Numbers 19:1-10      The Red Cow

Rev. David Holwick  ZE                                   Make It Count, #12

First Baptist Church

Ledgewood, New Jersey

September 25, 2011

Numbers 19:1-10


THE RED COW



  I. What would you do to get clean?

      A. The germiest place.


         Where are you most likely to pick up bacteria-filled germs?

            Go ahead and take a guess.

         It's not your church pew - that's number 4.


         It's in your home.

         The folks who make Lysol funded a study to see where the most

            germs were.

         The winner?  Your toilet bowl.  By a long shot.


         There are 3.2 "million" bacteria per square inch in the

            average toilet.

         And every time you flush that thing with the lid open, you're

            spewing those germs into the air and onto other surfaces.

         Which most likely include your toothbrush, by the way.


         The next worst place was your kitchen drain, with almost

            568,000 bacteria per square inch.

         Then the sponge or cloth you use to wipe down your counters,

            tables, and other kitchen and dining room surfaces.

         The average kitchen dishcloth can contain 4 billion living germs.


         One study found that 64 percent of people believe the public

            restroom doorknob had more germs than an ATM.

         They were wrong.

                                                                   #31350


         Germs must bother a lot of people.

         The company that makes Lysol pulls in over $10.5 billion a year.

            We spend $117 million on hand sanitizer alone.


      B. Spiritual cleanness is even tougher.

          1) Lysol won't cut it.  You need something tougher.

          2) Sins are tougher than germs and even more widespread.

          3) Only special treatment can take care of them.


      C. Red cows are the key.

          1) The Jews had a very detailed system for dealing with

                uncleanness, which they practice to this day.

          2) Due to historical circumstances, orthodox Jews feel they

                cannot really be clean before God.

          3) There is one solution they are pinning their hopes on -

                red cows.


II. What makes red cows special.

      A. More than a sacrifice.

          1) The Old Testament is obsessed with rituals concerning

                cleanness.

          2) This one stands out for several reasons.

              a) The color is very important - it has to be red.

              b) It is a female cow and not a male ox.

              c) It is slaughtered instead of sacrificed.

                  1> But like a sacrifice, it must be perfect.

              d) It is killed outside the town rather than on an altar.

              e) It is burned with its blood and guts.

                  1> This is the only offering that included the blood.


      B. How it worked.

          1) Its ashes were used to make cleansing water.

              a) Other ingredients (mostly reddish) were added in the

                    process.

              b) The ashes were stored and added to special water for

                    the use of worshippers.

              c) It was a compassionate alternative.

                  1> Regular sacrifices for uncleanness could be very

                        expensive.  Goats aren't cheap!

                  2> This way, one bull could clean thousands of people.

          2) It was important for Temple worship.

              a) A high priest had to be cleansed with it before he

                    could enter the Holies in the Temple.

              b) Regular people required it to enter the outside area.


      C. Red cows were very rare.

          1) The criteria was very stringent.

              a) It had to be childless. (that's what 'heifer' signifies)

              b) It had to be unblemished.

              c) It could not have even two non-red hairs.

              d) Because of the absolute rarity of such a cow, the red

                    heifer has special status in Judaism.

          2) There have been only 9 in all of Jewish history.

              a) The last one was 2,000 years ago.

              b) One of their traditions says there will only be 10.


III. Why the red cow still matters.

      A. Orthodox Jews believe they are all unclean.

          1) They have come in contact with dead bodies, either directly

                or by walking near graves.

          2) The rituals to make them clean cannot be performed.

              a) They no longer have the Temple.

                  1> It was destroyed in the generation after Jesus.

                  2> Fully one-third of the 613 Jewish laws require

                        Temple rituals.

              b) Even if they had the Temple, they could not do the

                    rituals because the priests would not be clean.


      B. One red cow would change this.

          1) With a red cow the Jews could create cleansing water, purify

                a priest, and re-institute the other Temple rituals.

          2) "The Temple Institute" is working on it.

              a) They have their headquarters in Jerusalem.

              b) They are lining up candidates for a Jewish priesthood.

              c) They have re-created the robes and utensils.

              d) All they lack is a red cow.

                  1> And of course the Temple, but that is another issue...


      C. This is where a Christian comes into the picture.

          1) A Mississippi evangelist.


             About 18 years ago a Pentecostal evangelist named Clyde Lott

                wrote a letter to the Israeli government.

             In addition to being an evangelist, Rev. Lott was a very

                successful cattle breeder in Mississippi.

             He wanted to know if the Israelis were interested in him

                breeding a perfect red cow.


             The Israeli government passed the letter on to a rabbi at

                the Temple Institute.

             They were interested.

             Clyde hooked up with a Nebraska farmer to raise red Angus

                heifers and export them to Israel.

             They ended up with money problems and the deal fell through

                before a perfect cow could be produced. [1]


          2) However, Israel now has some red cows.


             Back in 2002, everyone got excited because a red cow named

                Melody seemed just about perfect.

             Alas, her tail turned white as she matured.


             But in 2010 - last year - the Temple Institute announced

                that a perfect red cow had been bred in Israel.

             They haven't given out any more details. [1]


IV. Are we ready for the Messiah?

      A. The tenth red cow would be very momentous.

          1) Jewish tradition says that the tenth one would inaugurate

                the period of the Messiah.


             The Temple Institute website has this:


             In recounting this historical record in his commentary to

                the Mishna, the great Maimonides ends with this enigmatic

                   statement:

             "...and the tenth red heifer will be accomplished by the

                king, the Messiah; may he be revealed speedily, Amen,

                   May it be God's will."


             With this amazing statement, Maimonides recounts an ancient

                tradition - that the tenth red heifer is associated with

                   the Messianic era.

             Does this perhaps mean that the appearance of a red heifer

                in these waning end times is an indication, a forerunner

                   of the appearance of the Messiah himself, who will

                      officiate at its preparation? [2]


          2) That is one reason Christians are interested in helping

                the Jews get one.

              a) We want Jesus to come back in glory.

              b) Maybe breeding a red cow will speed it up a little.


      B. The Temple may hold the key.

          1) Like the Jews, Christians want the Jerusalem Temple rebuilt.

          2) Our reasoning is a little different.

              a) The temple rituals no longer apply to us.

              b) But we expect the Temple to rebuilt because it plays

                    a role in the coming of the Antichrist.

          3) Why do we want an Antichrist?

              a) He has to appear before Jesus comes back.

              b) And the book of Daniel (and Jesus himself) says

                    the Antichrist will desecrate the Temple.

              c) Therefore, we expect the Temple to be rebuilt someday.

                  1> Since the Muslims have several holy buildings on

                        the site, this creates a big problem.

                  2> I expect God to work it out.


  V. There is something better than a red cow.            Hebrews 9:13-15

      A. The book of Hebrews devotes a lot of ink to Jewish ritual.

          1) The writer is addressing Christians who were tempted to

                defect back to Judaism.

          2) The persecution was getting too tough for them.

          3) The book of Hebrews points out why that would be a bad idea.


      B. The Old Testament rituals can only go so far.

          1) Cow blood can sanctify you so you are outwardly clean.  9:13

              a) It makes you acceptable for worship.

              b) It does not change your soul.

          2) The blood of Jesus goes deeper.                         9:14

              a) It cleanses our consciences.

              b) It enables us to serve the living God.


      C. Jesus has something new for us.                             9:15

          1) The prophet Jeremiah spoke of a New Covenant.

              a) The Ten Commandments did not change human hearts.

                  1> It only gave them instructions on how to live.

                  2> It also pointed out that we weren't living that way.

              b) The New Covenant will bring about a miracle.

                  1> People will have their hearts changed.

                  2> They will want to follow God.

          2) Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant.

              a) By believing in him, we can be changed.

                  1> Jesus himself called it being born again.

              b) We don't need the diluted ashes of a red cow.

                  1> We just need the blood of Jesus.

                  2> (One early Christian document even calls him

                        our red heifer.)


      D. Have you been cleaned by the blood of Jesus?



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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:


[1]  The Second Coming --- Is it time? by Leesha Faulkner, May 15, 2011,

        <http://lubbockonline.com/interact/blog-post/leesha-faulkner/

        2011-05-15/second-coming-it-time#.Tnzqsew8Ngg>.  Also material

        from Red Heifer, Wikipedia.org.


[2]  The Tenth Red Heifer, Temple Institute,

        <http://www.templeinstitute.org/red_heifer/tenth_red_heifer.htm>


#31350  Where Are the Most Germs? by Mark Raymond, Wit And Wisdom by

           Richard G. Wimer, November 7, 2007.  Also see Becky Mollenkamp,

           Germ Warfare: Cleaners and Disinfectants, August 1, 2004,

           <http://www.cleanlink.com/sm/article/Germ-Warfare-Cleaners-and-

           Disinfectants--1347>.


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