SIN AS A PRINCIPLE working in me. Regardless of how many SINS I commit, it is always the ONE SIN PRINCIPLE that leads to them. I may receive forgiveness from all my many plural ACTS OF SIN (sins), but as along as I have present with me the one sin principle (SIN) I shall have the potential of committing sins.
So the question follows: Just WHAT IS S-I-N? What is this sin principle which is ever present with us, always enticing, continually rising up to overpower our wills and bring forth the actions of sin in our lives? You must admit it is a POWER! In its simplest definition sin is THE POWER AND PRINCIPLE OF EVIL. Sin is a LAW. In Rom. 8:2 it is called the "LAW of sin and death." We all know what is meant by the LAW OF GRAVITY. Law is principle. Gravity is a principle; gravity is a POWER. The power works by a principle and that makes it a LAW. If I drop a coin in Crystal River it falls to the ground. That is the effect of gravity. But the same thing is true if I drop it in New York or Rome. No matter where I let it go, gravity operates, and it ALWAYS produces the same results. Whenever the same conditions prevail the same effects are seen. Thus, a "law" of gravity exists.
Now what of the LAW OF SIN? Like the law of gravity, sin is something constant, it is a power, it is a principle. With gravity, the law is there and the coin "naturally" drops without any help from me. The law of sin works very "naturally" also without any premeditation or help from me! The law of sin is thus a power, a principle, a principle present with every man and ever opposed to that which is good, continually working to cripple man's will and lead him into the motions of sin. He wills to be different, but that law within is relentless, ever demanding.
The Word of God bears immutable testimony to the awesome power of the LAW OF SIN which works IN OUR MEMBERS. The apostle Paul explains, "I find then a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward of man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the LAW OF SIN WHICH IS IN MEMBERS. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the BODY OF THIS DEATH? I thank God through Jesus Christ my Lord. So then with the mind I MYSELF serve the law of God; but with THE FLESH the law of sin" (Rom. 7:21-25).
It seems to me that for centuries our eyes have been kept holding to many of the great truths of the Scripture. We have read and reread the Bible, usually taking for granted that we understood perfectly what was written, and frequently just reading over the passages and noticing little or nothing of their message. I do not think we should be overly concerned about this lack of understanding, but we should never presume that we know all the truth, and we must maintain a humble, teachable spirit at all times. When we approach the subject of the "OLD MAN" we arrive at the point of one of the most serious errors made by most Christians. The common mistake is that saints have somehow come to believe that the "old man" of whom Paul speaks in various places is the SIN PRINCIPLE, the power of SIN IN OUR MEMBERS. And because they confuse SIN and the OLD MAN, thinking they are one and the same, they are always trying to "kill" their "Old Man." Some admit that he is not really dead - as much as they would like to believe he is - so they try to "RECKON" him to be dead. Others say, "My Old Man IS dead because the Bible says he is, but he keeps trying to raise his ugly head." They can't seem to keep the lie closed on his coffin! They know the Scripture declares emphatically: "Our Old Man IS CRUCIFIED with Him" (Rom. 6:6), but at the same time he seems to still be very much alive! Sound familiar? Some say, "Well, my Old Man is dead because God says he is dead," and then they go on just trying to ignore the problem they are having with SIN in their members. But UNDERSTAND! The whole problem here is one of MISTAKEN IDENTITY!
Ah, precious friend of mine, "SIN" and the "OLD MAN" are N-O-T T-H-E S-A-M-E! Every Scripture on the subject throughout the entire Bible bears witness to this fact. Let me give it to you in simple terms. The Old Man is our old unregenerate spirit, the old nature which DELIGHTS in SIN. Please notice that I say it is the nature which DELIGHTS in SIN - and NOT sin itself. It is so very important that we see and clearly understand the distinction Paul draws in Romans between the terms "OLD MAN" and "SIN". This distinction is consistent throughout the book of Romans. These are not interchangeable terms. SIN is the power and principle of evil rooted IN OUR MEMBERS, the physical body. The OLD MAN, on the other hand, is our pre-conversion UNREGENERATE SPIRIT, the Old Spiritual Nature that DELIGHTED in SIN, CORRESPONDED to SIN, and joyfully WENT ALONG with SIN.
Any thinking person should understand that once our spirit has been quickened by HIS SPIRIT, that old unregenerate spirit DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE. The Scriptures have only one thing to say about your Old Man...HE IS DEAD! Nowhere, in all the vast revelation of God, is there even a hint that he might, in some way, still be alive. No place does it even infer that you could still be having some problem which the old fellow, or even that you ought to "reckon" him to be dead. Here is precisely what Paul states in Rom. 6:6: "KNOWING THIS, that our Old Man IS CRUCIFIED with Him." The Greek really says, "WAS crucified." Paul is saying, "I want you to KNOW that your Old Man I-S D-E-A-D. Not think he is, or hope he is, or wish he were, or reckon him to be. K-N-O-W HE IS!" It is important for us to know the facts as they are; not as men try to make them. Paul reiterates this same plain truth when he declares in Gal. 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me." I am crucified! Who is I? The old ME, the old unregenerate spirit, that me that used to be, that me that delighted in sin, that took no consideration of God or His will or His way. When we UNDERSTAND WHO THE OLD MAN IS then it is a simple thing to see that you don't have to stretch the truth, or do any injustice to the Word of God, or put on a false front in order to declare that HE REALLY IS DEAD. As long as we confuse the "Old Man" with "SIN in our members" we are forced to either make a mockery of God's Word or a lie of our own experience in order to state that our Old Man really is dead. Sin, the SIN PRINCIPLE in our members, is definitely NOT DEAD. It is very much alive! But our Old Man that delighted in that sin IS DEAD! Hallelujah!
Perhaps you ask, "But doesn't the Scripture say that we are to reckon our Old Man to be dead?" NO, IT DOES NOT!!! Here is what it says: "Likewise reckon also yourself to be dead unto SIN, but alive unto God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Let not SIN therefore reign IN YOUR MORTAL BODY, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof" (Rom. 6:11-12). I would draw your attention to the words LIKEWISE, ALSO and SIN. Paul had just finished establishing the great truth that our Old Man is crucified...dead. Now he adds, "LIKEWISE (in the same manner), ALSO..." You can't do something LIKEWISE or ALSO unless you have first done something else. So Paul is saying that since you now KNOW that your Old Man IS DEAD, you are to LIKEWISE, ALSO, RECKON yourselves to be DEAD UNTO SIN. And being dead unto SIN is an altogether different thing from the OLD MAN being dead! Our Old Man IS DEAD. But now we must "reckon" ourselves to be dead unto SIN. As soon as the Lord's people understand this truth the ground for the adversary's accusation and condemnation will be forever snatched out from under him. I've heard so many precious Christians, overtaken in a fault, saying, "I don't want to be like this!" I must answer, "YOU aren't like that! YOU don't want to sin; it is SIN IN YOUR MEMBERS wanting to find expression, not YOU! The problem is that your NEW CREATION MAN is dwelling in a BODY OF FLESH. And Jesus said, "That which is born of the flesh IS FLESH" (Jn. 3:6). Flesh IS flesh, it acts like flesh. Your problem is not with the New Man for the New Man is created in the image of Him who created him - God. Your problem is not with the Old Man - he is gone. You don't have to keep putting your foot on him, he isn't going to come up out of his grave. Your problem is with SIN IN YOUR MEMBERS, the cravings and desires of the flesh, the body.
Paul makes this very clear. "For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I do. Now then it is NO MORE I THAT DO IT, but SIN that dwells in me" (Rom. 7:15-17). Did you catch that? "It is no more 'I' that do it, but SIN that dwells in me." YOU and SIN are two different items. YOU are YOU. SIN is SIN. YOU are a Son of God. YOU are a "New Creation in Christ Jesus" to whom old things are passed away, and, behold, all things are become NEW," YOU are seated together with Christ in the heavens. But in spite of who Y-O-U are, SIN still dwells in the corruptible members of your body. But that body is NOT YOU. It is but a house you live in. "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels." (II Cor. 4:7).
Let us go on. "For I know that in me (that is, in MY FLESH), dwells no good thing. Now if I do that I would not, it is NO MORE I THAT DO IT, but SIN that dwells in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present WITH ME. For I delight in the law of God after THE INWARD MAN" (Rom. 7:18-22). How important these words: "T-H-E INWARD MAN." ONE inward man. Paul doesn't say, "I delight in the law of God after ONE OF MY INWARD MEN." Many mistaken Christians think that is how it is, that they possess a dual personality, with both the Old Man and the New Man living in them side by side. Not so! The Word declares the Old Man to be dead, and now you have only the ONE INWARD MAN...Christ in you, the hope of glory. So it is not another MAN in you, warring against the New Man, for says the Scripture, "I see another LAW in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the LAW OF SIN which is in members" (Rom. 7:23). Where is sin? In ME? NO! "In MY (body) MEMBERS." May the blessed Holy Spirit make this sublime truth real to your heart!
Think of the tremendous tragedy when that first blessed pair, made in the image of God, commissioned to rule the world and have dominion over all creation entered into transgression at the forbidden tree and consequently into the realm of death, thus losing their brightness, their glory, and their life, together with their awesome wisdom, knowledge, and power lowered into the realm of disgusting sensuality, empty vanities, and loathsome corruption. And so Paul says, "And if Christ be in you, the BODY IS DEAD BECAUSE OF SIN; but the SPIRIT IS LIFE BECAUSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Rom. 8:10). YOUR BODY IS DEAD BECAUSE OF SIN. I might paraphrase that text: "And because Christ is in you, in spite of the fact that your body is death because of sin, your spirit is life because of righteousness." Alas! we know only too well that we must join Paul in saying, "I know that in me, that is, in my flesh dwells no good thing." This is a sad certainty and yet it is a certainty, in spite of what some people like to believe. We must come face to face with it and acknowledge it if we are to go on to the triumphs that follow. Yes, this earthly house, this mortal body, this flesh with sin imbedded deeply in its members, this outer-man-body of corruption and wickedness IS A BODY OF DEATH - A D-E-A-D BODY! And we are tied to it! So great and terrible is this reality that Paul cried out, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death" (Rom. 7:24)? Ferrar Fenton has translated these words: "I am a wretched man! What can deliver me from this DEADLY CARCASS?" The sense of misery underlying this exclamation, the poignant grief here expressed has been expressed by us all!
It is reported that near Tarsus, where Saul was born, a tribe of people lived who inflicted a most terrible penalty upon a murderer. They fastened the body of the victim to that of the killer, tying shoulder to shoulder, back to back, thigh to thigh, arm to arm, and then drove the murderer from the community. So tight were the bonds that he could not free himself, and after a few days the death in the body communicated itself to the living flesh of the murderer. As he stalked the land, there was none to help him. He had only the frightful prospect of gangrenous death. He could well cry in horror, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this dead body?" Ah, we who have been quickened by the Spirit of the Most High, made Sons and Daughters of the Almighty, stand, nevertheless, in the presence of death! We live in a body of death. We have touched death. By our contact with the flesh and the sin in our members we have contacted a dead body, the dead body of man. How often we have been defiled by that death, appalled at the actions of the flesh, plagued by the ambitions of the carnal mind! But thanks be to God! there IS deliverance! "I thank God through Jesus Christ."
THE WATER OF SEPARATION
"And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel: and a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave: and the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even" (Num. 19:17-19).
This running water, this Living Water is none other than the eternal Spirit and Word of God Himself. There are four emblems of the Spirit and the Word. The first is fire; the next is oil; the next is air; the last is water. Fire! The unquenchable love of God is a consuming fire. Oil! The oil that consecrates; the oil that heals is the Holy Spirit. Air! The blessed, quickening influences of the Spirit of Life. Water! It is water that cleanses, that washes away all filth, that makes clean and pure; and it is water that fructifies, that causes the seed sown to expand and die, and to burst forth into new life - blessed water, Water of Life, Spirit of Truth.
If your desire is to truly be an overcomer in all things, a part of the firstfruits of God's redemption in this hour, a most wonderful key is found in II Cor. 7:1 and Eph. 5:25-27. "Therefore, since these great promises are ours, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates and defiles body and spirit, and bring our consecration to completeness in the reverential fear of God." And, "Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water by the Word, that He might present the Church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things - that she might be holy and blameless" (Amplified). There is a provision for the Lord's people to be freed, not only from all sin, but from all the NEGATIVE INFLUENCES of the flesh, the world, and the devil.
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. For the LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:1-2). What makes me free from the LAW, the POWER, the INFLUENCE, the CONTAMINATION OF SIN AND DEATH? Why, the LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE makes free! Do we not understand that life swallows up death as light dispels darkness? HIS SPIRIT flowing through our lives accomplishes this! But haven't we always had it turned around in our thinking? How often have we told ourselves, "If I can get rid of my old nature, if only I can conquer this habit, this temper, this unruly tongue, this lust, this-this-this...then I will have the LIFE of Christ manifested in me!" We have tried to get rid of sin so we could have righteousness. We have made valiant efforts at conquering the death in us so we would have life. We have worked at eradicating the darkness from our lives so we could walk in the light. Dearly beloved friends, we have had the cart before the horse! That is like saying, "I will stand here in this dark room and rebuke the darkness, and when all the darkness has departed I will have light." The simple fact is you can rebuke the darkness until they carry corpse to the mortuary but IT WILL NEVER LEAVE UNTIL YOU TURN ON THE LIGHT. There is no vacuum machine that can suck up darkness, no chemical that disintegrates it, no force that can move it. The problem is not to get rid of the darkness, but to produce the light!
The LAW OF LIGHT is that it always dispels darkness. It never fails. The LAW OF LIFE is that it always conquers death. So if you have been trying to get rid of the darkness and death of the carnal mind, the motions of the flesh, by rebuking it, fighting it, praying to be delivered from it, having hands laid on you for it, or by efforts at self-reformation - FORGET IT! None of those things can remove the darkness from a man, or the defilement of death. Only LIGHT and LIFE can do that! Brother, sister, TURN ON THE LIGHT in your life, expose yourself to the mighty presence of the Holy Spirit, thrust yourself into the living stream of His Spirit and His Word, and the LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF HIS LIFE working powerfully within WILL make you free from the law of sin and death. You can't take death out of a corpse to make it live, but PUT LIFE IN IT and it will live. The solution is not in taking something away. It is applying something, putting something in. The wonderful WATER OF SEPARATION will cleanse and conquer all the defilement of death, making you free and clean, opening up all the glories and potential of the Kingdom of God.
How does the water of separation cleanse the pollution of death? How does it make one clean? The apostle Paul frequently spoke of the vast mysteries of God and, in speaking of them, he left no shadow of doubt that naught but the revelation of the Lord could unfold those eternal mysteries. In a future article on this subject I shall probe deeper into the components and nature of the ashes of the red heifer and the water of separation, but I shall state here that God works by divine law and He has given us not only the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus but the LAW of that life. And just as the law of gravity is a natural law that does not fail, so the law of Life in Christ Jesus is a definite law that will produce in us a result without our struggling to attain it. This Law of Life is a HIGHER LAW than the law of sin and death. This law is powerful enough to lift us up above sin and above all external pressures, above all situations and circumstances and happenings and above all the NEGATIVE INFLUENCES of this world. A great space craft is held on the launching pad by the force of gravity. But once mighty rockets fire it is lifted up and propelled into space, defying the law of gravity. This is accomplished by a HIGHER LAW in operation - the law of rocket propulsion. Can we not see by this that the Law of Life in Christ Jesus is a HIGHER LAW than the law of sin and death?
I have had the experience of becoming so involved with the pressures of everyday living until the presence of God was crowded out of my life. When we spend endless hours in idle chatter about carnal things, reading newspapers, watching television, tinkering with hobbies, and multiplied other carnal activities, the Spirit is crowded out of our lives. How filled our lives are with EARTHLY THINGS! How little time we spend, comparatively, in the Word of God and in intimate communion with Him in the secret place! How constantly we give ourselves to going, going, going, and doing, doing, doing! And then we wonder why there is so little power in our lives, and why we so often fail to be overcomers! It is then that we touch death and become defiled.
The cares of THIS WORLD have turned many people lives into a pressure cooker. The strain of everyday living is steadily growing worse because of financial problems, higher taxes, inflation, recession, the disturbing world situation, added responsibilities, sickness, hospital bills, rebellion in the home, etc. The divisions and distractions of this life are too numerous to mention, we are all faced with them everyday. There are those seemingly needful involvements of daily living, but when they so OVERWHELM us, so mar our lives with anxiety, stress, fatigue, and distraction that we find ourselves so fragmented and divided that we are not able to gather ourselves together to serve the Lord with all our heart, mind, and strength - then we have touched death and have been defiled by it, and need to be CLEANSED from these things and their NEGATIVE EFFECTS in our lives.
In times of spiritual dearth the flesh becomes accentuated, the world presses in upon us. How easily we become defiled! We hear a newscast stating that the economy is in bad shape and we grow apprehensive. Some people are laid off at work and we spend sleepless nights worrying. A report comes out that a certain substance causes cancer and we become fearful. We suffer some financial reverses and we become frustrated, upset, irritable. A messenger arrives bearing bad news and for hours, days, or months we are sad, brooding, depressed, completely overwhelmed with grief. Someone stupidly pulls out in front of us on the highway and we respond in anger. We receive a nasty telephone call and reply with some pungent words that might burn out a wire in the telephone circuit. Tragedy strikes and our faith fails. The heavens become brass; God seems a million miles away; we wonder why God has done this to us; peace and joy have fled; WE HAVE BECOME DEFILED BY DEATH.
"In the world you shall have tribulation," Jesus said. Tribulation simply means PRESSURE. And pressure, in medical terms, is called EXTERNAL STRESS FACTORS. Physicians now recognize the great importance of INTERNAL STRESS (caused by reaction to external stress factors) in causing and aggravating a host of diseases. In THIS WORLD all of us are subjected to a host of stresses - just as Jesus said. Examination of the blood of a person experiencing internal stress will reveal the presence of abnormal toxic chemical compounds that are formed as a result of his emotions of frustration, resentment, anger, hate, anxiety, worry and fear - which result in a number of diseases. And what is the meaning of all this? Let it be known to every reader of these lines that I speak of the defilement that comes from contact with a dead body - the defilement that imposes itself upon us as a result of our association with the things and powers of THIS WORLD - the realm of death.
I can recall many occasions when I was burdened with cares, pressured, tense, irritable, enticed by the flesh, in no spiritual frame of mind. In that condition of spiritual leanness and carnal agitation I have entered into a meeting where there was a flow of the Spirit of God, where LIFE was being ministered and the presence of the Lord was magnified in the midst; and then, with no special ado, even without seeking or asking, just sitting EXPOSED to the flow of HIS LIFE, the Spirit of God so tenderly, so graciously swept through my being, quickening my mind, cleansing my emotions, washing away the tension and frustration, breaking, in the sweetness of His presence, the relentless demands of the flesh, removing the brassy heavens, restoring me again to the Camp and to His Tabernacle. THIS is the cleansing of the WATER OF SEPARATION. How needful it is! And how precious.
This is the law of cleansing. There is a LAW OF LIFE which must be at work in us. But you don't really need to be concerned about the LAW of life, you just need the LIFE! The law will work naturally. When the life is there the law will work. When the law is working the power of death is annulled, all NEGATIVE INFLUENCES are neutralized. Therefore, seek LIFE! If the glorious presence of God, the light of life, can maintain me in a state of overcoming victory for TEN MINUTES...for TWO HOURS...or for THREE DAYS...then that same anointing of HIS LIFE WITHIN is able to keep me in that condition of victory for as long as I yield myself to its cleansing, life-giving flow! I do not hesitate to tell you, beloved, that as long as you maintain the flow of the precious life of the Christ you will have little trouble with the flesh, the world, or the devil. Submit yourself to the application of the water of separation and the negative emotions, the carnal thoughts, the old frustrations will begin to fade away, becoming dimmer and dimmer and dimmer. Ah, precious saints of God, try no longer to "get rid of," or "quit doing," or "kill," or "die," or "change" anything! Only expose your whole being to the WATER OF SEPARATION and you will begin to live in the peace and joy and righteousness of life of God's Son!
The life of Jesus is described as a "fountain opened in the house of David for sin and UNCLEANNESS" (Zech. 13:1). A fountain not only for deliberate sins, but for the uncleanness contracted through with the death of this world. This wonderful is the source of the "running water" used in the water of separation. By the power of the Holy Spirit a "clean man" applies that living water to my soul! That "clean man" is Jesus the Christ, praise His name! By faith I place myself in closest touch with this heavenly water. I yield myself to it, I let it cover me, penetrate into my deepest being, and go through me. I cannot withold its cleansing, sanctifying, transforming power. I must in faith turn away from all that bespeaks death, to receive of this cleansing, with the assurance that it will manifest its blessed power in me. God is seeking the fully developed life of His Son in us in order to manifest HIS NATURE through us as the central revelation of Himself to the whole creation. How we desire to be His Sons! How we hope to be like Him! How we long to speak deliverance to the creation! With what anticipation do we follow on that we might know Him in all His glorious fullness! So let us, with childlike. expectant faith, open wide our souls to the full experience of the water of separation!
To be continued... Part 2
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