（出14）海里受洗 (Exodus 14) Baptism in the Sea

(Chat GPT translation from Chinese, edited by Mijiale, 中文在后面）

The passage from Exodus 13-17 depicts the Israelites’ journey after leaving Egypt. They crossed the Red Sea, entered the wilderness, and received provisions from the Creator—food from heaven and water from a rock. The Israelites were heading to Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments and eventually inhabit the promised land. Along the way, the Lord, with a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire, led and protected them. In the New Testament, Paul, in 1 Corinthians 10:1-5, explicitly states, “Brothers, I want you to know that our ancestors were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.”

Through this passage of the Bible, how to understand the connection between the Old and New Testaments? I am still learning, and so far, here’s how I see it:

The Israelites leaving Egypt, breaking free from slavery, corresponds to salvation, akin to making a commitment to Christ and becoming a Christian. From then on, people are no longer slaves to sin.
The Israelites crossing the Red Sea and being covered by a pillar of cloud corresponds to baptism, including the rituals of immersion and the sprinkling of water. Emerging from the Red Sea signifies the birth of a new life, much like a newborn emerging from amniotic fluid.
After crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites eating the heavenly food and drinking water from the rock corresponds to the communion ceremony that one can partake in after baptism. This relates to “consuming the body and blood of Jesus”. This correspondence is implicitly mentioned later in the same chapter of the New Testament: (1 Corinthians 10:16) “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” Since Paul mentioned earlier in 1 Corinthians 10:4 that the rock corresponds to Christ, the water from the rock corresponds to the blood of Christ. The heavenly food corresponds to the flesh of Jesus, as stated in John 6:57-58, where Jesus says, “As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven…”
Almost six weeks after crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites receive the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. This signifies that reborn Christians are determined to live according to the will of the Creator, whether in action or inaction. Since the day the Old Testament received the Ten Commandments coincides with the Pentecost, the day of the New Testament when the Holy Spirit descended (https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hans/五旬節), this also indicates that Christians aspire to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit throughout their remaining lives in this world.
After crossing the Red Sea, during the forty years, the majority of the older generation of Israelites offended the Creator and perished in the wilderness, except for Joshua, symbolizing the new life from Christ, and Caleb, symbolizing faith. However, the new generation of Israelites, following Joshua and Caleb, crossed the Jordan River into the promised land. This corresponds to victorious believers in the present life after baptism, where all negative influences from the old self are dealt with and eliminated. As the new self, justified by faith, gradually grows, they become victorious warriors in the kingdom of the Lord. In the coming age, they will enter the millennial kingdom and reign with Christ: (Revelation 20:4) “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also, I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

（出14）海里受洗

出埃及记13-17章描写，以色列人出埃及后，过了红海，进入旷野，造物主为他们从天上降下粮食，从磐石为他们供应泉水。以色列人即将前往西奈山接受十诫，然后占领应许之地。一路上，造物主以云柱火柱带领保护他们。在新约里，保罗在哥林多前书10:1-5说: “弟兄们，我不愿意你们不晓得，我们的祖宗从前都在云下，都从海中经过。都在云里海里受洗归了摩西。并且都吃了一样的灵食。也都喝了一样的灵水。所喝的是出于随着他们的灵磐石。那磐石就是基督。但他们中间，多半是神不喜欢的人。所以在旷野倒毙。”

通过这段圣经，怎么理解新旧约之间的联系？我还在学习中，至今为止是这样看的：

一，以色利人出埃及脱离奴役，这对应于得救，对应于决志信主之后成为基督徒。人从此不在作罪的奴仆。

二，以色利人过红海和被云柱遮盖，这对应于洗礼，包括受浸的仪式和点水的仪式。从红海中出来，表示新的生命的诞生，就像从母亲羊水中出来的新生婴孩一样。

三，以色利人过红海之后吃天降的粮食和磐石出的水，这对应于洗礼之后才可以参与的圣餐礼，对应于吃耶稣的身体，喝他的血，这个对应，在同一章新约的后面也隐含提到：（哥前10:16） “我们所祝福的杯，岂不是同领基督的血吗？我们所掰开的饼，岂不是同领基督的身体吗？” 刚才在哥前10:4节保罗说过磐石对应于基督，所以磐石的水对应于基督的血。而天降之粮对应于耶稣的肉，这有约翰福音6:57-58耶稣自己说的话证明：“永活的父怎样差我来，我又因父活着，照样，吃我肉的人，也要因我活着。这就是从天上降下来的粮。 …”

四，过红海将近6周之后，以色利人在西奈山接受十诫，这表示重生的基督徒立志在生活中都遵行造物主旨意，无论是该做什么，还是不做什么。因为旧约接受十诫的日子恰逢新约圣灵降临的五旬节https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hans/五旬節，所以这也表示基督徒立志在今世的余生跟随圣灵的带领。

五，过红海之后四十年中，以色利人老一代大多数都得罪造物主，死在旷野，除了象征从基督而来新生命的约书亚，与象征信心的迦勒。但新的一代以色利人，跟随约书亚与迦勒一起过约旦河进入了应许之地。这对应于得胜的信徒们在受洗后今世的余生中，老我里所有负面的影响都被对付，被消除，而当因信称义的新我逐渐长大以后，他们成为主国度里得胜的勇士，他们在来世要进入千禧年的国度与基督一起作王：（启20:4）“我又看见几个宝座，也有坐在上面的，并有审判的权柄赐给他们。我又看见那些因为给耶稣作见证，并为神之道被斩者的灵魂，和那没有拜过兽与兽像，也没有在额上和手上受过它印记之人的灵魂，他们都复活了，与基督一同作王一千年。”