Baptism
One of the Basic Foundational Truths
For Understanding Anything about Biblical Faith
4. 1 Corinthians 10: Exodus 14
6. Immersion of Objects in Sacrifices
7. Jewish Traditional Baptism: Orthodox Pictorial Baptism
8. A Suggestion For a Present‑Day Pictorial Baptism
1. Introduction
While many are baptized in local churches, few know why. Some are too young to learn reasons, and others have been taught reasons outside of the Bible. Some haven’t been taught anything. Not knowing the reason for baptism Spiritually accomplishes nothing. Doctrines that equate baptism with Salvation create an idolatrous ritual.
Only the blood of the Perfect One can wash away sin; water cannot.
The following erroneous, non-Biblical reasons are given for baptism:
A. Baptism bears witness that one is Born Again; it is a public act to show an inward rebirth.
B. Baptism washes away sin.
C. Baptism is a testimony.
D. Believer’s baptism is an ordinance, like the Lord’s Supper.
E. Baptism enters one into the Body of Messiah.
F. Baptism is needed for membership into the Body of Messiah.
G. One is filled with the Holy Ghost at baptism.
Certain groups ‘play down’ Baptism, teaching the following errors:
A. Baptism was for Jews, not for Christians.
B. Baptism ended with the disciples.
C. One can be a ‘good Christian’ and not get Baptized.
These and many more views, including ‘Baptism for the dead’, reflect how far Baptism has come from the original pattern. Consider some Scriptural reasons for Baptism.
2. Romans 6:1‑14
Consider this portion, one section at a time. The question raised concerns continuing in sin, a point brought forward from chapter 5. “How shall we who are dead to sin live any longer in it?” “So many of us as were baptized into Messiah Yeshua were baptized into His death.”
Yeshua is Salvation. Anyone who will be saved must enter into Him.
This text, the heart of the letter to the Romans, is referring to Israelis (the ‘we’ versus ‘ye also’). The Israelis will believe on Him as the blood sacrifice for sin some time during the Tribulation. They will know Him as the Lamb and will grasp His Salvation. This Romans text awaits fulfillment, though it is written in the past and present tenses, as a careful reader may notice.
The Israelis who are Saved by His Blood, by His Grace, are ready to ‘cross over’ and to enter into His death. They will cross over in the future from slavery to sin to freedom to righteousness via His death. They entered into His death via baptism: that is, they were immersed into His death. While this is pictured (only pictured) by water-style baptism, the real event that the picture portrays must be accomplished by the Spirit of Yehovah. He will take a person (who is determined to enter into Yeshua’s death for the above reasons) into that death so that the person can be part of the resurrection (explained below).
When the Spirit of God accomplishes this pictured goal (that is, when the person being immersed believes), the person will then come up out of the water to walk in ‘newness of life’—that is, with a refusal to sin and an insistence on walking righteously.
This must not be confused with Salvation, since that happens outside of this type of baptism.
Reason (1) for Baptism:
(1) They are baptized into His death.
Non-Jewish believers are baptized for the same reasons, in the same manner.
Once they enter into His death by Baptism, verse 4 shows that they are buried with Him. Then, “…as Messiah was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also are to walk in newness of life.” No one can be raised up from the dead who has not died. No one can walk in newness of life who has not been born from above.
What does “walking in newness of life” mean? The oldness was in sin and in refusal to consistently do right before Yehovah. If one Israeli still lives the old way in sin, all Israel is responsible:
Joshua 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing. for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing. And the anger of Yehovah was kindled against the children of Israel.
Joshua 7:10 And Yehovah said unto Joshua, “Get thee up! Why liest thou thus upon thy face? 11Israel hath sinned! And they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them! For they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff!”
Yehovah held all Israel responsible for the sin of one person (and his family).
Reason (2) for Baptism:
(2) The Israelis are immersed into His death so that they will be buried with Him. Thus, they enter into His death, thereby taking part in it. (This is not an end; it is part of a means. Staying dead is of no benefit. They do not physically die to do this; they are being associated with that death by the Spirit of Yehovah in this process.)
They will also walk in newness of life, with the righteousness of Messiah, Who Himself was raised up from the dead.
The death of the Messiah was followed by the resurrection, as verse 5 shows. The Saints who follow Messiah into His death and burial (by picture, and by the Spirit of Yehovah) will participate in His resurrection.
A character called “our old man” is mentioned in verse 6. He is the original nature of the Israelis (the body of Israel). From the time Israel (the people) was first born until the events just before Israel’s baptism, Israel will still have this nature of sin.
When all living Israelis enter into Messiah’s death and burial, their old man will be crucified with Him. This will accomplish the destruction of the body of sin “that henceforth we should not serve sin.” The conclusion is, “He that is dead is freed from sin.”
I have never seen a corpse sin.
That brings us to reason (3):
(3) One who is dead is freed from slavery to sin, and will no longer serve sin.
All who are alive from the dead will be parts of one Body, and will be tools of Righteousness serving God as God’s property. Sin will not have power and authority over them. They are now slaves of Righteousness (verse 18). They will now have the answer of a good conscience toward God!
Other reasons for Baptism follow.
3. Colossians 2:8‑15
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Messiah. For all the fullness of deity bodily dwells in Him. And ye are complete in Him Who is the head of all principality and power, in Whom ye also are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Messiah—buried with Him in baptism in which ye are also risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God Who has raised Him from the dead. And, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made-you-alive together with Him having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, that was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it [the handwriting] to His cross; and, having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it!
The Circumcision Covenant made between Yehovah and Avraham’s lineage continues today. Physical circumcision is practiced widely by many people groups for medical cleanliness, while among Israelis, it still has Covenant implications. Yehovah commanded the Israelis to circumcise the foreskin of their (plural) heart (singular). This is not a physical operation on a physical heart, but a real operation on the heart (mind) of the Body of Israel, in which the mind of sin will be removed.
The Colossians text refers to the circumcision of these non-Jewish folks. It is “made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Messiah, buried with Him in baptism.” Heart circumcision is what Baptism pictures. So, we have another reason for baptism:
(4) Baptism pictures putting off the body of the sins of the flesh and becoming free from that body, literally accomplished by Messiah’s circumcising the group’s heart (mind), the group being buried with Him (by the Spirit of Yehovah), and being resurrected with Him into newness of life.
This disconnection from the body of sin is also for non-Jewish Believers, so that they will be joined to the living Body of Messiah. All legal ordinance violations against those who enter into Messiah’s death and who will participate in His resurrection are revoked. (They had better not go back into sin after this!)
Saints are buried with Him in Baptism, and are also risen with Him through the faith of the operation [working] of God. He is the doctor who performs the work that gets rid of the ‘Body of the sins of the flesh’ of this entire group, and does this by circumcising their (plural) mind (singular). The Biblical faith is always group oriented! Only a very self-centered faith thinks mainly of ‘me’.
4. 1 Corinthians 10:1‑4 and Exodus 14
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant how that all our fathers were under the cloud and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual food, and did all drink the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them. And that Rock was Messiah.
[With Pharaoh hot in pursuit of and catching up to the Israelis, the Israelis became angry at Moses. At their comments, Moses replies, verse 13:] And Moshe said unto the people, “Fear ye not! Stand still and see the salvation of Yehovah that He will show to you today! For the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. Yehovah shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace!” And Yehovah said unto Moshe, ‘Why shout thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward. But lift thou up thy rod and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians. And they shall follow them. And I will get me honour upon Pharaoh and upon all his host, upon his chariots and upon his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am Yehovah when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots and upon his horsemen.” And the Angel of God who went before the camp of Israel removed and went behind them. And the pillar of the cloud went from before their faces and stood behind them. And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. And it was a cloud and darkness, but it gave light by night so that the one came not near the other all the night. And Moshe stretched out his hand over the sea. And Yehovah caused the sea to go by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry. And the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry. And the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went in after them to the midst of the sea–all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen. And it came to pass that in the morning watch Yehovah looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud. And He troubled the army of the Egyptians and took off their chariot wheels so that they drove them heavily, so that the Egyptians said, “We shall flee from the faces of Israel! For Yehovah fights for them against the Egyptians!”
All (Israelis) were baptized into Moshe in the cloud and in the sea (1 Corinthians 10:2). Baptism is not something new. The Children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground with the waters being a wall on their left and right (Exodus 14:22). The Egyptians, their enemies and slavemasters, wanted them in bondage; Yehovah wanted them free. The Israelis were slaves to false gods in Egypt; Yehovah wanted them for His own property. The Passover (during which the blood was applied picturing Salvation) had already happened. The people still needed to be freed from the Egyptians in order to walk in newness of life. The ‘old man of sin’ had to be put to death. They were slaves until the Egyptian army was destroyed.
The Song of Moshe (Exodus 15) is also the story of baptism. Exodus 15:9 shows future plans of an enemy: “The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.” Verse 10 shows the effect of baptism on the old man of sin: “Thou didst blow with Thy wind! The sea covered them! They sank as lead in the mighty waters.” The Egyptian army acted as the Israelis’ ‘old man of sin’ in that it kept them physical slaves. Yehovah could have created their New Man for them in this picture, though the Israelis continued as if they were still slaves in Egypt with that ‘old man of sin’ accompanying them. Yehovah was not pleased with them, though He had just saved them. They were still destroyed like Lot’s wife, at a later date after their rescue.
Another reason for baptism:
(5) Baptism is into death in order to result in freedom to walk in newness of life (with the slavemaster of righteousness).
5. 1 Peter 3:18‑22
For Messiah also hath once suffered for sins–the righteous for the unrighteous–that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison who at one time were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared in which few–that is, eight souls were saved by water, the like figure whereunto baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God) by the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua Who is gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him.
Those who entered into the Ark were “saved by water.” The Ark was a type (picture) of Messiah. Folks are saved by being in Messiah. Peter explains further: “the like figure whereunto baptism does also now save us by the resurrection of Messiah Yeshua;” but he explains that it has nothing to do with the putting away of the filth of the flesh. That was accomplished by Yeshua paying with His blood on the cross. Baptism ‘saves’ ‘by the answer of a good conscience toward God.’ Thus,
(6) Baptism is immersion into Yeshua, being placed into the Salvation Ark, in order to have the answer of a good conscience toward God.
While Noah was already born of God before entering the Ark, his obedience gave the answer of a good conscience toward God. All who are in Messiah and are being obedient will have a very good conscience answering Him.
As when Israel crossed the Red sea becoming free of Egyptian pursuers,
(7) Baptism pictures freedom from bondage, especially to sin.
The first of the Ten Commandments is: “I am Yehovah thy God who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” How good it will be when Israel lives according to his baptism, no longer living in sin! All who are born of God have sought to be freed from sin, and will avoid it as a terrible disease. Baptism pictures that transfer of ownership from a sin slavemaster to a righteousness slavemaster!
6. Immersion of Objects in Sacrifices
Exodus 12:21 And Draw called to all elders of Israel. And he said unto them, “Draw-ye and take-ye a flock to you—to your families. And slaughter-ye the Skip-Over! 22And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop. And ye shall immerse in blood that is in a basin. And ye shall cause-to-touch unto the lintel and unto two of the doorposts from the blood that is in the basin.” “And ye, ye shall not exit—a man from the opening of his house—unto morning. 23And Yehovah will cross-over to smite Double-Adversity. And He will see the blood upon the lintel and upon two of the doorposts. And Yehovah will Skip-Over above the opening. And He will not give the slaughterer to come unto your houses to smite.”
Hyssop is a type. I proposed that it typified the lack of a fly (a reference to Satan in an Exodus 12 footnote based on its name: ayzov). If this type is correct, immersing the hyssop in the blood shows another picture. Dipping “there-is-no-fly” in the blood of the perfect sacrifice and applying it to the upper lintel and the two sideposts of the opening of the House pictures the Millennium in which there will be no tempter, no troubler that can enter into all the House of Israel once the blood has been applied.
In another footnote (to Numbers 19), I went further:
When I checked back on my work, I saw that this would not fit. So I began looking again. I found the following:
bwz, zowb is a noun meaning a flow, issue, discharge (semen, blood), flux. It comes from a root verb meaning to flow, gush, issue, discharge; pine away (fig.). If this is the case, c¨z2t means I will discharge (that is, cause something to be given off as if menstrual blood). This would fit how hyssop was used to apply the blood of the lambs and goats to the openings of the houses in the first Passover.
What would be given off? Since the life of the flesh is in the blood, menstrual blood represents what is dead, without life. Those parts of Israel and the claiming rest of the kingdom in which there is no life will be discharged, like menstrual blood.
Leviticus 4:6 And the priest shall immerse his finger into the blood. And he shall sprinkle the faces of the Veil of the Holy-[One] seven strokes from the blood to the faces of Yehovah.
This text contains circuitous Hebrew. The direct object of the verb shall sprinkle is the faces of the Veil, though that direct object is placed beyond to the faces of Yehovah. I therefore placed the sentence in grammatical order in the English translation.
This text does not specify which finger. (This is unusual.)
The curious word for finger in Hebrew is etzba (ending in an ayin). (Whenever I find a type mysterious so that I can’t solve it by references, I always look at the Hebrew word itself to determine if the answer is inherent in the word. I have solved numerous types by this means.) Since etzba has four letters (instead of the normal three letters for a root), and since it starts with aleph, my first thought was that it was a first-person future singular form of a verb. That would leave the root to be tzava, a word used five times in the Bible, and all in Daniel. Translators thought it meant to wet. I thought them wrong. It seemed curiously related to another word, sava, meaning to become full (from eating a good meal). Hebrew often relates in this way: the sheen and the tzadi being related by sound. If two of three Hebrew letters are in the same position in two root verbs, and the third letter in each verb root has a similar sounding letter, the meanings of te two verb roots will tend to be related. I thus proposed that tzava meant saturated (filled with water) rather than just wet. If this is the case, the word for finger would mean I will saturate. If I err in any of these premises, the whole result will be an error. If I am correct, however, the whole result will hold.
With the supposition that I have rightly concluded, the type of the priest immersing his finger in the blood shows that Yehovah will saturate the priest and the entire priesthood with what that blood typifies. Since all Israel is called to be priests of Yehovah, all Israel will therefore by saturated by this blood.
The bull in this text typifies one who will be perfect, who is the son of a herd, and therefore comes from among the Israelis, and who will give his life to cover the sin of the anointed priest and the people. The bull is a larger animal, indicating a higher rank among the Israelis.
Some will quickly conclude that this bull typifies Messiah Yeshua. I do not agree with this conclusion unless it is backed up with proof. I know that the Lamb of God is Messiah Yeshua, and is typified by the Passover lamb or goat. But I have learned that assuming answers to types is a good way to never find the right answer.
A group can be the antitype of this bull, or a high-ranking person can be the antitype. We must await more information before concluding. Consider the following text:
Psalms 22:12 Many bulls have compassed me. Strong-[ones] of Bashan have beset me round.
Persons are being called bulls in this text showing readers that bulls can picture (typify) persons. Though these bulls are bad guys, still the picture does show persons like bulls. The bull in our text is good and is perfect.
If the bull typifies a group of leaders in Israel who will be perfect before Yehovah and who will be sacrificed (slaughtered) because of their righteous stand, the priest’s dipping his finger in the blood of this bull will portray two results. The priest will participate in this slaughter/sacrifice of righteous Israeli leaders, and thus will be culpable, and the priest will be saturated with this blood (as if drinking it), turning the heroism of those represented by the bull into a life-saving act that will lead to the Salvation of the priest, the priesthood, and the rest of the Israelis. Yehovah will ‘saturate’ them with the innocence of this blood, and they will turn from the work of their violence to faith in Yehovah through the innocence of this sacrifice, an effect that the stoning of Stephen eventually had on Saul of Tarshish.
Leviticus 4:16 And the anointed priest shall bring from the blood of the bull unto the Tent of Appointment. 17And the priest shall immerse his finger from the blood. And he shall sprinkle seven strokes to the faces of Yehovah, faces of the veil. 18And he shall give from the blood upon the horns of the altar that is to the faces of Yehovah Who is in the Tent of Appointment. And he will pour all the blood unto a foundation of the altar of the ascension that opened the Tent of Appointment. 19And he shall elevate all his fat from him. And he shall incense the-altarward. 20And he shall do to the bull just-as he did to the bull of the sin-sacrifice. He shall do so to him. And the priest shall cover upon them. And he shall be forgiven to them. 21And he shall exit the bull unto outside to the camp. And he shall burn him just-as he burned the first bull. He is the sin-sacrifice of the congregation.
The same type will hold for this text as for the one above (if that one is correct). The priest will immerse his finger; Yehovah will saturate the priest with this innocence blood, and will saturate all the priesthood, and all Israel. This time, the entire congregation of Israel will fully profit from this sin sacrifice (slaughter) of the righteous leaders of Israel.
Leviticus 14:1 And Yehovah spoke unto Moshe to say, 2This shall be the Teaching of the ‘scourgee’ in the day of his ‘encleaning.’ And he shall be brought unto the priest. 3And the priest shall go-out unto the outside to the camp. And the priest shall see. And behold the stroke of the scourge is healed from the scourged-one. 4And the priest shall command. And he shall take for the ‘encleanee’ two clean living birds {feminine, and no reflection on the lifestyle of the birds}, a cedar tree and worm crimson and hyssop. 5And the priest shall command. And he shall slaughter the one bird unto a sherd vessel upon waters of lives. 6The live bird─he will take her and the tree of the cedar and the crimson of the worm and the hyssop. And he will immerse them and the live bird into the blood of the slaughtered bird upon the waters of the lives. 7And he will sprinkle upon the ‘encleanee’ from the scourge seven times. And he will ‘enclean’ him. And he will send the live bird upon the faces of the field. 8And the ‘encleanee’ will launder his garments and shave all his hair and bathe in water. And he shall be clean. And after, he will come unto the camp. And he will dwell outside to his tent seven days.
Understanding this text requires several explanations. The ‘scourgee’ is the person with the supposed leprosy disease (it isn’t any form of modern leprosy). To be ‘encleaned’ is to be declared clean.
The purpose of this immersion typifies being fully immersed into death. (See Romans 6:4 for the complete explanation.) The living bird was immersed into death, into the blood of the sacrificed bird, just as Messiah was both immersed into death and rose from the dead. Messiah was dead, yet he was alive in Sheol and doing a function until His resurrection.
Baptism is immersing a person or an item into another person or item with both identification and an accompanying change of state (if the immersion’s picture truly represents the person or item immersed).
The live bird will be let go, let free to fly away. This is the picture of the resurrection.
While this explains the birds, it doesn’t explain the cedar tree, worm crimson or hyssop.
Consider the literal meanings of each:
- I will make-lean a tree
- Two earthworms
- I will discharge (as menstrual blood)
The tree associated with Israel and the Saints (the olive tree of Romans 11) pictures the Kingdom of God/Kingdom of the Heavens, a kingdom that will appear to grow very fast, very fat, and very large. Yeshua will greatly diminish the appearance of the kingdom to its rightful size during the Tribulation. It will be very small when He is finished, and will have no dead branches on it. The olive will then be very fruitful.
I propose that the two earthworms picture two very humble beings, since an earthworm is always prostrate (in a position of Biblical worship), are down in the soil, and serve the soil just as man was assigned and designed to do. Yehovah saw to it that their blood is the same color as human blood.
I cannot presently verify that these two earthworms typify the two prophets whose importance will be so great during the Tribulation, but I am considering this. Humility doesn’t mean a reluctance to speak and do the Truth in the face of total opposition. I can also propose that the two earthworms represent the Jews and non-Jews at this time.
I mentioned a proposed type of hyssop in a section above: “I will discharge,” referring to menstrual blood, blood that never produced life.
Each of the above is immersed in the blood of a clean bird (without specifying the type of bird):
- A tree that Yehovah has made lean is immersed in the blood
- Two earthworms are immersed in the blood
- What Yehovah will discharge. That immersion in the blood that gives life will still give no life; thus, Yehovah will discharge those represented by that blood of menstruation.
I have no difficulty seeing the living and dead birds as one bird that died and whose blood was shed, yet the living bird who carried all uncleanness away. If this represents the Messiah, that same blood will cleanse the lean version of the olive tree, will give boldness to the two earthworms (whether representing the two prophets, or the Jews and non-Jews who have believed), and will discharge all those who claimed life, but who did not respond to the Way, the Truth or the Life.
Leviticus 14:15 And the priest shall take from the log of the oil. And he shall pour upon the left palm of the priest. 16And the priest shall immerse his right finger from the oil that is upon his left palm. And he shall sprinkle from the oil with his finger seven times to the faces of Yehovah. 17And the priest will give from the excess of the oil that is upon his palm upon the tip of the right ear of the ‘encleanee’ and upon the thumb of his right hand and upon the big-toe of his right foot upon the blood of the transgression-sacrifice. 18And he will give the remnant in the oil that is upon the palm of the priest upon the head of the ‘encleanee.’ And the priest will cover upon him to the faces of Yehovah. 19And the priest will do the sin-sacrifice. And he will cover upon the ‘encleanee’ from his uncleanness. And he will slaughter the ascending-sacrifice after.
The priest poured this oil into the left palm of his hand so that he would dip it out with his right hand. The rest of the oil in his palm was placed on the head one being rendered clean.
The priest didn’t immerse his right finger straight into the log of oil since this would ruin the type, and he would not have oil in the palm of his hand to put on the one being rendered clean. I have viewed oil as a type of preparedness.
The priest immersed his right finger from the oil, then sprinkled at Yehovah’s faces seven times. If a finger participates, a hand participates. If a hand participates, the whole arm participates. If an arm participates, the entire priest participates. If a priest participates, the priesthood participates along with all Israel. Thus, all Israel took from this innocent blood, and sprinkled it in the faces of Yehovah. The text doesn’t specify which finger except to state, the right finger. Thus, which finger is responsible isn’t the issue. It is a finger on the right hand, indicating that it wasn’t some branch away from the main priests who did this, but was one of the main, acting priests.
Leviticus 14:48 And if coming, the priest will come and see and behold the stroke did not spread in the house after plastering the house, and the priest shall ‘enclean’ [render or declare clean] the house because the stroke is healed. 49And he shall take to sin the house two birds and a tree of cedar and two worms and hyssop. 50And the priest shall slaughter the one bird unto a vessel of sherd upon waters of lives. 51And he shall take the tree of the cedar and the hyssop and two of the worms and the living bird. And he shall immerse them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and in the waters of the lives. And he shall sprinkle unto the house seven times. 52And he shall sin the house via the blood of the bird and via the waters of the lives and via the living bird and via the tree of the cedar and via the hyssop and via the two worms. 53And he shall send the living bird unto outside to the city unto the faces of the field. And he shall cover upon the house. And he shall be clean.
(The text of the same chapter, an earlier set of verses has proposed explanations of the various types.)
Numbers 19:14 This is the Teaching. Adam when he will die in a tent, every comer unto the tent and everyone who is in the tent—he will be unclean seven of days. 15And every open vessel that there is no fastener twisted upon him, he is unclean. 16And everyone upon the faces of the field who will touch into/via a pierced of a sword or into/via a dead-[one] or into/via a bone of adam or into/via a grave shall be unclean seven of days. 17And they shall take for an unclean-[one] from an ash of the burning of the sin-sacrifice. And he shall give waters of lives upon him unto a vessel. 18And he shall take hyssop. And a clean man shall immerse in water. And he shall sprinkle upon the tent and upon all the vessels and upon the beings who were there and upon the toucher via a bone or via a pierced-[one] or via a dead-[one] or via a grave. 19And the clean-[one] shall sprinkle upon the unclean-[one] in the third day and in the seventh day. And he shall sin him in the seventh day. And he shall launder his garments. And he shall wash via water. And he shall be clean in the evening. 20And a man who will be unclean and he will not sin-himself, and that being shall be cut from the midst of the congregation! For he uncleaned the Sanctuary of Yehovah! He did not sprinkle waters of menstruation upon him! He is unclean! 21And she shall be for a statute of Hider. And a sprinkler of the waters of the menstruation shall launder his garments. And the toucher via waters of the menstruation will be unclean until the evening.
This text refers to the necessary steps for an unclean person (who became unclean through touching something else that is unclean) becoming clean. They involve the following steps:
- Undisclosed they take sin-sacrifice ashes from the altar, and place the ashes in a vessel.
- An undisclosed he will pour waters of lives on the ashes in the vessel. This forms a combination that is identified as waters of menstruation (see verse 20). Thus, the man is being sprinkled with menstrual waters; he is certainly being recognized as unclean.
- The same undisclosed he will take hyssop.
- A clean man will immerse the hyssop in water. (That may not be apparent in the English text, but the Hebrew construction is normal for this understanding.) If hyssop typifies “I will discharge” (referring to Yehovah doing the discharging, as with menstrual blood), that very means of the discharge will be immersed in waters of menstruation.
- The clean man will sprinkle the waters of lives combination with the sin sacrifice ashes upon the Tent and upon all the vessels, and upon the beings who were present when the person became unclean, and upon the unclean person. Thus, when one becomes unclean, the entire Congregation becomes in need of the menstruation waters (the Tent and the vessels being types of the Congregation and persons in that Congregation of Yehovah).
- The clean person must accomplish two more sprinklings: in the third day and in the seventh day. The third day, then, typifies a major event, and the seventh day another different major event in a week of turning Israel from unclean to clean.
- The seventh-day sprinkling sins the unclean person. He thus must launder his garments, and he must wash with water.
- He will be clean in the evening.
- The sprinkler of the waters of the menstruation must launder his garments.
- Whoever touches those waters of menstruation will be unclean until the evening.
Immersing the “I will discharge” in the menstruation waters is a major baptism form. While a reader might be tempted to think of the menstrual waters as cleaning the hyssop, it doesn’t do that. If it did, anyone upon whom those waters came would be clean. They are not; they are unclean. Those waters were the waters of lives (which, if imbibed with faith, give everlasting life), but the ashes of the sin sacrifices were mixed with them. They thus became intimately connected with sin sacrifices, and they became unclean. Yet, they are necessary for one becoming clean. Thus, the sin sacrifice and the waters of lives are both necessary for anyone becoming clean; one or the other won’t do.
Next, the person must become entirely sinned (verse 20). He must “sin himself” (thus making himself entirely a sinner). He must have the waters of menstruation sprinkled on him; and the only way those waters can be sprinkled is by the immersion (baptism) of the hyssop (“I will discharge”) into the waters of menstruation. The person must recognize that Yehovah will indeed slough off every Israeli sinner who will not become clean, immersing His discharging into the very waters that alone can render him (or her) clean, waters that first make the person totally unclean.
7. Jewish Traditional Baptism: Orthodox Pictorial Baptism
I have heard that one form is as follows. (I could not prove this if I had to do so.) One comes to a place of much water and enters it approaching the one who will immerse. Words are exchanged; the immerser brings the convert completely under the water and up three times. The convert is given a (1) new Hebrew name. The convert (2) leaves the water a different way than he came in. (3) His clothes worn during immersion are buried or burned. A New Name. A new Walk. A New Lifestyle.
8. A Suggestion For A Present‑Day Pictorial Baptism
One comes to the immerser. The one being baptized is asked to give reasons for baptism (to make sure he understands), and also is asked concerning Salvation, sin, etc. Scriptures may be read for the sake of any who may be watching. The person is immersed in the Name of the Father, Yehovah (down and up once); in the Name of the Son, Yeshua our God (down and up the second time); and the Name of the Holy Spirit, Yehovah (down and up the third time), according to the “Shma” (‘Hearken, Israel! Yehovah, Elohenu [our Gods], Yehovah, is one!’). The person then exits the water another way and changes clothes. The old garments of baptism are buried or burned.
9. Conclusion
Rituals are for the thoughtless. Good comes if one turns both from sin and slavery to sin, from true uncleanness to cleanness before Yehovah. Individuals and individualism are rarely what is important in the Bible. A Congregation, and Body—the entire group is subject to the uncleanness of one of its members.
Biblical immersions are for very different reasons, and give very different pictures. Confusing them, mixing them together, or giving wrong interpretations of them will lead to results that will not benefit, and that will mislead others, including to death.