Posted on 01/12/2012 8:27:23 AM PST by Former Fetus
“The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: ‘This is a requirement of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the Israelites to bring you a red heifer without defect or blemish and that has never been under a yoke.’”—Numbers 19:2
Much debate has gone on, both in Jewish and Christian camps, regarding the red heifer and its significance to the rebuilding of the Third Temple, and therefore, to ushering in the messianic period. Both Jews and Christians in recent years have attempted to locate and bring to Jerusalem a genetically pure red heifer.
Sacrificing a red heifer as part of a ritual law dates back to Moses’ time. God had commanded Moses and Aaron, the high priest, to sacrifice a red heifer without defect or blemish as part of a purification ceremony. However, the absolute rarity of the animal, and the mystical ritual in which it is used, has given the red heifer special status in the Jewish tradition.
According to Jewish tradition, only nine red heifers have actually been sacrificed from the time of Moses to the destruction of the Second Temple! It is considered one of the greatest and deepest mysteries of the Torah, belonging to a category of biblical law called chok, for which there is no apparent human logic. Even King Solomon in all his wisdom could not understand this command.
This much is known: The state of ritual purity obtained through the ashes of a red heifer is necessary before anyone can participate in any Temple services. Therefore, efforts have been made in modern times by Jews and Christians wanting to rebuild the Temple to locate a red heifer. One Christian pastor in the United States has even gone so far to as to breed red heifers on his ranch in Mississippi.
Whether such efforts will yield the red heifer remains to be seen. And groups, such as the Temple Institute in Jerusalem, are keeping a close scrutiny over all alleged candidates.
The one thing that such discussion and speculation does underscore is that, for the Jew, we are living in times of biblical prophecy being fulfilled. More and more Jews are not only returning to the Holy Land as prophesized, but also to the ways of our forefathers. We are realizing the significance of the Holy Temple as the place where we will see God’s peace prevail, as it is written in Haggai 2:9, “‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.’”
That is a peace I think we can all look forward to seeing.
Even Solomon did not realize that the perfect red heifer was a picture of Messiah. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice that purified us!
The fact that we can understand this, while Solomon and the sages couldn't, is a very good example of how the Holy Spirit opens our minds so we can understand God's will. It fills me with awe.
I am glad you understand that a red heifer is synonymous with JC, I doubt few others can.
“Even Solomon did not realize that the perfect red heifer was a picture of Messiah. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice that purified us!”
A stretch worthy of Plastic Man.
“Holy Heifer” - perhaps there is a theological justification for using ‘holy cow’, but ‘holy heifer’?
“Jesus as heifer” is going to be a difficult debate to win, IMHO. But, I must give you credit for initiating what may become an interesting thread.
I’ll be interested to see Carrie_okie’s response to this one.
What if there really were Aliens back then, and they asked for a ‘sacrifice’ becuase they felt like Barbeque?
First, the heifer had to be "perfect". That means that there could not be a single white hair on her. Last time they thought they had a red heifer in Israel, the rabbis inspected her regularly while they waited for her to grow to the required age. I think it was 7 or 8 months old when they found a few white hairs and she was disqualified. No person has been/is perfect, sinless... except for Jesus, the Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Then, the heifer was to be sacrificed, and through that sacrifice the Israelites were ritually cleansed from a number of impurities. Nothing else would do, but the red heifer. Same with us. In order to be cleansed from our sins, it does not matter what we do, how frequently we go to church, how much we give to charity... Only one thing can cleanse us, and that is the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary.
Do you think it is a coincidence that no more red heifers have been sacrificed since that day?
Hardly... unless God is "alien" to you.
As to knowing Jesus, I'm always struck by what Proverbs 30 says:
"Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?" (Proverbs 30:4)
I have sometimes wondered if G*d assigned such a task knowing that his people would have to understand, map, and learn to manipulate the DNA of said perfect cow.
is it possible that by teh time we had learned to so do, that the reason for cutting the sacred cow’s throat in an ancient blood sacrifice would no longer be necessary? Perhaps G*d hoped man would use his free will to understand, with awe, the order in the furthest reaches of the universe and when such awareness was achieved, the livestock would be safe.
I have difficulty imagining G*d asking such behavior of man when he had managed to claw his way up from chipping stone tools to arranging stacking adenine, guanine, cytocine, Thymidine.
By the time man had to assume atomic and evolutionary responsibilities, arguably, man needed a more in-depth relationship with G*d than mere Bronze Age sacrificial rites. The ultimate question is whether G*d wants the discussion.
Yeah, I am assuming man actually continues to make progress towards those goals. But, the year is young, and Bammy’s time is growing short.
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