Baptized into Moses (1 Cor 10:1-4)

👇C. M. (Chuck) Horner (WVBS course notes)

1. Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 

I do not want you to be unaware (ignorant): 

a. The Greek word γὰρ, “for,” ties this to the preceding verses. Paul buffeted his body in order to keep from being rejected. Now he proceeds to show that though the Israelites were delivered from bondage, miraculously preserved in the wilderness, all but two were not allowed to enter Canaan. 

b. Unaware (ignorant). This means that he wants them to know this for their own welfare. 

All our fathers were under the cloud. This was a cloud by day to protect from the heat of the sun and a pillar of fire by night to give them light. It was also an assurance to them that Jehovah’s presence was with them. 

All passed through the sea. The Red Sea, assurance of their freedom from Egypt. 

2. all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 

All were baptized into Moses: 

1. All in contrast to “most of them.” See verse 5. 
2. Baptized, immersed. ἐβαπτίσαντο, aorist, middle of βαπτίζω, “got themselves baptized.” 
3. Into (unto) Moses. εἰς, better - “into Moses.” 
4. This experience is called a baptism because the cloud was over and behind them and the water was in a wall on both sides of them. It is called an immersion because they were “buried” (hidden) from the sight of the pursuing Egyptians. 
5. They were brought by this experience into a new relationship with Moses. 

• 1)  He became their deliverer from bondage. 
• 2)  He became their lawgiver. 
• 3)  He became their intercessor between God and them. 

6. This is a type of our baptism into Christ (Rom 6:3; Gal 3:27). 

Egypt	Red Sea	Wilderness	Jordan	Cannan
Sin	Baptism	Church	Death	Heaven

7. When we are baptized into Christ he becomes: 

• 1) Our Deliverer, Savior, from the bondage of sin (Rom 6:4,17- 18). 
• 2)  Our King, Ruler, whom we are to obey in our manner of life (Rom 6:4). 
• 3)  Our Mediator between God and us (1 Tim 2:5). 
• 4)  Out Intercessor through whom we pray to God (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25).
  

3. all ate the same spiritual food, 

All ate the same spiritual food (meat). Food given from heaven; manna, quails. It is called spiritual because it came from heaven. Jesus is our bread from Heaven (Jn 6:51) and our water of life (Jn 4:10,14). 

4. and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

And all drank the same spiritual drink. Food and water are used to stand for all their physical necessities. The lesson is that we have all our spiritual needs met in Jesus Christ into whom we are baptized.

They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: 

1. Drank. ἔπινον. There is a change in tense here from ἔπιον, aorist, ἔπινον, imperfect, to show their continual access to the miraculous supply. 
2. Followed. ἀκολουθούσης, present, participle denoting a continual following. 
3. Spiritual. Not mystical; tangible but miraculous: 

• 1)  Some think that a stream miraculously followed them through the desert. 
• 2)  Some think that a rock 15 feet high followed them (legend of the rabbis).
  

And that Rock was Christ: 

1. The rock represented Christ. 
2. This means that Christ was the source of their physical needs as He is the source of all our physical and spiritual needs today.  
3. This is proof of the pre-existence of Christ (Jn 1:1; 2 Cor 8:9). 
4. This shows that Christ was with His people under the Old Covenants as well as today. 

👇Bob Winto at GBN https://cdn.subsplash.com/documents/XJ7DGK/_source/308a693c-38f4-4f8e-87a4-1a06b75ae6b7/document.pdf 

1. Verses 1-2: " 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" (KJV). “For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (ASV).

a. The word for shows the connection between the following remarks and those which immediately preceded. As Paul brought chapter nine to its conclusion, he strongly showed the necessity of Christians maintaining firm control over the appetites of the flesh, bringing them under the rule of the word of God. This passage illustrates this important aspect of Christianity by examining the experiences of Israel in the wilderness. The example surveyed is one showing what Christians must not do. Neither Paul nor any other inspired man thought it was wrong to teach negative lessons.

b. It was not the apostle's purpose to keep the brethren in ignorance, but would use every proper means to acquaint them with the demands of Christ. The Old Testament is filled with meaningful illustrations and principles which help us in our service to the Lord.

1) Romans 15:4: "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

2) The Jewish people knew the story of Israel in the wilderness, but Paul was drawing some essential lessons from their experiences which would assist the brethren in living the Christian life.

3) The Christian sin Corinth were primarily from the Gentile background. The story of Israel in the wilderness would be enlightening to them in its information and instruction in the principles involved.

c. The forebears of all the Jews were with Moses in the wilderness wanderings, and were under the cloud, and had passed through the sea. They all shared in these experiences.

1) The cloud was the symbol of God’s presence.” And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, 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 to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night" (Ex. 14:19-20). When the cloud moved, that was the signal for Israel to begin the daily journey (Ex. 13:20-22).

2) They all passed through the midst of the sea, just as Moses described that experience in Exodus 14. Paul's wording of the event places inspiration's stamp of approval on the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. This was not a swampy lowland they crossed, but a full-fledged sea, for Paul speaks of their passing "through the sea."

d. They were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea. Baptism literally means "an immersion," and has the figurative meaning of being "overwhelmed." As Israel passed through the midst of the sea, being hemmed in on each side by the two great walls of water, and above by the overshadowing cloud, they can accurately be described as having been baptized. They were covered up by the walls of water and cloud; and they were overwhelmed by these elements.

1) By being thus enclosed, hidden from the sight of the Egyptians, and overwhelmed, they were baptized unto Moses. This was a figurative baptism; it was not identical to New Testament baptism, but it is a type of it.

2) Some sectarian debaters in the past have argued that the Lord's church began in the days of Abraham, and in a feeble attempt to justify infant church membership, twist this passage to teach infant baptism. They argued that all of the Israelites, including infants, experienced this baptism. But what proves too much, proves nothing. All of the Israelites passed through the sea and were thus baptized, but so also did all of the sheep and other animals they carried with them! If this episode proves the rightness of infant baptism for today, it also proves the rightness of baptizing animals today!

3) Other sectarian debaters have argued against the essentiality of baptism for the remission of sins, saying that the Israelites were saved by the blood of the passover lamb, and that the benefits of that blood were received prior to this "baptism." However, the blood of the passover lamb was not shed for all of Israel; it was intended to benefit only the firstborn! Israel escaped from Egypt only after they had crossed the sea; they were saved from the Egyptian army only after the crossing; and they sang their song of deliverance after they got safely to the other side (Ex. 15). Alien sinners are saved only after meeting the conditions of scriptural baptism.

a) Acts 2:38: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

b) Acts 22:16: “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”

c) 1 Peter 3:21: “The like figure whereunto even 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 Jesus Christ.”

4) All who were under bondage in Egypt were baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and today, all who are under the bondage of sin must be baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:27; John 8:34). Babies are not under the bondage of sin (Matt. 18:6; 19:14; Ezek. 28:15). All of the Israelites were under Egyptian bondage.

5) Their baptism unto Moses placed them under his inspired leadership. Having left the land of bondage, and now facing the challenges of surviving in the trackless wilderness before them, they were constrained to follow God's duly-appointed leader, or perish. Their baptism placed them into a relationship with Moses they had not known before.

6) Our baptism places us in Christ where salvation is enjoyed, and under his authority; we will survive our figurative wilderness only by following the directions given by our Leader.

7) Their salvation was physical; our salvation is spiritual. God saved them after they had crossed the sea (Ex. 14:30); we are saved after we have been baptized (1 Pet. 3:21).

2. Verses 3-4: "And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."

a. They all ate the same spiritual food.

1) Psalm 78:23-25: "Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full."

2) Exodus16:15, 31, 35: “And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat....And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey....And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan."

3) Nehemiah 9:15,20: "And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them....Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst."

4) This food (manna) is called spiritual food because it came from heaven. It was, however, literal food, for it sustained Israel for forty years.

5) Christ is our spiritual food. To study, learn, believe, and follow the instructions of his holy word, will strengthen the soul as literal food gives strength to the physical body.

a) John 4:34: "Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work."

b) John 6:31-35: "Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

c) 1 Peter 2:1-2: "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.”

b. They all drank the same spiritual drink. When Moses brought forth water from the rock, all the people had access to its life-giving flow (Ex. 17:5ff; Num. 20:1-11). The miraculous flow of water from a rock occurred twice, 39 years apart. But this rock did not follow them. Christ, the spiritual Rock, did follow them, and it was he who was the source of this supernatural supply of water.

1) Some have falsely argued that because Christ was the Rock who followed Israel, that Christ and God are the same person. The conclusion does not follow, for Genesis 1:1-26 presents three different persons in the Godhead (cf. Col. 1:15-17; John 1:1-3). Each of the three divine beings operated in the creation, and each was involved in the affairs of Israel; they are especially involved in the New Testament (2 Cor. 13:14; Rom. 15:30).

2) Christ is the source of living water in the gospel age; all spiritual blessings are found only in him.

a) John 4:14: "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

b) Ephesians1:3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ."

3) The figure of a rock is applied to God, also.

a) Deuteronomy 26:4: "And the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God."

b) Deuteronomy32:4:”He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he."

c) Deuteronomy 32:15: "But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation."

d) Deuteronomy32:18:”Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee."

e) Isaiah 17:10: "Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips."

f) Isaiah 26:4: "Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength."