There are three things in the book of Numbers which are rich in spiritual meaning, functioning as types and symbols. These three things are the fringes, the water for impurity, and the cities of refuge.
Numbers 15:37-41 gives a record of the ordinance concerning the dress of God’s people. “Then Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel and tell them to make for themselves fringes on the borders of their garments throughout their generations” (vv. 37-38a). Garments signify the conduct of God’s people before Him. God required the children of Israel to make fringes on the borders of their garments, indicating that He wants His people to have a beautiful expression in their conduct before Him; He wants us to walk worthily of the calling with which we were called (Eph. 4:1).
Furthermore, God told the people of Israel to put a cord of blue on the fringe of each border (Num. 15:38b). Blue, a heavenly color, signifies a heavenly expression; the cord signifies binding, restriction. Hence, a cord of blue signifies that God wants His people to have a heavenly binding and a heavenly expression in their conduct. A cord of blue signifies that our conduct and behavior, as children of God with the divine nature, should be beautiful and under the heavenly ruling and binding for the manifestation of human virtues.
The people of Israel were to look upon the fringe and remember the commandments of Jehovah and do them; they were not to seek after their own heart and own eyes, according to which they had committed fornication. Thus, the people would remember and do all God’s commandments and be holy to God (vv. 39-41).
According to the record of the four Gospels, the Lord Jesus wore this kind of garment. One day a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years came to touch the fringe of His garment with faith. The power of the Lord’s human virtues came upon her, and she was healed (Matt. 9:20-22). Out of Christ’s heaven-ruled deeds issued the virtue which became the healing power (14:36). Both God’s ordinance and the Lord’s conduct indicate that we should walk under the heavenly binding as children of God. As people of the kingdom of the heavens, we should be bound not by the police or law courts but by a heavenly binding, by the heavenly government and ruling. This will produce a beauty in our human conduct that we may be sanctified and glorify God. Therefore, Peter exhorted us as strangers and sojourners to live a life in an excellent manner toward all men in all concerns (1 Pet. 2:11—3:13), abstaining from fleshly lusts, on one hand, and having a manner of life excellent among the Gentiles so that God may be glorified, on the other hand.
After the rebellion of the children of Israel in Numbers 16 and 17 and as a result of God’s punishment, their corpses lay throughout the land and the filthiness of death spread everywhere. The entire population of the Israelites was under the effect of death. They were all in a situation of impurity. Thus, in chapter 19 God told them to prepare the water for impurity with a red heifer that they might use the water to get rid of the filthiness of death with which they were affected.
“This is the statute of the law which Jehovah has commanded, saying, Tell the children of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which is no blemish and upon which a yoke has never come. And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and someone shall bring it outside the camp and slaughter it in his presence” (vv. 2-3). This heifer, the principal component of the water for impurity, signifies Christ for our redemption. The color red signifies the likeness of the flesh of sin, which is for the bearing of man’s sin outwardly. When Christ was incarnated, He became in the likeness of the flesh of sin (Rom. 8:3). Furthermore, the heifer was without defect. This signifies that the redeeming Christ was without sin. Although Christ was in the likeness of the flesh of sin, there was no sin within Him. He did not have the sinful nature, and He did not know sin (2 Cor. 5:21). The heifer also had no blemish. This indicates that Christ was perfect. Furthermore, the heifer had never come under a yoke. This signifies that Christ was not used by anyone, especially by or for God’s enemy, Satan. Eventually, Christ accomplished God’s redemption by being crucified outside the camp on Calvary (Heb. 13:12-13), a small mount outside the city of Jerusalem.
“The priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet strands, and cast them into the midst of the burning of the heifer” (Num. 19:6). Cedar wood signifies Christ in His dignified humanity, hyssop signifies Christ in His humbled humanity, and scarlet signifies redemption in its highest significance. This indicates that the high and dignified Christ and the lowly and humbled Christ in His redemption were elements for the composition of the water for impurity.
“A man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and place them outside the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the assembly of the children of Israel as water for impurity; it is a sin offering” (v. 9). The burning of the heifer with the other elements produced ashes, which signify Christ reduced to nothing. These ashes were kept for the water for impurity; it was a purification of sin, or a sin offering. Verse 17 says, “For the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burning of the sin offering, and running water shall be added to them in a vessel.” The running water, that is, the living water, put in the vessel, signifies the Holy Spirit in the resurrection of Christ. Hence, in the water for impurity, there is the efficacy of Christ’s redemption with the washing power of the Spirit of His resurrection.