Baptismal

by Brad Scott

The Hebrew word for the place of immersion is called a miq^eveh (מקבה). As it is with virtually all scriptural words, the first occurance as a verb provides the student of scripture with the action meaning of that word throughout the whole of Scripture. This is no less true for this word. The introduction of the concept of baptism comes to us in B^ere’shiyt (Genesis) 1:10, where we have the gathering of the waters, and the newly restored earth coming out of the seas. The creation, you see, goes through the same redemption process that man receives. The third day finds the earth coming up out of the waters for the express purpose of producing fruit.

B^ere’shiyt 1:10-11And ’Elohiym called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: And ’Elohiym saw that it was good. And ’Elohiym said, Let the earth bring forth vegetation, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, whose seed it in itself, upon the earth; and it was so.

The immediate evidence of this first immersion was the production of fruit, which, of course, testified to the presence of life and action. A well known "baptizer" named Yochanan (John) expected the same kind of evidence from those who he baptized, as well.

Mattityahu (Matthew) 3:7-8But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come. Bring forth, therefore, fruits befitting repentence.

According to the constant testimony of Scripture, baptism is not the capstone of sanctification, but rather the inauguration of it.

Shalom Alecheim! ◊