The first generation of Israelites, who crossed the Red
Sea and left Egypt behind, did not enter into the land of
Canaan, with the exception of two men - Caleb and Joshua.
The rest of that generation died, and it was the second
generation with Joshua as their leader who crossed the Jordan
and entered the Promised land.
The crossing of the Red Sea is said by the Apostle Paul
to have been a type of baptism. There is reason to believe that
the crossing of the Jordan is likewise a type of baptism, and
that its relationship to the crossing of the Red Sea is the same
as the relationship of baptism after Christ's death to baptism
before his death. In other words, crossing the Red Sea typifies
the baptism of John (and that of Jesus' disciples - John 4:1-2)
while crossing the Jordan typifies baptism after the death of
Christ. This is not to say that there was a difference in quality
between baptism performed before and after the death of
Christ. There was no such difference. However, there was a
difference in the status of those who were baptized before the
death of Christ and those who were baptized afterward. A few
facts should suffice to convince the reader of the truth of this
assertion:
1. Those who crossed the Red Sea followed the cloud;
those who crossed the Jordan followed the ark. So,
those whom John baptized were led by promises and
prospects rather than realities. They were even pointed
to a symbol:
"Behold the Lamb of God!"
John l:36b.
But those who were baptized after the death of Christ
were baptized into the reality of his death.
2. Those who crossed the Red Sea were baptized unto
Moses (I Cor. 10:2), while those who crossed the Jordan
were, by the same analogy, baptized unto Joshua
(Hebrew form of Greek name Jesus). So, those whom
John baptized were baptized unto him (Acts 19:3), while
those who were baptized after the death of Jesus were
baptized unto Jesus.
3. The primary consideration in crossing the Red Sea
was to escape destruction. This was precisely the purpose
of John's baptism. Note his question in Matt. 3:7:
"... who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"
But the primary consideration in crossing the Jordan was
to enter upon and claim an inheritance. This is
substantially the purpose of baptism as practiced after
the death of Christ.
4. When the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea, they
were still a people under law, wandering in the
wilderness, and unable to summon up the faith necessary
to enter upon their inheritance. So a Jew, though
baptized by John the Baptist, was still under the law;
unable to muster more than a nominal faith in the one
of whom John had spoken, and suffering violence at the
hands of both men and Satan. See Matthew 11:12-13.
5. After the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea, they
still had not beheld the lifted-up serpent which marked
the end of their wanderings. So, the Jews who were
baptized by John had not yet seen the lifted-up one who
would give direction and purpose to their steps. Scofield
says that "The death of Aaron marks the end of the
wanderings. Henceforth Israel marches or halts, but does
not wander." Page 194, Scofield Reference Bible.
However, after Aaron's death is recorded in Numbers
20:23-29, we read in Numbers 21:4:
"And they journeyed from Mount Hor by way of the Red
Sea, to compass the land of Edom."
Reference to a map will convince the reader that at this
point the people were going away from Canaan, not
toward it. Immediately after this verse, in verses 5-9 we
are told about the lifted-up serpent which Jesus expressly
declared to be a type of himself. It is only after this
event that Israel's steps are directed toward the land of
Canaan.
6. The two aspects of baptism are clearly seen in the
crossing of the Jordan. In crossing the Red Sea, they
became dead to Egypt; in crossing the Jordan they
entered upon a newness of life. Where they had lived as
slaves in Egypt, they now began to live as conquerors in
Canaan. Even so, in baptism we become symbolically
dead to the old life, the law, the bondage of sin; but
being raised from the water we symbolically become
alive unto God and to the new creation. The actual
judicial death of the believer to sin, and his resurrection
to walk in newness of life, is a spiritual transaction which
cannot be seen by the eyes of flesh; but in order that we
might grasp the reality of it, God has given us an
ordinance which dramatizes our judicial death to sin,
and our resurrection to a newness of life. That
ordinance, of course, is baptism.
"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus
Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore, we are
buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ
was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even
so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have
been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall
be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this,
that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin
might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."
Romans 6:3-6.
Viewing the crossing of the Jordan as a type of baptism helps remind us of some worthwhile truths concerning Christian baptism.
1. Baptism should be an indication that the believer has
pulled up stakes in this world and is beginning a journey.
Joshua 3:3 says:
"And they commanded the people, saying, when ye see the
ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests,
the Levites, bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place,
and go after it.
The Hebrew word translated remove is nasa, which
literally means to pull up, especially tent-pins.
Strong's Hebrew Lexicon.
2. This third verse further reminds us that baptism
should be a matter of seeing and following the ark. As
has been pointed out previously, the ark was intended to
represent a coffin - the coffin of God - symbolizing the
coming death of God, the Son, as the sacrifice for sins.
We should go through the waters of baptism only
because we have seen the ark and are following where
it leads.
3. In verse 5, Joshua said to the people:
"Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do
wonders among you."
The expression, do wonders is the Hebrew verb pala,
meaning to separate, to distinguish. Baptism is a work of
wonder in that it marks a distinction between those who
profess Christ and those who do not.
4. The work of baptism can be done only as the ark is
lifted up. In verse six Joshua commands the priests to:
"... take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the
people."
Take up is the translation of the Hebrew nasah which
literally means to lift up. Only as Christ is lifted up in
his death can true baptism be possible, for baptism is an
ordinance which dramatizes the believer's identification
with Christ in his death. If there has been no such
identification, baptism becomes a meaningless ritual.
5. In verse seven, we read:
"And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to
magnify thee in the sight of all Israel."
Joshua is the name of which Jesus is the Greek
form, and as Joshua was magnified in the eyes of the
Israelites because of the miraculous crossing of the
Jordan, so Jesus is magnified in the waters of baptism
for it dramatizes how the believer (in his identification
with Christ) has been put to death by the demands of
the law and yet has been raised to walk in newness of
life.
As we see the people following the ark across the Jordan, we are further reminded of some truths connected with the gospel of Christ of which the ark was an anticipative type. In verses 10 and 11, Joshua said to the people:
"Hereby shall ye know that the Living God is among you - Behold the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan."
It appears that the ark was intended to be the proof that the
living God was among them. Yet, as we have already seen, the
ark was actually the coffin of God. A paradox? Perhaps, but
no more so than the gospel which tells of Him who died, yet
ever liveth!
Verse seventeen says that:
"The priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan."
The expression dry ground is the word charabah, which is
derived from the verb careb, to parch, to desolate, to destroy, to
kill. Thus, the idea of dry ground in Hebrew suggests also the
idea of place of death. The expression dry land in Joshua 4:22
is the Hebrew yabeshah derived from the verb, yabesh, which
primarily means to be shamed. Thus the idea of dry land or
ground in Hebrew suggested place of death and place of shame.
What a wonderful picture we are given of our complete
identification with Christ in his death. We are considered to
have walked where he walked, through the place of shame and
the place of death. No wonder the law is powerless to
condemn us who have suffered all the fury of its penalties in
the person of our substitute. For this substitution was not
merely a matter of another taking our place under judgment
that we might escape, but of actually taking us with him
(judicially) under that judgment, so that in the eyes of the law
we ourselves have been executed for our sins. Of course, his
execution was actual; ours was judicial. The important thing is
that our death with him is not merely a matter of words, but a
judicial reality.
As the ark of the covenant provided complete protection
to the people as they marched across the Jordan on dry land, so
the death of Christ as our substitute provides us with complete
safety from the waters of judgment. We who have walked with
Joshua (Jesus) through the place of shame and death already
have been judged for our sins and have paid the penalty
thereof. That we only had to pay it judicially (and not actually)
is due to the marvelous grace of God which moved him to pay
the penalty actually in our behalf.
"But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound."
Romans 5:20.