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The red heifer, the principal component of the water for impurity, signifies the redeeming Christ—v. 9:
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The color red signifies the likeness of the flesh of sin, which is for the bearing of man's sin outwardly—Rom. 8:3; John 1:29.
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The red heifer was without defect; this signifies that although Christ was in the likeness of the flesh of sin, He did not have the sinful nature—v. 14; Heb. 2:14; 4:15; Rom. 8:3; 2 Cor. 5:21.
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That the heifer was without blemish indicates that Christ was perfect—Num. 19:2; Exo. 12:5-6.
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The heifer having never been under a yoke signifies that Christ was never used by anyone, especially by or for God's enemy, Satan—Num. 19:2; cf. Exo. 12:5.
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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.
Morning Nourishment
Num. 19:2 …Tell the children of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which is no blemish and upon which a yoke has never come.Rom. 8:3 …God, sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh.
Hebrews 10 indicates that this red heifer [mentioned in Numbers 19:2] refers to the Lord Jesus. What are the Lord Jesus' qualifications to become this sacrifice?…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. Tonight we cannot say this for ourselves, for we are not free people. We have been oppressed by sin and have been dominated by sin. We have been provoked by sin and are not our own masters…. Only the Lord Jesus has never been put under the yoke of sin. (CWWN, vol. 29,”The Gospel of God (2),” pp. 480-481)
Today's Reading
Numbers 19:2 says that an Israelite needed to bring a red heifer”without defect,” in which was no blemish and upon which a yoke had never come. The heifer being without defect signifies being without blemish or sin….The heifer having never been under a yoke signifies having never been used by the world, Satan, or sin. Only the Lord Jesus has never been used by anyone, especially by God's enemy, Satan. Unlike Him, we have been used by sin and have borne the yoke of sin from the time we were born. Before we were saved, we bore many kinds of yokes; we were used by the world, Satan, and sin. However, prior to being offered as a sacrifice to God, the Lord Jesus had never borne any yoke.The red heifer [mentioned in Numbers 19:2] signifies the Lord Jesus who came in the likeness of the flesh of sin in order to bear man's sins. In verse 2 the color red represents sin (Isa. 1:18). Thus, the red heifer signifies the Lord being made sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21). However, the color red was only on the skin and hair, signifying that the Lord had only the likeness of the flesh of sin for bearing our sins and did not have the sinful nature.
Since the Lord Jesus was a male, why is a heifer, not an ox, used here as a type of the Lord? In the Bible the male represents objective truth, whereas the female represents subjective experience. For example, males, such as Adam, Abraham, and Isaac, represent certain objective truths or testimonies; whereas females, such as Eve, Sarah, and Rebecca, represent the corresponding subjective experiences or practical applications. Hence, the Lord's redemption, as signified by the heifer, is not a matter of objective doctrine but a matter of subjective experience.
Numbers 19:3 says,”You shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and someone shall bring it outside the camp and slaughter it in his presence.” This heifer was not offered on the altar but brought outside the camp and slaughtered there, indicating that the heifer was not offered before God but was slaughtered in a position rejected by God's people. When an Israelite became unclean, he needed to dwell alone outside the camp (cf. Lev. 13:46). The red heifer was slaughtered outside the camp where unclean people were, in order to deal with their uncleanness. This signifies that in order to deal with our uncleanness, the Lord Jesus came to the place where we were. He was rejected by men and was also crucified outside the city of Jerusalem. (CWWL, 1960, vol. 1,”Synopsis of Numbers,” pp. 292-293)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1960, vol. 1,”Synopsis of Numbers,” ch. 24; CWWN, vol. 29,”The Gospel of God (2),” ch. 25