The Pulpit Commentary — Numbers — Section 267

III. OccASION IS GlVEN FOR MUCH HUMILITY AND SELF- \BIIORRBNCE AS WB CONSIDER 'l'HE HOLD WBICII_ SI~ H,As ON oun MORTAL BODIES. The agonieing appeal of sin- burdened humamty 1s, ' 0 wretched man that I am I who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? '' Every consideration should be welcomed which will mnke us ~eel 1:1ore deel?ly and abidingly th? dreadful power of sin, the impossibility of gettmg nd of all its consequences until we are passed out of the preeent life. Does not a fair consideration of this ceremonial uncleanness for the <lend body go far to eettle the oft-debated point as to the possibility of complete holiness in this world? How.can there be complete holiness when this supreme effect of sin, temporal dentli_ remams und~stroyed? ~hat a thoug~t for a devout Israelite, a man of the spirit of the Psalmist, that, sohc1tous as he might be all through life to keep in the way of God's commandments, nevertheless, when life had left the body, he would inevitably be the means of defilement to others I IV. THERE IS POINTED OUT TO US TIIE TBOE MODE OF TRIUMPH OVER DEATH, Death can be conquered only in one way, by conq'.lering sin. He who destroys the power of si,n ma human life destroys the power of death. The raising of Lazarus was not so much a triumph over death as a humiliation of him who has the power of death, an intimation that the secret of his power was known and vulnerable. Lazarus was raised, but died again in the course of mortal nature, and only as he believed in Jesus to the attainment of eternal life did he gain the real triumph over death. If then by any means our life here is becoming more and more free from sin, more abundant in holy serrice, then in the same proportion the hellish glory of death is dimmed. The physical circumstances of death are not the chief thing to be considered, but what sort of future lies beyond. If it is to be a continuance, im- provement, and perfecting of the spiritual life of Christ's people here, then where is the triumph of death? To have been transformed by the renewing of our minds, and to have found our chief occupation and delight in the affairs of the kingdom of heaven, may not indeed take away the terrors of death, but they do effectually destroy Its power. V. The very fact of death being so obnoxious to God SHOULD FILL us WITH HOPE FOB ITS REMOVAL. ls it not a great deal to know that what is peculiarly dreaded by us is peculiarly hateful to him? Is there not a sort of assurance that God's wisdom and power will be steadily directed to the removal of what is so hateful ?-Y. We have now to notice the way in which this defilement was removed-by sprink- ling over the defiled person running water mingled with the ashes, prepared in a peculiar way, of a slain heifer. I. THE PREP.I.RATION WAS VERY ELABORATE. It needed great care in its details, and was, therefore, very easily spoiled. There has b~en much discu?sion, with litt!o agreement, over the significance of many of the details, the truth being that there 1s not sufficient information for UB to discern reasons which may have been clear enough to those who had to obey the comILand, though even to them the purpose of mnny details was doubtless utterly obscure, and even intentionally so. What room is. the1:e for faith if we are to know the why and wherefo1e at every step? One thmg 1s certain that if any detail Lad been neglected, the whole symbc,lic action would have failed. ' The water would he sprinkled in vain. God would intimate ir, no doubtful way that the defiled person remained defiled still. So when we turn from the shadow to the substance £rem the cleansing of the death-defiled body to that of the death- defiled person t~ whom the body belonged~ we find C~rist compl~in&" in the ~trictest manner with the minutest matters of detail; and domg so, this md1cated his equal compliance inwardly with every requireru~nt of th? l~w of G~d con.sider~d as ~avinp to do with the spirit. Thrice we know. did God_ mtlmate his s_atistacbon with hie Son, as one who in all things wae carrymg out his purposes--tw1ce ID express _te~e (Matt. iii. 17; xvii. 5), and the third time implying the sume thing not lee~ s1gmfi- cantly (John xii. 28). Then also we are called to notice how many prophecies. as to matters of detail, such as places, circumstances, &c., had to be fulfilled. Ae .m the preparing of the heifer the commands of God had to be accomplished, so m the preparing of Jesus for his great cleansing work the propheciea of God had to be .iccomplisLed. CH. X!X. 1-22.) 'THE BOOK OF Nul\lBF.nS. 2!,t