when water isn't just water
the old and new
So, if you grew up with a lot of siblings, I wonder if you've ever had this happen to you. You go to church wearing a shirt or a dress, and someone looks at you and says, "Wait... isn't that your sister's?" Or, "Wasn't that your brother's?" And maybe you were like, "oh no it's not." Or maybe you said "yeah... it was lol :)" But whatever camp you find yourself in, what's interesting is that, in some ways, the Bible works a little like that sometimes. Some stories pass along hand-me-downs, the same images, and motifs. Like they may show up in a new story, but they carry the memory of an older one from before. And maybe just maybe... sometimes water isn't just water. When we look at Noah's story, we see God using the flood as an instrument of judgment. The waters cover the earth, washing away the old creation, while God preserves life in pairs inside the ark. Then later in Exodus, Pharaoh pretty much commands that every Hebrew baby boy be thrown into the Nile. The very thing Pharaoh meant to use to destroy God's people becomes the place where God preserves the life to carry... the one who will one day deliver them. And yet, in both stories, water that was meant as judgment become a vehicle God used to bring about a new beginning for His people. What is even more beautiful is in the beginning Pharaoh meant to drown the babies in water {the Nile}. And somehow God chose to use water {the Red sea} to bring about judgment on Pharaoh and his armies. A divine reversal when Pharaoh's evil is finally judged, my friends. So maybe that's one of the beautiful invitations of Scripture. The same images and echoes show up again, leading us to baptism becomes a sign of washing away the old and stepping into the new.
Heart Call:
There’s something interesting called biblical typology where stories echoes each other in specific way like Noah and Moses. We can see there water works as judgment and redemption/salvation.
My heart is this… may this encourage to see something new✨, and get you excited to read your bible, my friend ✨.
Genesis 6–9 — Noah, the flood and the waters of judgment.
Exodus 1–2 — Pharaoh, the Nile and baby Moses.
Exodus 14:13–28 — Pharaoh and the Red Sea.
1 Peter 3: 19-20 — brought through water.
Is there a link between the role water plays in Noah, Moses and baptism?
until next time friends!
xoxo,
Lynn :)
Photo Credits: Simona Hantáková.