The Cup And The Baptism

Part Two

or,

Spiritual Baptism

Our Answer of a Good Conscience

By Curt Wildy

Return to Part One

Matthew 20:20 Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping [him], and desiring a certain thing of him. 21 And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. 22 But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. 23 And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but [it shall be given to them] for whom it is prepared of my Father.

Ephesians 4:4 [There is] one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism…

1 Peter 3:15-17 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. 17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

1 Peter 3:18-22 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by [literally, “through”] water. 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: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him. 22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

Introduction To Part Two

Part One covered the cup from which our Lord did drink and from which the elect did drink in Him. This part covers the baptism with which our Lord was baptized and with which the elect were baptized in Him. This baptism is Spiritual Baptism — the “one baptism” spoken of in Ephesians 4:5. This baptism is separate from Christ’s water baptism under John the Baptist whereafter the Holy Spirit descended upon Him from heaven as a dove — Matthew 3:16 and Mark 1:9-10.

Spiritual Baptism is salvation; it is intimately related to atonement and propitiation as I aim to show below. When we look holistically at the atonement, we must see it from the vantage point of both the One who made atonement and the ones for whom atonement was made. Redemption must have in view the Redeemer first but also the redeemed; they are not separate events but one unified whole. Likewise spiritual baptism encompasses both the One who (having been baptized) baptizes, as well as those whom He baptizes. Baptism is yoked with atonement and atonement with baptism; the two cannot be separated. Where you have atonement, redemption, and propitiation, you have spiritual baptism right there in the midst.

As I have written before, “…baptism literally saves us; we are literally saved when we are baptized… but not with water… we are literally saved when we are baptized into Christ, with Christ, and with the blood of Christ (all of which, being the one baptism, point to His salvific work on the cross). So when I speak of baptism by the blood of Christ, or baptism on the cross, I am referring to the same event — the same propitiatory work of Christ accomplished and applied to our hearts by the Spirit of God.

It is commonly taught that water baptism is “the answer of a good conscience toward God.” It is not water baptism but spiritual baptism that is in view. It is the finished (atoning, propitiatory) work of Christ, as apprehended by God-given faith, that serves as our “answer” of a good conscience towards God. We sanctify the Lord God in our hearts when we seek His glory first and foremost; and where is glory to God in the Highest to be found? It is found in the salvation of elect sinners based upon the finished work of Christ Jesus our Lord. It is the Gospel objectively performed and subjectively received that enables us to both have an “answer of a good conscience toward God” and to “give an answer to every man that asketh [us] a reason of the hope that is in [us] with meekness and fear — having a good conscience…” It is stating objectively the precepts related to the redemptive work of the Lord; yet, it is also stating subjectively what God has done for us. “Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee” (Luke 8:39). We proclaim the Gospel first and foremost and then we share the reality of it in our own hearts.

And what is that Gospel objectively performed and subjectively received? Is it not the following:

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by [literally, “through”] water. 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: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.” (1 Peter 3:18-22).

Saved Through Water

Verses 20-21 read, “….when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by [dia; διά G1223; literally… through] water.  21 The like figure whereunto [even] baptism doth also now save us… by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

We are not just saved by, or spiritually baptized by water (in Christ) but we are spiritually baptized and saved through water.  When John the Baptist was baptizing, he was baptizing with physical water. Those baptized were confessing their sins unto repentance, affirming (symbolically) God’s righteousness in judging them for their sins. This was a ritual/ceremonial washing similar to other baptisms in the Old Testament. Water typifies both judgment and cleansing because it is through judgment (as it pertains to Christ) that we are cleansed. Regarding such judgment, consider:

Exodus 15:18 The LORD shall reign for ever and ever. 19 For the horse of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought again the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel went on dry [land] in the midst of the sea.

This dry land baptism in Exodus 15:19 is referenced in 1 Corinthians 10:1-2

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; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

Baptized unto Moses; that word unto is most often translated into. They were baptized into Moses (as a type) of us being baptized in/into the Lord and making it through the waters safely due to our oneness in and with Him. However, the same could not be said of Pharaoh and his armies; they were not to be found in Christ (per the analogy) and watery judgment came upon them.

Going back to 1 Peter 3, we read that the Lord once suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that He might bring His elect to God, being put to death in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit. The Lord here (in His suffering) was our Ark who endured the flood waters of our vile sin and God’s divine, wrathful judgment against that sin. As the ark was smitten by the waters above and below so was Christ struck with the waters that encompassed Him whilst on the cross. Consider, concerning the physical, earthly, Ark:

Genesis 6:17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. 18 And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that [were] under the whole heaven, were covered. 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: 22 All in whose nostrils [was] the breath of life, of all that [was] in the dry [land], died.7 23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained [alive], and they that [were] with him in the ark.

Now consider concerning Christ (per Psalm 69:1-5, and in light of verse Psalm 65:9 “For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up…“):

Psalm 69:1-5 To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, [A Psalm] of David. Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto [my] soul. 2 I sink in deep mire, where [there is] no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. 3 I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. 4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, [being] mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored [that] which I took not away. 5 O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee….

We see Christ typified in the midst of the waters again here:

Jonah 2:1-5 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly, 2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, [and] thou heardest my voice. 3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. 4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. 5 The waters compassed me about, [even] to the soul: the depth closed me.

So we see that though the waters of judgment agonized our Lord, those same waters did not smite the elect (at least not in our persons but only in our Substitute).

A Brief Aside — What is Baptism?

Before I proceed further, I need to define baptism. Understanding the definitions of baptism (or the multifaceted singular definition of it) is crucial to appreciating what is to follow. Having searched the scriptures; researched the key terms; read many works of men; listened to many debates; and having given an ear to multiple sides of the controversy as objectively as possible (all as God has enabled); it is clear to me that this undertaking is far beyond my ability to do it justice. Yet, I feel compelled to put forth my understanding because I believe that it is biblical. I cannot cover every argument, counter-argument, counter-counter argument, and so on. All I can do is give you what I trust to be true in light of what God has brought before me and in light of the understanding He has given me, as dim as it may yet be. I encourage all who read this to consider the points below and then to check out the veracity of it in light of scripture.

Concerning baptizo (and its various forms transliterated as baptism, baptize(d), etc.), I believe that there is a very good reason why it was never translated as immersed or dipped in most Bible translations. It is because there is far more to the meaning of baptizo/baptize than simply those two words. The reason baptizo, and its forms, were transliterated and not translated is because there is no single English word that even comes close to delivering the significant depth of meaning that is incorporated into it. This depth can be seen in the classical (i.e. non-biblical) use of the word as well as in the biblical use.

According to the very best of scholars, baptizo originally and most literally meant to whelm or to merse in one sense and to stain, tinge, or dye in another. I avoid using immerse because the im portion (grammatically) implies motion and I do not believe that baptism intrinsically implies any kind of motion on the part of the person or object being baptized. An object can be mersed or whelmed via dipping, immersing, pouring, inserting, swallowing, sinking, overflowing, over-flooding, encompassing, burying, and even sprinkling. However, concerning a spiritual definition by usage, baptizo (and thus baptism) has just as much to do with the effect something has on something else than it does on the literal (physical) meanings of mersion, whelming, dyeing, or staining. This is why, in the biblical usage, baptizo/baptism can also be defined as washing, cleansing, purging, and purifying.

The best set of works on this subject, in my opinion, can be found in James W. Dale’s incredibly comprehensive four part series of books on baptism which includes “Classic Baptism,” “Johannic Baptism,” “Judaic Baptism,” and “Christic and Patristic Baptism.” These books, all available legally and for free at archive.org, delve deeply into the meaning of these words and how they were used biblically and secularly. Classic Baptism showed forth how the words bapto and baptizo were used in classic Greece. The others look at baptism in the Old Testament era, in the period represented by John the Baptist, and during the time of Christ and thereafter (respectively). These works are so thoroughly convincing that it is nigh tantamount to overkill. I cannot imagine anyone reading these books and continuing to declare “baptism only means dipping or immersion;” it would be intellectually dishonest at best. It is now at the point wherein I cannot help but cringe a little when I read or hear someone put forth the over-simplified definitions of “dipping and immersing” as if it were absolute, biblical (and lexiconical) truth.

Mr. Dale gives, for me, the most accurate and holistic definition of baptism that I have ever read; he states: “…whatever is capable of thoroughly changing the character, state, or condition of any object, is capable of baptizing that object: and by such change of character, state, or condition does, in fact, baptize it.” That is why the sea-shore is said to be baptized by the rising tide; drunkards with wine; swords with the body and blood of its victims, etc. You can find counters to this, and counters to their counters, and counter-counters… I cannot reproduce it all here. But I am convinced that the best definition of baptism is the one Mr. Dale gave above; and yet, it is a customizable definition in that the means of baptism will determine the change effected — so that baptism with water will have a different effect than baptism with the Holy Ghost, which will have a different effect than baptism with wine. Remember also that depending on the means employed, baptism can have either a ceremonial or spiritual nature to it (as well as a figurative nature as is often found in secular literature).

When we were baptized with Christ at the cross and baptized into Christ upon regeneration (the two events really being but one event manifesting at two different points in time), we were  thoroughly changed in our character, state, and condition. When we keep this in mind, it becomes easy to see how mersing and whelming play a vital role in understanding spiritual baptism; as does staining and dyeing; as does washing, cleansing, purging, and purifying; and as does sprinkling and pouring; they all play a significant role in properly understanding spiritual baptism in light of Mr. Dale’s holistic definition above.

So if you get anything out of this section, it should be that baptism is a highly complex word, one rich in depth of meaning, and which encompasses the very Gospel itself. The suffering and death of the Lord was His spiritual baptism and ours in Him. We have to remember that Christ and His people are one. We are spoken of as being in Christ. He is our refuge from the storm (Psalm 59:16, Isa 4:6; 25:4; Jeremiah 16:19). He is our Ark and He is the Door into it (for our safety and protection) and our Door out of it (typifying our deliverance from any threat of judgment or wrath to come). When He suffered, we suffered in/with Him (though not experientially); when He was put to death, we were put to death in/with Him; when He was crucified, we were crucified in/with Him. When He was quickened, we were quickened in/with Him. The objective understanding of the precepts behind this “in/with” salvific reality will allow us to see how the following are all directly incorporated into the one spiritual baptism:

1. The baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross wherein He experienced the overflowing flood of our sin and God’s fiery wrath against that sin (unto the utter putting away of it) — both of which are represented synecdochally by His shed blood.
2. The baptism that washes away our sins (Acts 22:16).
3. The baptism that washed us from our sins in his own blood (Revelation 1:5);
4. The baptism in the blood of Christ that cleanseth us from all sin (1 John 1:7);
5. The baptism that washed our robes and made them white in His blood (Revelation 7:14).
6. The baptism into Christ (Galatians 3:27), even into His one body (1 Corinthians 12:13).
7. The baptism into Christ’s death (Romans 6:3-4)
8. The baptism that cleanseth us from all our filthiness, and from all our idols (Ezekiel 36:25).

All of the above, and more, are in primary view when the Lord stated “Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with.” We were baptized with Him in His overflowing and yet fiery baptism; the whole salvific process on the cross was a baptism and this is what He endured, alone and in our stead, though the Bible speaks of us being in Him. Yet, this one baptism equally incorporates our apprehension of His baptism (on our behalf) through God-given faith; thus, yoking (a) the spiritual baptism of Christ on the cross with (b) our baptism by the Spirit into Christ as we are (c) baptized with His (atoning) blood, and (d) baptized with the clean water (the Gospel) which cleanses us from our filth and idols — all of which produces not separate baptisms but the one.

Saved By Water — The Baptism of Christ with which the Elect Were Baptized and Saved

In a sense, we are saved by water. The baptismal waters of judgment, in light of encompassing sin, was used to so thoroughly punish our Lord that our sin was no where left to be found in Him. Thus, the Baptism of Christ with which we are likewise baptized is the mersing or whelming of Christ with both our sins and the watery and fiery judgment due those sins unto the utter fulfillment of the righteous demands of the law. We are saved by the purifying water that Christ endured in our stead. Please consider the following passages:

Mersing/Whelming

Psalm 42:7 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

Psalm 40:12 For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.

Psalm 18:4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. 5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.

Psalm 69:1 …Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto [my] soul. 2 I sink in deep mire, where [there] is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.

Psalm 88:6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. 7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted [me] with all thy waves.

Psalm 116:3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.

Isaiah 28:17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

Lamentations 3:54 Waters flowed over mine head; [then] I said, I am cut off.

Jonah 2:3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. 4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. 5 The waters compassed me about, [even] to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

Lamentation 2:1 How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger! 2  The Lord hath swallowed up all the habitations of Jacob, and hath not pitied: he hath thrown down in his wrath the strong holds of the daughter of Judah; he hath brought them down to the ground: he hath polluted the kingdom and the princes thereof. 3 He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel: he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about.

Psalm 102:1 [[A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD.]] Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee. 2 Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily. 3 For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.

Isaiah 43:1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called [thee] by thy name; thou [art] mine. 2 When thou passest through the waters, I [will be] with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Dyeing, Staining, and the Blood of the “Arks”

In addition to the whelming/mersing aspect of spiritual baptism, we also see the staining and dyeing:

Isaiah 63:1Who [is] this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this [that is] glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.1 2 Wherefore [art thou] red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? 3 I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people [there was] none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.

Lamentations 1:15 The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty [men] in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, [as] in a winepress.

Revelation 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand [and] six hundred furlongs.

Revelation 19:13 And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

The blood that dyes and stains is directly related to the Ark account and explains a key aspect as to how it is a like figure of spiritual baptism. For Christ to endure the wrath of God in our stead, and for us to have endured it in Him (yet without experiencing it ourselves) there must be synecdochal blood. It is this applied blood of Christ (and all that it represents) that makes the atonement, the spiritual baptism, possible. To understand this properly, we must go back to Genesis 6.

Genesis 6:13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch [kaphar-H3722; verb form] it within and without with pitch [kopher; כּוֹפֶר H3724; (ko’-fer); noun form of kaphar].

As I’ve written before, “Kaphar [כָּפַר H3722 ; kaw-far’] is a Hebrew verb which literally means both (a) to coat or cover with pitch/asphalt (particularly of a red color because it ties in with the reddish-brown dye henna) and (b) to expiate, make atonement for, atone for sin, cover over, pacify, appease, and propitiate. Whereas Kaphar has the dual, but related, meaning of both covering something and making propitiation / atonement for something, Kopher [כּוֹפֶר H3724; (ko’-fer)] (as the noun) has the dual meaning of both the ransom, satisfaction, and price of life (i.e. that which is used to atone for, or ransom, something) — and the thing used to cover something (e.g. asphalt or pitch). Basically, one kaphar’s with kopher (or is kaphar’ed with kopher). One of the definitions of kopher is henna; henna stains start off orange in color, but after three days it darkens to a reddish brown. I believe that this too is a picture of the blood of Christ and the atonement.”

“Just as the ark was pitched (kaphar; covered, mersed, baptised) within and without, with the red (think henna), atoning pitch/asphalt (kopher), so are our hearts covered with the blood of Christ and our robes made white therein. Those that were in the ark were saved from the watery judgment by the blood (the pitch) that covered the ark. This pitch protected those in the ark from the water in like manner to how the blood keeps us from the judgment and the effects thereof. All of this is a picture of atonement because that is precisely what kaphar means.” Remember what the blood of Christ represents! It represents the entirety of the propitiatory work; it represents the baptism of Christ on the cross when He shed his blood enduring the load of our sin and the fury of God’s wrath for it.

Consider the use of kaphar-H3722 in the Bible:

Exodus 29:33 And they shall eat those things wherewith the atonement was made [kaphar-H3722], to consecrate [and] to sanctify them: but a stranger shall not eat [thereof], because they [are] holy.

Leviticus 4:20 And he shall do with the bullock as he did with the bullock for a sin offering, so shall he do with this: and the priest shall make an atonement [kaphar-H3722] for them, and it shall be forgiven them.

Deuteronomy 21:8 Be merciful [kaphar-H3722; literally, “be propitiated” like as in Luke 18:13], O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel’s charge. And the blood shall be forgiven [kaphar-H3722] them.

Psalm 65:3 Iniquities prevail against me: [as for] our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away [kaphar-H3722].

Ezekiel 16:63 That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified [kaphar-H3722] toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD.

Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation [kaphar-H3722] for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

Consider the use of kopher-H3724 in the Bible:

Exodus 30:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 12 When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom [kopher-H3724] for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when [thou] numberest them.

Job 33:24 Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom [kopher-H3724].

Proverbs 21:18 The wicked [shall be] a ransom [kopher-H3724] for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright.

Remember, in the most literal sense, baptism (baptizo) has a dual meaning: (1) to stain or dye and (2) to cover, whelm, or merse. When we are baptised with the blood of Christ we are stained and dyed by it as it covers and whelms us — and as we are washed, cleansed, purged, and purified in it. This baptism effects a change in our state and condition; therefore, we are truly baptized by it. It is this Kaphar=Atonement and Kopher=the blood relationship that saw us through the watery judgment of baptism in Christ. Again, spiritual baptism and spiritual atonement are thoroughly yoked.

Now kaphar has a synonym, chamar, which means to daub, seal up, cover or smear with asphalt. This meaning directly pertains to being baptised/covered/pitched/atoned for by the blood of the Lamb. Consider [chamar-H2560] in light of [kaphar-H3722] and [kopher-H3724] and in light of the law of first use. We first see [chamar-H2560] used in:

Exodus 2:1 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took [to wife] a daughter of Levi. 2 And the woman conceived, and bare a son [Moses]: and when she saw him that he [was a] goodly [child], she hid him three months. 3 And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark [tebah; H8392; tay-baw’) of bulrushes, and daubed [chamar-H2560] it with slime [chemar-H2564; khay-mawr’] and with pitch [zepheth-H2203; zeh’-feth], and put the child therein; and she laid [it] in the flags by the river’s brink.

Here we see that Moses was put into a box, an ark, just as Noah entered an ark. Tebah is the same word for both Noah’s ark and Moses’ ark. Noah’s ark was pitched [kaphar-H3722] with pitch [kopher-H3724] and Moses’ ark was pitched [chamar-H2560] with slime [chemar-H2564] and pitch [H2203 – zepheth]. God is using different Hebrew words to paint the same picture; He is evidencing the synonymous nature of these words. Again, the pitch protects those in the ark just as the blood of Christ protects those who are in Christ.

Click to continue to: Part Three.