THE WATER OF SEPARATION
THE WATER OF SEPARATION
Ques Will you give an outline of what intervenes between chapter 4 and this chapter?
Ans. Up to chapter 10 things are presented in the order of regular sequence. What is in view, as we have seen, is the testimony of God in this world; the saints seen in relation to this; and then we get the service of the Levites, the Levites being given to the high priest and his sons. While, as we have been saying, the Levites are claimed by God as His on the ground of redemption, yet they are offered to Him. “Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord for an offering of the children of Israel”, Numbers 8:11. The whole congregation identified themselves with the Levites, and then the Levites offered themselves to the Lord. Thus all the saints are figuratively seen devoting themselves to the Lord for service. Identified with the burnt offering and the sin offering, the Levites are set before Aaron and his sons, and they are offered “for an offering unto the Lord”. Thus are we claimed by God for His service as redeemed by the blood of Christ, and also as offering ourselves up to Him in love. The Lord says, “The Levites shall be mine”; “I have taken them for myself”. Numbers 8:14,16. Precious ground to be on in service!
Chapters 5 and 6 contain searching and wholesome instruction. The camp is to be kept pure. Then trespass against a brother; which, of course, is also against the Lord, must not pass unconfessed. The effective operation of the truth amongst the saints will be nullified unless impurity of every kind is judged; also trespass against the brethren. Note that where personal trespass occurs, reparation alone does not suffice, a fifth part has to be added. And if the aggrieved party is not there to receive the recompense; a Christian should not expect it, he should [p. 18] think only of the restoration of the offender, yet it is to be given, it is given to God.
Next comes what the Lord only could detect, diversion from Him in our affections. This has reference to the church. He says to Ephesus, “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love”, Revelation 2:4. This arouses the Lord’s jealousy, and there is a test. If unfaithfulness is proved, drinking death is the penalty. The dust from the floor of the tabernacle is put into the water, and the water is to be drunk. The dust has been said to be death in God’s presence. “The priest shall write these curses in a hook, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water”. Numbers 5:23. What had the effect of cancelling the curse, became itself a curse, where unfaithfulness was found. I think the result of this test is seen in Thyatira. The curse is executed in Jezebel. “I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts”, Revelation 2:23.
Chapter 6 treats of Nazariteship. The Nazarite has the testimony before him. He surrenders all earthly joys, and disregards what would be a reproach to him in this world, long hair, because of the exigencies of the testimony. All Christians should be Nazarites, but as a matter of fact Nazariteship represents a special energy of the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 9 shows how this was manifested in Paul. The apostle waived his rights, not only as a man, but as a servant of Christ: “that we may put no hindrance”, he says, “in the way of the glad tidings of the Christ”. 1 Corinthians 9:12. The Nazarite comes into prominence when things are on the wane, or when they have gone to the bad among God’s people. The blessing is, no doubt, preserved through the Nazarite; and God’s name remains upon His people, Numbers 6:22 - 27.
In chapter 2 we have foreshadowed in the offerings of the princes the bounty of the saints towards God,
[p. 19] their reciprocation of His love made known in Christ. Twelve being the number of human perfection, this response on the part of the people is presented as perfect — humanly so. At the beginning there was a complete answer in the church, by the Spirit, to the revelation of God. The offerings to the princes being the same throughout, indicates unity; perfect unity marked the saints after Pentecost. Unity then was not by formal agreement; it was the result of individual appreciation of Christ. The same object occupied and filled each one. Here the whole congregation, as represented in their princes, are seen as perfectly united in their gifts for the tabernacle. The wagons and bullocks do not refer to the same thing in Christianity as do the gifts for the dedication of the altar. The former, I think, refer to temporal things; they were useful for the Levites — Gershon and Merari. The offerings for the dedication of the altar refer to what is spiritual. God signified His acceptance of all by speaking to Moses “from off the mercy seat which was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims”, verse 89. It is not a question of what was said, but that there was divine speaking under the conditions stated. It is in this way we are guided in our path in relation to the testimony.
In chapter 9 the people kept the feast of the passover; and the tabernacle is very prominent as that with which guidance in the wilderness stood connected. In chapter 10 we get instruction as to the trumpets, there is the sounding of the testimony, and the movement of the people in connection with this. The testimony also gathers the people, verse 3.
Chapters 11 - 21 record the breakdown of the people in the varied features in which this was seen, and the gracious provisions ordained by God in view of all this. The terrible character of the flesh, as inveterately opposed to everything that is of God revealed in Christ, manifests itself in two distinct forms, in [p. 20] despising the heavenly land, Numbers 14, and rebellion against the authority and priesthood of Christ, Numbers 16. The answer to the first lies in the purpose of God. The earth should be filled with His glory; His elect should inherit Canaan, verses 21, 24. Numbers 15 shows the ground of this. The answer to Korah’s rebellion is resurrection power in Christ (Numbers 17, the rod that budded). Christ risen is an irrefutable testimony against all fleshly pretensions to priesthood. A most encouraging feature for the man of God is the repeated appearance of “the glory of the Lord” on the tabernacle on occasions of the outbreak of evil in the congregation. God has His own way of indicating His approval, or disapproval, of the ways of His people.
Now we come to chapter 19 which contemplates the believer as passing through a scene which is essentially defiling, and it sets forth God’s gracious provision for him in view of this, so that as contracting defilement in a world of corruption, he should not thereby defile the sanctuary of Jehovah. What is in view here is not the working of sin in the believer: that is dealt with in Leviticus 13 and 14, in the cases of leprosy. Here, chapter 19, it is the world without that is in view, that which we have no control over, and yet have to do with. It is polluted in every phase of it.
The red heifer was for a sin offering, but a unique one. The characteristics of the heifer indicate the instruction contained in the chapter. Her colour suggests distinctiveness. The Lord Jesus was here absolutely alone He was different from all others in the world. There was not another like Him. It is the death of such an One that is in view here. Besides being without blemish, the heifer was never under the yoke. The Lord never came under man’s yoke. He was never affected by human influence. It is the death of one marked by these features that is before [p. 21] us, and the cleansing is from defilement contracted by being in a scene in which there is the very opposite of those features.
Although the red heifer was a sin offering, its blood was not taken within the veil; neither was any part of it burnt on the altar. The blood was to be sprinkled directly before the tabernacle of the congregation. God dwelt there, and His people were to be maintained in purity as placed in relation to it. The blood was the basis of their communion with God in His sanctuary. Atonement is not in view; we get that in Leviticus 16; nor is it service in the sanctuary; but here it is that side of the sacrifice of Christ which affords a gracious provision for the maintenance of our souls in happy communion with God and His sanctuary, notwithstanding our having to pass through a corrupted world.
“The priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast them into the midst of the burning of the heifer”. Numbers 19:6. Man after the flesh is not only judged in the death of Christ, but also the whole system, from top to bottom, which he has built here. This is to be reverted to when defilement takes place. The ashes of the offering give testimony that the judgment of God has been executed on the first man and his world. This testimony is undoubtedly preserved by the Spirit in the church, It is kept in a “clean place”, verse 9.
What God had in mind for Israel was that they were to be a peculiar people. We are to be this; we are to maintain a peculiar distinctiveness on the earth. The Lord maintained this throughout, and we are to be like Him. He says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me”. Matthew 11:29. Partaking of His character we are not to lose it. We lose it when we become like other men. The Corinthians “walked as men”, 1 Corinthians 3: 3. We are always in danger of partaking of the character of the country in which we live.
[p. 22] This is seen in the Corinthians, and the apostle mentions it as to the Cretans, quoting their own prophet. The influence on Christians of the peculiar character of a country like this is easily perceived. “He that toucheth the dead body of any man shall be unclean”, Numbers 19:11. Unconverted people are “dead”, and contact with them causes defilement. Our wills are not engaged, and therefore such defilement is not regarded as sin, but we become sinful if we do not avail ourselves of the water of cleansing. “That soul shall be cut off from Israel; for the water of separation was not sprinkled upon him: he shall be unclean”, Numbers 19:13. And, “the man that is unclean, and doth not purify himself, that soul shall be cut off from the midst of the congregation; for he hath defiled the sanctuary of Jehovah”, Numbers 19:20.
Ques Does becoming unclean produce distance from the Lord in the soul?
Ans. Yes, and dullness. A man is not responsible for a dead body or any of the things mentioned being there; these give character to the scene through which we have to pass, but he is responsible to avail himself of the means of purification. Failing of this he is unclean, and so unfit for the fellowship of God’s people. Persons of this kind conform outwardly to a certain standard of rectitude; there are no overt acts of evil; still the character of Christ is not there, they “walk like men”. The application of the water of separation here means that as having come under the influence of men, we have become like them, and so are unsuitable to God; and that the character of Christ upon us is that alone which renders us practically acceptable to Him. A person may have been bright once, but may have got under some influence. What constitutes him unfit for the congregation is that he has not applied the water of separation. He has not judged himself in reverting to the fact that such an One as is indicated in the heifer [p. 23] had to undergo the judgment of God on account of the very thing which has influenced him, and to which he has become assimilated. I think the ashes mean that the man after the flesh has been removed in judgment, the blood sprinkled before the tabernacle witnessing to this before God. It is important to note that the heifer was burnt in its entirety. This indicates God’s holy abhorrence of the man after the flesh; he has been consumed root and branch in judgment in the death of Christ. How then can he be countenanced by the believer? To do so renders us unclean, and we have to revert to the ashes and the running water. The ashes are for the conscience, and the running water, I think, for the affections. It might be translated “living water”. It is energetic, and refers to the Spirit. By the ashes our consciences are set at ease, and by the Spirit we are relieved in our affections, and are not only lifted above the defilement itself, but are made morally greater than that by which the defilement was caused.