Guest Post by Joshua Torrey
Read Part I & II, III
The Exodus Baptism
Fast forward now to the baptism of the Israelite people in the Red Sea. Moses has defeated one Pharaoh by being saved through water (baptism). But the Lord is after His entire people. The story of God conquering Pharaoh and Egypt’s gods are well known but the focus for this section is the time period after Pharaoh’s defeat at the Passover. After this incredible event, the Lord took the people of Israel up against the waters of the Red Sea. This happens to be more than the people of Israel can handle. All these people can tell Pharaoh is on the verge of overtaking them. A return to slavery seems eminent. What will God provide to demonstrate that this won’t happen? A baptism. A baptismal union consisting of water and Spirit,
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. – Exodus 14:21-22
Once again the Hebrew Scriptures invoke water and the Spirit together. And again the symbol is found most clearly in the Hebrew language, “the Lord drove the seas back by a strong east spirit.” The Holy Spirit is once again about His work parting the waters and providing deliverance from sinful oppression. He is making the dry land appear to make a path for new creation! The Biblical story is not new but certainly perpetually epic.
After a long night of the Spirit’s work, land appears from underneath the waters. God’s new and ransomed people have a deliverance to walk upon. From every possible direction this seems like a water and Spirit baptism. The correlation to creation is evident; the similarity to the Noah’s flood is obvious. The only remaining question is how accurate of correlation is the portrayal of the Holy Spirit.
It is here that the events shortly after the Red Sea are helpful. For the people of Israel their songs can often reveal great theological moments. And after this baptism Moses and the people sing an important song. A song that confirms the interpretation of this text and validates the incredible work of the Holy Spirit,
8 At the blast (literally “spirit”) of your nostrils the waters piled up;
the floods stood up in a heap;
the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake,
I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’
10 You blew with your wind (literally “spirit”); the sea covered them;
they sank like lead in the mighty waters. – Exodus 15:8-10
Without question the Spirit of God is responsible for the waters parting in baptism for the people. It is the water of deliverance and salvation (Psa 18:15). Destruction will not overtake the people of Israel and Israel’s enemies are destroyed by the very same baptismal waters. This is because water and the Spirit are administered in baptism. It was the Spirit responsible for the waters closing around the people of Egypt in judgment. It is the Holy Spirit’s necessary involvement that invokes both blessing and curse. And this is true also in Christian baptism. All of this symbolism continues the line of Old Testament thinking. The baptismal waters of Noah brought both salvation and destruction. The waters of death were for salvation with Moses. And they do so again here with the people of Israel and Egypt. It then is no wonder that this event is picked up by Paul in the New Testament as a warning,
1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. – 1 Corinthians 10:1-5
Blessing and curse. Paul presents both quite clearly in this passage to the church at Corinth. Within the epistle’s context it is clear that this passage is intended as a warning to the church. Baptism is not solely for salvation and this is because of the involvement of the Holy Spirit. For the unfaithful these activities are warnings and judgments. Mere water cannot be responsible for that.
Even more, what is most telling is the language used. The baptism of Moses is a type of Christ’s baptism. In fact Paul uses to the very same language for both of them. In Corinthians Paul speaks of being “baptized into Moses” (1 Cor 10:2). In Romans Paul uses similar language when saying that the church is “baptized into Christ” (Rom 6:3). Baptism into Moses is a type of baptism into Christ. This fits the motif of Moses being baptized before Israel and Jesus Christ being baptized before the church. But baptisms deliver from death. Both bring curse and blessing. And in both cases is a baptism of both water and Spirit. Neither one nor the other explains the fullness of Paul’s teaching. It must be both water and Spirit.<>
