Skip to content Numbers 18-19: The Red Heifer and Prophecy Mar 20 · 15 min ...more
Numbers 18-19: The Red Heifer and Prophecy
March 20, 2026 · 15 min
Unveil the significance of the red heifer in biblical prophecy and its rare occurrence since ancient times.
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The Red Heifer and Prophetic Purification 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word as our journey through the Bible takes us to Numbers chapter 18 and 19, with the gift comes responsibility. Verse 7 of chapter 18.0:21 Therefore, you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar behind the veil, and you shall serve. I give your priesthood to you as a gift for service, but the outsider who comes near0:32 shall be put to death. Alright. Before we jump into, today's, study and its passage, let me just, say thank you to so many of you who have reached out either in post,0:45 on social media or emailed me expressing the sympathy, to my family and I, for the passing of, of my father. The patriarch of our family, we0:56 greatly appreciate the prayers. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the prayers and the, the sympathy, especially those who have, commented that knew my father and the kind of man that he was.1:08 1 more request for you. Today, if you're watching this in the morning, I will be conducting his celebration of life service. We'll be celebrating the life of my father beginning 11 30 central time.1:20 And if you, would like, you can watch that service on Facebook. Glorify my heavenly father and honor my earthly father, today as1:32 we, as we celebrate, his life and legacy. So I thank you for that. Alright. We're gonna look at, chapter 18, but first, I wanna take a look at chapter1:44 19 and the red heifer. I've actually been to Shiloh in Israel where, 4 red heifers are currently undergoing rabbinical observation1:56 in accordance with the requirements of Numbers chapter 19. And if I could, I would show you the pictures as I was standing there by the red heifers. Now the red heifer was not the was not a2:08 sacrifice in since in the same sense as the other sacrifices that were burnt on the altar. It was led forth out of the camp. Now in accordance with the law regarding victims laden with the2:20 sins of the people, and thus, it was a it was a type of Christ. Now this was burned outside the camp, and the ashes were gathered and kept and then mixed with water to purify the congregation2:32 from sin. Now you've probably heard about the red heifers, as it factors into biblical prophecy in the building of the third temple. Ezekiel chapter 36 verse2:44 24, I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. Been happening. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from2:56 all your uncleanness. And from all your idols, I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from3:08 your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Now the as many understand biblical prophecy, the water purification is needed, which requires3:20 a red heifer. Now you might think, well, a red cow, that's easy enough to find. But here in numbers 19, it provides specific requirements that must be met. Number3:31 1, perfect in its redness, every hair, even its hooves. Okay? There cannot be any other spot in it. 3 to 4 years old, can be older, but not younger. Free of3:43 any internal or external defect, which is why it requires it being over 3 years old so that the defects would be manifested and could not have had a3:55 yoke placed on it. Now according to Jewish scholars, a red heifer was a rare find. In fact, only 9 were used between the tabernacle and the destruction of the4:06 second temple in AD 70, a span of a little over 1500 years. Again, according to Jewish scholars, the tenth red heifer will be connected4:18 to the Messiah. All I can say to that is be ready. Alright. Let's go back to chapter 18 verse 1. Then the lord said to Aaron, youPriesthood: Gift with Responsibility 4:30 and your sons in your father's house with you shall bear the iniquity related to the sanctuary, and you and your sons shall bear the iniquity associated with your priesthood. Also, bring with you4:42 your brethren of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and serve you while you and your sons are with you before the tabernacle of witness. They shall attend to your needs and4:54 all the needs of the tabernacle, but they shall not come near the articles of the sanctuary and the altar, lest they die, they and you also. Alright. So as I mentioned, with the gifts comes5:06 responsibility. With this opportunity comes responsibility. Aaron and his sons would be accountable for any defilement of the tabernacle. They were to guard the glory by upholding the holiness.5:18 This was not only for what they did, but for what those under their direction did. Okay. They were responsible not only for their conduct, but ensure that the others, the Levites,5:30 who were also working around the tabernacle, upheld the standards of god. Now James speaks to to the greater accountability of those who teach or5:42 lead, the greater accountability they have before god. Not only were Aaron and his sons responsible for what they did, but they were also to carry out and uphold the word of god among those who worked at their direction.5:54 This meant they had to teach the people. Alright? First, they had to teach them what God's word said and then hold them accountable to it. Verse 4, they shall be joined with you and attend to the needs of the6:06 tabernacle of meeting, for all the work of the tabernacle, but an outsider shall not come near you. And you shall attend to the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, that there may be no more wrath on the6:18 children of Israel. Behold, I myself have taken your brethren, the Levites, tabernacle of meeting. Now6:30 we we we we look at, at this before that the the Levites were given as a as a wave offering to the Lord, alright, to the priest so that they could assist in the duties of the6:41 tabernacle, but not in the holy things. Alright? There was a line they couldn't cross. Verse 7. Therefore, you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and behind the veil, and6:52 you shall serve. I give you your priest I give your priesthood to you as a gift for service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death. Now don't miss this.7:04 Aaron and his sons were given a gift, the priesthood. They were given this exalted position and given the opportunity to serve and minister before the lord. It was a gift to7:16 be able to serve the lord. Even though there was a heavy weight with it, it was a gift. The ability to serve god is a gift. It's not a burden or an obligation. It is indeed a privilege. It is a7:28 privilege that you and I have to serve the lord. And here's the application to us. For for those who have received the gift of salvation, it's a gift, and we have trusted Jesus as our savior,7:40 we we have been given the position of priesthood. Let me read it for you. First Peter chapter 2 verse 9, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood,7:52 a holy nation. So this the Old Testament focus focused on Israel, but we are a part of a holy nation that god is building his kingdom as we accept Jesus8:04 Christ as our savior. We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous8:16 light. You see, like Aaron and his sons, we don't set the rules. God does, and we're to follow them. We have a responsibility to God to protect the8:28 glory of God's presence by upholding his standard of holiness. Now I know we we we are not holy in and of ourselves, but we're sanctified by what? How are we sanctified?8:40 By the spirit and the word. The the Holy Spirit uses the word to sanctify us. That's why this journey through the word of God is so important. You, as you are open to the word of God and8:52 this is why I say every time we you open the word pray before asking the Holy Spirit to enlighten you and to show you things, because the Holy Spirit's the teacher. I'm just a guy. The Holy Spirit is a teacher. He's9:03 teaching you all things. But the word activated by the Holy Spirit is what sanctifies us, that we might be holy. You know, I was going9:15 through my father's bible preparing for, the service. And, you know, he had some songs that he had clipped. I didn't know he sang, but he had a couple of old hymns9:27 that we sang many years ago when I was a kid when we started going to church. And, 1 of them was take time to be holy. Take time to be holy. We we need to take that time to be holy and9:39 devoted to the lord. And remember Jesus, you know, he overturned the, the the tables in the temple. You know, we often hear about that quoted. That was not because he was9:51 shortchanged by the, the money changers. What he was it was righteous indignation because they had defiled the things of god. Holiness matters.10:03 With the gift comes responsibility. So next, next, god says, I'll also provide for you. Alright? This is encouraging. Numbers 18 8, and the lord said spoke to Aaron here. IGod's Provision and Eternal Inheritance 10:15 myself has have also given you charge of my heave offerings. All the holy gifts of the children of Israel, I have given them as a portion to you and your sons as an ordinance forever. So he goes through the10:27 sacrifices and and what will be theirs. He provides for them. Verse 19, all the heave offerings of the holy things which the children of Israel offered to the lord, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with10:38 you as an ordinance forever. It is a covenant of salt forever before the lord with you and your descendants with you. Then the Lord said to Aaron, you shall have no inheritance in the land, nor shall you have any port10:49 any portion among them. I am your portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel. So why why did the the Levites not get land that was permanently theirs?11:02 Well and there were certainly plenty of of land to go around. They were given cities to dwell in, but no land that they could claim as their own personally. I I think there was a couple of reasons.11:13 First, it communicates that this world and all that it has to offer is is not our home and, therefore, should not be our focus. You know, I think of11:25 the old hymn, this world is not my home. You know, this world is not my home. I'm just passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. You see, in reality, we're just pilgrims passing through. We've11:37 kinda lost that. You know, as I've been, reflecting the last few days, I looked back at some of the hymns that we used to sing when I was a kid. And, you know, most of them were focused on heaven. And I listened to11:49 a lot of the praise songs today, and and I like a lot of them, but they're focused on on this world, and this world is not our home. We are pilgrims. We're just passing through. Secondly,12:01 I think this was to continually remind them that they were to depend upon god and that he was their provision as they taught the people to walk with God. This gave them a12:12 heart for God and for the people, allowing them to be devoted and focused upon God. And this is a picture of believers. As I said, we're a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and as such, our portion is not in this12:24 world, but is in God. I mean, Colossians 3 1, if then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of god. By the12:36 way, making intercession for you and me. Set your mind on things above, not on things of the earth. Where's your focus? For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in god. For12:48 we know, in second Corinthians chapter 5 1, for we know that if our earthly house, this tent is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.13:00 1 more thing to point out. Look at verse 26. Speak thus to the Levites and say to them, when you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall13:12 offer a heave offering of it to the Lord, a tenth of the tithe. Verse 28. Thus you shall also offer a heave offering to the lord from all your tithes which you receive from the children of13:24 Israel, and you shall give the lord's heave offering from it to Aaron the priest. So the Levites, who were supported by the tithes of the people, were to give a tithe to the priest. And I think the principle here is that13:36 we're to give back from give back to the lord what we have been provided. Everything comes from the lord, and we give back to him, not not by ordinance or by13:47 by law, but by the gratitude for what we have been given. Father, we thank you for your love. We thank you for your mercy and grace. We thank you for the hope that we have in you.14:00 And and and thank you, father, for the royal priesthood as believers that we are in. And I I pray, father, that we would we would guard the glory of your14:12 presence by upholding your holiness. Lord, by being sanctified by your word and by the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And so we pray for the Holy Spirit to teach us how to14:23 apply your word to our lives in this world in which we're living. For we pray and ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Thanks for joining me this morning, and until next time, keep standing on the word.14:37 Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r dot org slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you14:49 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 The Red Heifer and Prophetic Purification4:27 Priesthood: Gift with Responsibility10:07 God's Provision and Eternal Inheritance
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