Christmas by the Numbers-- Part 1

In class on Sunday, I taught a Christmas lesson by continuing our study in the book of Numbers. We have seen types of Christ throughout Numbers. But we had just gotten to the two strongest examples in the book: Numbers 19’s red heifer and Numbers 21’s bronze snake. In a word, Christ is our Heifer and our Snake. So, I titled the lesson “Christmas by the Numbers” OR “Christmas animals not in the Inn”.

On Numbers 19, some of the details of the sacrifice and rituals are distinctive. For example, 2’s animal was to be red (a rare color—and symbolizes blood), female (typically males were used), and had "never been under a yoke" (reminiscent of Christ's "easy yoke" in Matthew 11:28-30).

The slaughter (19:3) was to be done outside the camp (reminiscent of Hebrews 13:11-12). In 19:9, we’re told that an assistant was to collect and store the ashes. As Matthew Henry observes: "the blood of Christ is laid up for us...as an inexhaustible fountain of merit".

And three times in 19:7-10, the irony is noted that those who are responsible for ceremonially cleaning the people are themselves made unclean by their efforts. Again, this is like Christ: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us—so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God” (II Cor 5:21).

Finally, 19:17-18 details the “sprinkling” involved; so too, those who have embraced God’s grace are sprinkled with the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:22; Isaiah 52:14-15).

Again, Christ is our red heifer. As the writer of Hebrews says in 9:13-14: “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”