And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD hath commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke: Nu 19:1-2

Nature Of The Beast

1)      A Heifer – Female bovine –one that has never had a calf so it would be less than two years old. (Maybe between as young as 16 months. By the age of 16 months the heifers would be bred and with calf (Blemished) This heifer did not have offspring but the ability to give life & milk was within her. A heifer that did not have a calf by the age of three would be considered baron and removed from the breeding and broke to the yoke as a beast of burden. This heifer was never offered for breeding, breeding will cause a blemish.

2)      Without blemish – As all things sacrificed to God (Lev 3:1) – The physical characteristics were perfect: The animals that were to be used as sacrifices were not just the best of the herd but freaks of nature. I believe these animals were actually miracles of God provided for the specific reason of sacrifice. Even the most unimportant detail about this heifer was perfect. Never cut, scraped, bruised until the knife was slit her throat to allow the blood to flow out. A blemish is not necessarily a sin.

3)      Never had a yoke placed upon her – she was not a pet, never milked, never ploughed a field, never pulled a wagon, never carried a load on her back, never under the whip, never gave birth, was never forced to work or to do anything until she was led to the place of sacrifice. A yoke will cause a blemish.

4)      Red in color - This is the only time color was a necessary characteristic for the sacrifice. Red in cattle is a very recessive gene. Mix in any other color gene and the red color will be tainted. Every hair on this heifer would have to be red. Her nose would have to be pink or red; the skin around her ears and in her mouth would have to pink or red. If there were any black or gray pigment in her skin she would not have been perfectly red genetically. The white and other color genes will change the red color. Even black which is diluted by all other colors will change red (see note#10).  This heifer would be what would be called genetically pure red, this could only happen if both sire and dam were pure red or it was a miracle of God. I believe the latter.

Jesus Christ and the Red Heifer

1)      Jesus had no earthly children yet within Him was the ability to give life and nourishment of the Word (Mat 4:4, 1John 5:11, John 17:2)

2)      Without blemish - Song 5:16 His mouth is most sweet; Yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. Before he was betrayed to his enemies there was not a blemish on his body.

3)      No Yoke upon Him: The burden of sin He carried to the cross was not his yoke but ours. The whip was not laid to his body; no one put their hands on him until the appointed time. He was under no burden or yoke that forced him to the cross. The only things that kept him on the path to the cross were his desire to do the will of the father and his marvelous love (grace) for you and me. I do not believe He thought this to be burdensome.  (John 10:17, 18, 1 Pet 2:22)

4)      Sinless: 2Co 5:21 (1John 3:5, Gal 5:9) A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. From the moment of conception to his ascension the man Jesus never sinned. There were only two ways the man Jesus could be sinless: there was no sin in His mother’s and His father’s genealogies or it was a miracle of God. It had to be the later. And though he became sin for us He never sinned – He was just as sinless when He gave up the ghost as He was at birth.

Most commentaries want to use the red color of the heifer as a picture of the red blood, red earth that Adam came from or sin that He died for: The red color of this heifer could point to those things, Some teach the choice of the red heifer was to take away from Egyptian sacrifices.

But when you look at the witness of nature you see it is primarily pointing to his sinless perfection and the fact that the man Jesus Christ was only one who could go to the cross there was no one before Him or no one that has come after him that could fulfill all of God’s demands for sin payment. This red heifer was a miracle of God so was the coming of His Son and the life He lived and the new life He can give

Notes

1)      when they give birth damage is done no longer with out blemish

2)      heifers are more docile than bullocks

3)      Jewish tradition says if two hairs are not red the heifer was disqualified, why not just one The Jews always were willing too compromise the exact law of God. Now you know why their tradition speaks of other red heifers being sacrificed

4)      It takes very selective breeding to produce genetically pure red cattle.

5)      Was Christ’s body able to be marred, If he chose to he could have sinned.

6)      A yoke or harness will cause a blemish – ware the hair away, cause a callus.

7)      The yoke applies that an animal is under control and forced to do the bidding of the owner. Jesus was never forcer to go to the cross. He was in control of everything that was done to himself.

8)      A male animal can not give life a male animal sacrifice can not symbolize Christ’s life giving ability

9)      Out of the mother body comes life. The heifer had the ability to have life come out of her body.

    10)    Hereford (whiteface,  red body) cross bred to a black angus will produce a calf with a white face and black body.

Hebrews 9:13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:

Bulls and goats were continually sacrificed for forgiveness of sin - Christ continually forgives the sins of those He has given eternal life. [1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.]

How many times does He give eternal life to a person - once so an heifer

The ceremony of the ashes of the red heifer and running water was to be a perpetual statute - When one comes in contact with something God declares unclean he is unclean until the time God declares heim to be clean again.

When one accepts Christ as his savior is is given eternal life and is indwelled with The Holy Spirit and is perpetually kept free form the sting of death which sin [1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law].