Numbers 19:1
Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
Then the LORD said

The LORD personally gave the instructions that govern the rite of the red heifer, establishing their divine authority. Israel’s purification from death could not rest on human custom, since death had entered the world through sin and rendered all people ceremonially unclean. The covenant God who delivered Israel from Egypt also provided the means by which the camp could remain holy before His presence.

Exo 25:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,
Lev 1:1 Then the LORD called to Moses and spoke to him…
Lev 27:1 Then the LORD said to Moses,

to Moses and Aaron,

Moses received God’s word as Israel’s prophet and covenant mediator, while Aaron bore responsibility for the priesthood and its administration. Their shared receipt of these instructions joined Israel’s civil and spiritual leadership in guarding the holiness of the people. The rite entrusted to them anticipated the greater cleansing from sin and death accomplished by Christ, who fulfills the offices of mediator and High Priest.

Exo 12:1 Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
Exo 6:13 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, giving them a charge…
Exo 6:26 It was this Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said…

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD
The covenant name of God, Yahweh, who is the central figure in the account, giving instructions to His people.

2. Moses
The leader of the Israelites, chosen by God to deliver His people from Egypt and guide them through the wilderness.

3. Aaron
The brother of Moses and the first high priest of Israel, who plays a crucial role in the religious life of the Israelites.
Teaching Points
Divine Instruction
God communicates directly with His chosen leaders, emphasizing the importance of divine guidance in leadership.

Role of Leadership
Moses and Aaron exemplify the roles of spiritual and community leaders, highlighting the need for obedience and faithfulness in leadership positions.

Purity and Holiness
The context of Numbers 19 deals with purification, reminding believers of the call to holiness and the need for spiritual cleansing.

Symbolism of Sacrifice
The red heifer sacrifice, detailed later in the chapter, symbolizes the ultimate sacrifice of Christ, who purifies believers from sin.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the role of Moses and Aaron in Numbers 19:1 reflect the responsibilities of spiritual leaders today?

2. In what ways does the concept of purification in Numbers 19 connect to the New Testament understanding of spiritual cleansing?

3. How can we apply the principle of seeking divine instruction in our daily decision-making processes?

4. What are some modern-day practices that can help us maintain spiritual purity and holiness?

5. How does understanding the sacrificial system in the Old Testament enhance our appreciation of Christ's sacrifice in the New Testament?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 3:14
Connects to the identity of the LORD as "I AM," emphasizing His eternal and self-existent nature.

Leviticus 16
Provides context for the priestly duties of Aaron, especially concerning purification and atonement rituals.

Hebrews 9:13-14
Relates to the purification rituals in Numbers 19, drawing a parallel to the ultimate purification through Christ's sacrifice.
Purge Me with Hyssop, and I Shall be CleanW. Binnie Numbers 19:1-10, 17-19
Defilement from the DeadD. Young Numbers 19:1-22
The Law of the Red Heifer AppliedD. G. Watt, M. A.Numbers 19:1-22
The Ordinance of the Red HeiferW. Jones.Numbers 19:1-22
The Ordinance of the Red HeiferJ. M. Gibson, D. D.Numbers 19:1-22
The Red HeiferSpurgeon, Charles HaddonNumbers 19:1-22
The Red Heifer a Wilderness TypeC. H. Mackintosh.Numbers 19:1-22
The Red Heifer an Analogue of the ChristW. Jones.Numbers 19:1-22
The Water of Purification, and its LessonsE.S. Prout Numbers 19:1-22
People
Aaron, Eleazar, Israelites, Moses
Places
Wilderness of Paran
Topics
Aaron, Saying, Spake, Speaketh, Spoke
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Numbers 19:1-6

     4424   cedar

Numbers 19:1-8

     4552   wood

Numbers 19:1-9

     7416   purification

Numbers 19:1-10

     4470   hyssop

Numbers 19:1-13

     6648   expiation

Numbers 19:1-22

     7340   clean and unclean

Library
Nor, in that the Law Orders a Man to be Purified Even after Intercourse...
23. Nor, in that the Law orders a man to be purified even after intercourse with a wife, doth it show it to be sin: unless it be that which is allowed by way of pardon, which also, being in excess, hinders prayers. But, as the Law sets [1999] many things in sacraments and shadows of things to come; a certain as it were material formless state of the seed, which having received form will hereafter produce the body of man, is set to signify a life formless, and untaught: from which formless state,
St. Augustine—On the Good of Marriage

Fifth Sunday in Lent
Text: Hebrews 9, 11-15. 11 But Christ having come a high priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, 12 nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been defiled, sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh:
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

Li. Dining with a Pharisee, Jesus Denounces that Sect.
^C Luke XI. 37-54. ^c 37 Now as he spake, a Pharisee asketh him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. [The repast to which Jesus was invited was a morning meal, usually eaten between ten and eleven o'clock. The principal meal of the day was eaten in the evening. Jesus dined with all classes, with publicans and Pharisees, with friends and enemies.] 38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first bathed himself before dinner. [The Pharisee marveled at this because
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.
(from Bethany to Jerusalem and Back, Sunday, April 2, a.d. 30.) ^A Matt. XXI. 1-12, 14-17; ^B Mark XI. 1-11; ^C Luke XIX. 29-44; ^D John XII. 12-19. ^c 29 And ^d 12 On the morrow [after the feast in the house of Simon the leper] ^c it came to pass, when he he drew nigh unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, ^a 1 And when they came nigh unto Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage unto { ^b at} ^a the mount of Olives [The name, Bethphage, is said to mean house of figs, but the
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

John the Baptist's Person and Preaching.
(in the Wilderness of Judæa, and on the Banks of the Jordan, Occupying Several Months, Probably a.d. 25 or 26.) ^A Matt. III. 1-12; ^B Mark I. 1-8; ^C Luke III. 1-18. ^b 1 The beginning of the gospel [John begins his Gospel from eternity, where the Word is found coexistent with God. Matthew begins with Jesus, the humanly generated son of Abraham and David, born in the days of Herod the king. Luke begins with the birth of John the Baptist, the Messiah's herald; and Mark begins with the ministry
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Numbers
Like the last part of Exodus, and the whole of Leviticus, the first part of Numbers, i.-x. 28--so called,[1] rather inappropriately, from the census in i., iii., (iv.), xxvi.--is unmistakably priestly in its interests and language. Beginning with a census of the men of war (i.) and the order of the camp (ii.), it devotes specific attention to the Levites, their numbers and duties (iii., iv.). Then follow laws for the exclusion of the unclean, v. 1-4, for determining the manner and amount of restitution
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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