1 Corinthians 10:2 - Baptism in the OT

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Romans678

Puritan Board Freshman
Good Day Brothers and Sisters,

What does it mean to be "baptized into Moses"? Thank you.

"For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness."
1 Corinthians 10:1‭-‬5

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There have been a variety of takes.

Matthew Poole:

There are two great difficulties in this verse:​
1. What is meant by Moses.​
2. How and why the Israelites are said to be baptized unto Moses.
Some understand by Moses the person of Moses; others, the law or doctrine of Moses. Those who by Moses understand the person of Moses, are divided in their opinions, whether the preposition eiv, which signifieth divers things: Were better translated by, or into, or unto, or together with. Some think it were better translated by, and thus all the Jews were baptized by Moses in the cloud and in the sea, that is, by his ministry; and thus this very particle is translated, Acts 7:53 19:3. Some think it were better translated in Moses; that is, Moses going before them, when they were under the conduct of the cloud, and when they passed through the Red Sea. Others judge it better translated into Moses; that is, either Moses going before them; or, as Moses was a type of Christ, Galatians 3:19. Some would have the particle here to signify together with. Others, even unto Moses, Moses himself not being excepted from that baptism in the cloud and in the sea. Others by Moses here understand the doctrine and law of Moses: thus the term Moses is used, Luke 16:29 Acts 15:21. So they say, that to be baptized unto Moses, is to believe Moses so far, as to follow his conduct through the sea, and under the cloud.​
Heinrich Meyer:

εἰς τὸν Μωϋσῆν] in reference to Moses, so that they thereby devoted themselves to Moses as the deliverer and mediator whom God had sent them. Comp on Romans 6:3; Matthew 28:19.​
ἐβαπτίσαντο] they had themselves baptized, had the same thing, that is to say, done to them in reference to Moses as you had done to you in reference to Christ. The middle, which is not put here for the passive,—comp, on the contrary, what was said regarding ἀπελούσ., 1 Corinthians 6:11,—is purposely chosen, as in Acts 22:16, to denote the receptive sense (see Kühner, II. p. 18; Valckenaer, p. 256; Winer, p. 239 [E. T. 319]); for although ἐβαπτ., and the subsequent ἔφαγον and ἔπιον, do not represent any apparent merit, yet they certainly assume the reception of those wonderful divine manifestations, which nevertheless could not place the fathers, to whom such high privileges had been vouchsafed, in a position of safety afterwards, etc.​
Charles Ellicott:
Were all baptized unto Moses.—The weight of evidence is in favour of the middle voice for the verb here used; signifying that they all voluntarily had themselves baptised to Moses. Moses was God’s representative under the Law, and so they were baptised unto him in their voluntarily joining with that “Church” of God which marched beneath the shadow of the cloud, and passed through the waters of the sea—as Christians, are baptised unto Jesus Christ,—He being (in a higher sense both in kind and in degree) God’s representative in the New Dispensation.​
John Calvin:
They were, says he, baptized in Moses, that is, under the ministry or guidance of Moses. For I take the particle eis to be used here instead of en, agreeably to the common usage of Scripture, because we are assuredly baptized in the name of Christ, and not of any mere man, as he has stated in 1 Corinthians 1:13, and that for two reasons. These are, first, because we are by baptism initiated into the doctrine of Christ alone; and, secondly, because his name alone is invoked, inasmuch as baptism is founded on his influence alone. They were, therefore, baptized in Moses, that is, under his guidance or ministry, as has been already stated.​
Matthew Henry:
They were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud, and in the sea (v. 2), or into Moses, that is, brought under obligation to Moses’s law and covenant, as we are by baptism under the Christian law and covenant. It was to them a typical baptism.​
 
There have been a variety of takes.

Matthew Poole:

There are two great difficulties in this verse:​
1. What is meant by Moses.​
2. How and why the Israelites are said to be baptized unto Moses.
Some understand by Moses the person of Moses; others, the law or doctrine of Moses. Those who by Moses understand the person of Moses, are divided in their opinions, whether the preposition eiv, which signifieth divers things: Were better translated by, or into, or unto, or together with. Some think it were better translated by, and thus all the Jews were baptized by Moses in the cloud and in the sea, that is, by his ministry; and thus this very particle is translated, Acts 7:53 19:3. Some think it were better translated in Moses; that is, Moses going before them, when they were under the conduct of the cloud, and when they passed through the Red Sea. Others judge it better translated into Moses; that is, either Moses going before them; or, as Moses was a type of Christ, Galatians 3:19. Some would have the particle here to signify together with. Others, even unto Moses, Moses himself not being excepted from that baptism in the cloud and in the sea. Others by Moses here understand the doctrine and law of Moses: thus the term Moses is used, Luke 16:29 Acts 15:21. So they say, that to be baptized unto Moses, is to believe Moses so far, as to follow his conduct through the sea, and under the cloud.​
Heinrich Meyer:

εἰς τὸν Μωϋσῆν] in reference to Moses, so that they thereby devoted themselves to Moses as the deliverer and mediator whom God had sent them. Comp on Romans 6:3; Matthew 28:19.​
ἐβαπτίσαντο] they had themselves baptized, had the same thing, that is to say, done to them in reference to Moses as you had done to you in reference to Christ. The middle, which is not put here for the passive,—comp, on the contrary, what was said regarding ἀπελούσ., 1 Corinthians 6:11,—is purposely chosen, as in Acts 22:16, to denote the receptive sense (see Kühner, II. p. 18; Valckenaer, p. 256; Winer, p. 239 [E. T. 319]); for although ἐβαπτ., and the subsequent ἔφαγον and ἔπιον, do not represent any apparent merit, yet they certainly assume the reception of those wonderful divine manifestations, which nevertheless could not place the fathers, to whom such high privileges had been vouchsafed, in a position of safety afterwards, etc.​
Charles Ellicott:
Were all baptized unto Moses.—The weight of evidence is in favour of the middle voice for the verb here used; signifying that they all voluntarily had themselves baptised to Moses. Moses was God’s representative under the Law, and so they were baptised unto him in their voluntarily joining with that “Church” of God which marched beneath the shadow of the cloud, and passed through the waters of the sea—as Christians, are baptised unto Jesus Christ,—He being (in a higher sense both in kind and in degree) God’s representative in the New Dispensation.​
John Calvin:
They were, says he, baptized in Moses, that is, under the ministry or guidance of Moses. For I take the particle eis to be used here instead of en, agreeably to the common usage of Scripture, because we are assuredly baptized in the name of Christ, and not of any mere man, as he has stated in 1 Corinthians 1:13, and that for two reasons. These are, first, because we are by baptism initiated into the doctrine of Christ alone; and, secondly, because his name alone is invoked, inasmuch as baptism is founded on his influence alone. They were, therefore, baptized in Moses, that is, under his guidance or ministry, as has been already stated.​
Matthew Henry:
They were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud, and in the sea (v. 2), or into Moses, that is, brought under obligation to Moses’s law and covenant, as we are by baptism under the Christian law and covenant. It was to them a typical baptism.​
Thank you brother.

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My take: The book of Exodus has a two-part structure. The Israelites are brought (1) out of slavery and (2) into the worship of the Lord. This is summarized in the well-known command to Pharaoh, (1) "Let my people go, (2) that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness" (Exodus 5:1). Within that structure, Exodus treats the events at the Red Sea as the culmination of part 1. The Israelites are finally, really freed when they pass through the sea and Pharaoh's army is destroyed.

So, since the Red Sea event occupies this spot in Exodus, representing the transition from slavery to freedom, it makes the most sense to read "baptized into Moses" as a reference to the leader God used to deliver them—not as a reference to the Law, which belongs to the second half of Exodus. This also fits the nature of New Testament baptism, which is an initiation ceremony connected to our coming out of slavery to sin so that we are ready to begin life with God.

Just as we are baptized into Christ, who is our Savior, the Israelites were baptized into their savior Moses. But Paul, of course, makes it clear that there is more to Moses and the manna and the rock. Seen in a bigger sense, their Savior was actually Christ. He was with his people, rescuing them and caring for them daily. Therefore, we should learn from their (bad) example, and not despise the saving and caring work of Christ the way they did later on.
 
My take: The book of Exodus has a two-part structure. The Israelites are brought (1) out of slavery and (2) into the worship of the Lord. This is summarized in the well-known command to Pharaoh, (1) "Let my people go, (2) that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness" (Exodus 5:1). Within that structure, Exodus treats the events at the Red Sea as the culmination of part 1. The Israelites are finally, really freed when they pass through the sea and Pharaoh's army is destroyed.

So, since the Red Sea event occupies this spot in Exodus, representing the transition from slavery to freedom, it makes the most sense to read "baptized into Moses" as a reference to the leader God used to deliver them—not as a reference to the Law, which belongs to the second half of Exodus. This also fits the nature of New Testament baptism, which is an initiation ceremony connected to our coming out of slavery to sin so that we are ready to begin life with God.

Just as we are baptized into Christ, who is our Savior, the Israelites were baptized into their savior Moses. But Paul, of course, makes it clear that there is more to Moses and the manna and the rock. Seen in a bigger sense, their Savior was actually Christ. He was with his people, rescuing them and caring for them daily. Therefore, we should learn from their (bad) example, and not despise the saving and caring work of Christ the way they did later on.That makes the most sense to me as we, although you articulated it better than I could have.

This makes the most sense to me as well, although you articulated it better than I could. As such it typologically aligns with Paul's doctrine of baptism as stated in other places like Galatians 3:27 and Romans 6:3, 4.
 
The Red Sea crossing was a baptismal-event (an OT type pointing forward to a NT reality) that symbolized union with the mediator of the Old Covenant through a situation where death by water is all around Israel (the subject) but it does not come nigh them; while the same death consumes those (the Egyptian army) who have no such mediatorial connection. The Israelites are bodily delivered by virtue of having faith in their mediator. Of course, the ultimate purpose of such faith using the sign is so they should have faith in God (the reality) who gives the sign, not confusing signs with signification.

In the NT, the rite of baptism brings to mind the baptism of Christ's suffering and death of the cross (to which he refers, Lk.12:50). Connection to his baptismal experience--coming through union with the Mediator's Person--is salvation for those who believe in that which it proclaims. Christ's experience is covenantally made the experience of his people in solidarity with him (2Tim.2:11; cf. Rom.6:8). The rite of baptism witnesses to that union with the Mediator that is so effectual to faith in him who literally brings believers into unbroken covenant fellowship with God.

Gal.2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
 
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