Ⅳ
The slain red heifer was burned, and the priest took”cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet strands, and cast them into the midst of the burning of the heifer”—Num. 19:6:
Ａ
Cedar wood signifies the honorable and uplifted humanity of the Lord, which enables Him to be our Savior—v. 6; cf. 1 Kings 4:33:
１
In the Bible a cedar, a tall and strong tree, refers to a humanity that is filled with glory—S. S. 1:17.
２
Cedar, in typology, indicates the resurrected, ascended, glorified, and honored humanity of Jesus.
３
Cedar wood signifies Christ's heavenly humanity, His glorified humanity, and His heavenly human life—8:9.
４
Just as the cedar tree far transcends over all other trees, Christ is the only glorified man among all men—5:15; Phil. 2:9-11.
５
As signified by cedar, Christ is a person who has ascended into heaven and whose excellency and uplifted and noble humanity transcend all others—S. S. 5:15.
Ｂ
Hyssop, which is among the smallest of plants, signifies that the Lord was willing to be lowly, becoming in the likeness of men, so that He might be near to man and become man's Savior—Num. 19:6; 1 Kings 4:33; Phil. 2:7.
Ｃ
On the one hand, the Lord has the highest standard of humanity, as typified by cedar wood; on the other hand, He was willing to become lowly so that He might be available to us, as typified by hyssop.
Morning Nourishment
Num. 19:6 And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet strands, and cast them into the midst of the burning of the heifer.Phil. 2:7 But emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming in the likeness of men.
Justification by faith is objective; it has to do with truth and testimony. Obedience is subjective; it has to do with life and experience. Throughout the Bible the church is symbolized by females, because the church is subjective, being related to the Lord's work in man. A heifer is used here in Numbers 19 instead of a bull because it represents another aspect of the Lord's work—His work toward man. What happened to the heifer? It was slaughtered, and its blood was taken and sprinkled seven times directly in front of the Tent of Meeting. In other words, the blood was offered to God because the work of the blood is always for God. The heifer's blood was sprinkled seven times in front of the Tent of Meeting, signifying that it was for God and for the redemption of sin. (CWWN vol. 49,”Messages for Building Up New Believers (2),” p. 325)
Today's Reading
The efficacy of the red heifer's death was toward God and was able to make propitiation before God for man's sins. Numbers 19:5 says,”The heifer shall be burned in his sight; its skin and its flesh and its blood, with its dung, shall be burned.” This is different from the burning of the burnt offering in Leviticus 1:9. The burnt offering was to produce a fragrance that was acceptable to God, whereas the burning of the heifer was for the bearing of sins and for dealing with sins completely. After the red heifer was burned, the color red was no longer seen, which signifies that sins have been fully dealt with.While the red heifer was being burned, cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet strands were cast into its midst [Num. 19:6]. Leviticus 14:4, which speaks of the cleansing of a leper, using two clean birds, also mentions cedar wood, scarlet strands, and hyssop. One of the birds was to be slaughtered in an earthen vessel over running water. The living bird, with the cedar wood, the scarlet strands, and the hyssop, was to be dipped in the blood of the first bird, which was then sprinkled on the leper seven times in order for him to be cleansed (vv. 5-7). In Leviticus cedar wood, scarlet strands, and hyssop were dipped in blood; in Numbers these things were burned in fire with the heifer.
Cedar wood and hyssop have the same spiritual significance in Numbers as they do in Leviticus. Both cedar wood and hyssop signify the humanity that the Lord Jesus put on. Cedar wood signifies the dignified and solid aspect of the Lord's humanity, whereas hyssop signifies the lowly and humble aspect of His humanity.
Colossians 1:15 says that the Lord Jesus is the Firstborn of all creation. Man is the head of all the creatures on earth. The Lord Jesus is a creature because He became a man. He became flesh, a creature, and thus partook of and was joined to creation. Therefore, in Numbers 19 the cedar wood and hyssop signify not only the Lord's dignified and humble humanity but also the entire creation to which the Lord Jesus has been joined (cf. 1 Kings 4:33).
The scarlet strands in Numbers 19:6 are mainly a type of sins, making them different from the scarlet strands in Leviticus 14:6. In Leviticus the scarlet strands were not burned, but in Numbers they were completely burned. In Leviticus the scarlet strands signify how the Lord Jesus died for the redemption from sins and was glorified, but in Numbers 19 the scarlet strands signify only the Lord's bearing our sins, not His glorification after His death on the cross. The cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet strands were cast into the midst of the burning of the heifer to be burned together, signifying that the sins of all creation were completely eliminated. When the Lord Jesus died, all creation and the sins committed by the creation were terminated together. (CWWL, 1960, vol. 1,”Synopsis of Numbers,” pp. 293-294)
Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 49,”Messages for Building Up New Believers (2),” ch. 21