Now we shall see the usage of the water for impurity.
The water for impurity was to be sprinkled upon unclean persons: those who touched a dead body, who came into a tent or were in a tent in which a man died, who touched one who had been slain with a sword, a dead body, a human bone, or a grave (vv. 11-14, 16-20). Death comes out of sin, and sin is the root of death (Rom. 5:12). From the sin of rebellion, death was prevailing among the children of Israel. Thus, there was a need for the water for impurity. Only the working of Christ’s redemption, through His dignified and humbled humanity and with His death and the Spirit of His resurrection, could heal and cleanse the situation of God’s people, a situation full of death.
The water for impurity was also sprinkled upon the tent in which a man died and upon all the open vessels and furnishings in the tent for their cleansing (Num. 19:15, 18). Because of the universal rebellion among God’s people, death overshadowed the entire people of God so that the tents and every vessel in the tents were contaminated. No matter where someone went or what he touched, he was unclean. By sprinkling the water for impurity, the entire situation of the children of Israel was cleansed from the effect of death because of their sin of rebellion. It is the same with us today. Only the efficacy of redemption, accomplished through the death of Christ, and the washing power of the Spirit, accomplished through Christ’s resurrection, can annul the effect and impurity of death brought in by our committing of sins.
In Numbers 35 God wanted the children of Israel to set up six cities as cities of refuge in places distributed for their dwelling so that the manslayer who killed a person unintentionally might flee there to escape death. This shows that God’s redemption for His chosen people is thorough and complete.
The cities of refuge were six in number (v. 13). The number six signifies mistake-making man, who was created by God on the sixth day (Gen. 1:26-27, 31). Hence, God commanded that cities of refuge be set up that the refuge of God might be brought to sinful man.
The cities of refuges were divided into two sets of three cities each. The number three signifies the Triune God as the refuge for the man who makes mistakes. God regards us as those who make mistakes, and He has ordained that there be a refuge into which we may flee; that is, He came to be our redemption. The number two signifies a testimony standing in the universe. The two sets of cities of refuge testify and declare to the universe that the Triune God is living on earth among human beings to be their city of refuge.
God ordained six cities of refuge, three across the Jordan, that is, east of the Jordan, and three in the land of Canaan, that is, west of the Jordan (Num. 35:14). This shows that the cities of refuge were distributed in different places, indicating that God has come to where man is in order to approach man. The Triune God is near and available to us. Regardless of where we are, the Triune God is available as our city of refuge.
The six cities were the same distance from each other for the convenience of fleeing there by anyone who killed a person unintentionally. This indicates that the Triune God has spread Himself among men, to the very place where we are, to be a city of refuge for all those who make mistakes.