Baptizer in general Numbers 8:7.
The rite of baptism is rooted in Numbers 8:7. First, John the Baptist was baptized signifying his purification under the Law of Moses as a priest (Levite) to serve in the service of the temple. Jesus was born of the royal line, not of the Levites, but He was also baptized to signify His purification in preparation for serving in the temple.
Today, we are all priests, and we are all baptized to signify our purification in preparation for serving in the temple of God. Yes, and even our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and must be pure. The purification is a setting apart and separating from. Numbers 8:14
We are a holy priesthood. Exodus 19:6, Isaiah 61:6, 1 Peter 2:5, Revelation 1:6
The temple is in heaven, and what Moses constructed was a copy or pattern of what God revealed to him from heaven. Exodus 25:9, Acts 7:44, Hebrews 8:5 Note: This gives even greater credence to the concept that (1) there was sin in heaven, (2) the sacrifice was required to occur outside the gate, and (3) earth and the universe were created to receive the sacrifice. The splendor of the universe reflects the glory of God, but further still, the splendor of the universe was to reflect the magnificence of Christ and the great cost of His sacrifice.
Note also that the new covenant as well as John the Baptist mark a shift in the temple of God. No longer was the temple to be a physical, outward emblem of worship. With the ushering in of the new covenant, we are all priests in the temple of God, and our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:9
Thus, from the beginning, a sacrifice for sin was taught. Genesis 3:21, Genesis 4:4, Exodus 12:13, Hebrews 11:4 From the beginning, worship of God was taught. Genesis 1:1, 4:3-4, Exodus 20:2-6, Leviticus 10:1-3, Isaiah 6:1-7, Matthew 4:10 From the beginning, obedience of God was required. Genesis 1:28, Genesis 2:16-17, Exodus 20:2-17, Deuteronomy 6:5, Matthew 22:36-40 From the beginning, blamelessness or Christian perfection was required. Genesis 17:1, Exodus 28:36-38, Deuteronomy 18:13, Leviticus 10:1-3, 16:1-14, Leviticus 21:6,8,17, Ephesians 1:4
Jesus foretold that the temple would be destroyed and be raised up again. John 2:19 By this, He signified the raising up of the temple within each priest or believer. It was also a return of the temple into heaven. The physical representation of the temple in heaven would no longer be necessary once Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was completed. In Luke 22:20, Jesus described the new covenant in which we will partake of the spiritual blood of His sacrifice, putting an end to the sacrificial system in the physical temple. Thus, we are all able to enter into the spiritual holy place because we are all priests. Matthew 27:51, Hebrews 10:19-25
Thus, John the Baptist came as the messenger or forerunner to purify all of us as priests who would be serving in the temple, that being the temple of the Holy Spirit in our bodies. John the Baptist was preparing us for this service and preparing us through the purification of repentance to receive the new covenant.
Old Testament
Isaiah 40:3 is the first foretelling of John the Baptist. He is a voice crying out in the wilderness. With purification in the background, chapter 40 marks a shift in Isaiah. Previously, Israel’s sin was recounted, judgment was foretold, and judgment was carried out. Now, in chapter 40, John the Baptist is foretold, and God is laying out the grounds for their purification. Then, starting in chapter 42, Jesus Christ is foretold, along with the restoration of Israel and the salvation of the Gentiles. The ground for purification before God is His majesty and strength above all the earth. God has exposed the sin of Israel and promised a light to all the nations. Thus, all are called to purity, and John the Baptist will be the forerunner of Christ, calling us to purity.
See John Lightfoot, Vol. X, p202. Wilderness represents the heathen, and God has foretold numerous times that He would bring righteousness unto the heathen or wilderness. Thus, the gospels begin in the wilderness, among the heathen calling them to repentance.
McLaren:
The voice of
prophecy had fallen silent for four hundred years. Now, when it is once
more heard, it sounds in exactly the same key as when it ceased. Its
last word had been the prediction of the day of the Lord, and of the
coming of Elijah once more. John was Elijah over again. There were the
same garb, the same isolation, the same fearlessness, the same grim,
gaunt strength, the same fiery energy of rebuke which bearded kings in
the full fury of their self-will. Elijah, Ahab, and Jezebel have their
doubles in John, Herod, and Herodias…
he sees that this is no joyful message to
them. Nothing is more remarkable in his preaching than the sombre hues
with which his expectation of the day of the Lord is coloured. ‘To what
purpose is the day of the Lord to you? It is darkness and not light’; it
is to be judgment, therefore repentance is the preparation.
The gleam and purity of lofty spiritual ideas are soon darkened, as a
film forms on quicksilver after short exposure. John’s contemporaries
thought that the kingdom of heaven meant exclusive privileges, and their
rule over the heathen. They had all but lost the thought that it meant
first God’s rule over their wills, and their harmony with the glad
obedience of heaven…
The
more luxuriously self-indulgent men are, the more are they fascinated by
religious self-denial. A man ‘clothed in soft raiment’ would have drawn
no crowds. A religious teacher must be clearly free from sensual
appetites and love of ease, if he is to stir the multitude…
Once more with a new emblem the immediate beginning of the judgment is
proclaimed, and its principles and issues are declared. The sharp axe
lies at the roots of the tree, ready to be lifted and buried in its
bark. The woodman’s eye is looking over the forest; he marks with the
fatal red line the worthless trees, and at once the swinging blows come
down, and the timber is carted away to be burned. The trees are men. The
judgment is an individualising one, and all-embracing. Nothing but
actual righteousness of life will endure. All else will be destroyed…
The coming of the kingdom implied the coming of the King. John knew that
the King was a man, and that He was at the door. So his sermon reaches
its climax in the ringing proclamation of His advent. The first
noticeable feature in it is the utter humility of the dauntless prophet
before the yet veiled Sovereign. All the fiery force, the righteous
scorn and anger, the unflinching bravery, melt into meek submission.
Is. 48:6-8 undercuts the notion of predestination before the foundation of the world. (1) God says new things (revelations) are being created that are not old and were not known previously, and (2) they were withheld because of God’s foreknowledge that Israel would be obstinent.
Isaiah 65:1 undercuts the predestination of souls, for God says He permits Himself to be sought by those who did not ask for Him and did not seek Him, in reference to the Gentiles. See also Is. 42:1-6 and 49:6, where Christ is foretold to be the light to the nations.
Malachi 3:1 continues with the need for purity. God will purify us in the day of Christ, and He will draw near for judgment upon those who commit evil. Thus, John the Baptist is the messenger who clears the way before Christ, to warn and to purify. The first 7 verses of chapter 3 all speak to purity.
New Testament
Of all the gospel accounts, John 1:19-31, 3:22-36 vividly portrays the role of John the Baptist and lines up with Numbers 8:7-8. He is purifying, baptizing as the forerunner to Christ. There was not to be any dirt on the flesh. 1 Peter 3:21
We should note that John the Baptist was born a Levite, so he is already a priest. Luke 1:5-25 The priest baptizes Jesus, which is a symbol of purifying Christ and preparing Him for service in the temple. Essentially, John the Baptist is making Christ a priest here. Jesus was born of the royal line of David and was next in line to be king of Israel. Matthew 3:13-15
In Numbers 8:8, immediately after purification, they were to sacrifice a sin offer and a grain offering.
Elsewhere, John the Baptist is introduced as preaching repentance, for the kingdom of heaven was at hand. Luke 1:76-80 His attire is that of Elijah — simplistic and the opposite of luxury. Of all prophets, Elijah is probably the most important, and John the Baptist is considered to be another Elijah. John the Baptist’s diet is, again, the opposite of luxury. There does not seem to be anything special about his diet, but it does speak to his geographic location and his heart or way of thinking. He was identified among the common person and refused luxury. He lived off the land. Matthew 3:1-12, Mark 1:1-8, Luke 3:1-18 We read in these verses that people were coming out to hear John the Baptist. This signifies that they wanted to know and were intrigued by his message. He was not of the city. He preached repentance and picks up where Malachi leaves off. He is preaching judgment on sin and rebuking, in particular, the leaders of Israel.
Jesus discusses the purpose of John the Baptist in Matthew 11:7-19, Luke 7:24-35 Jesus places John the Baptist among the prophets and under the law of Moses. He then notes the shift for those who enter into the kingdom of heaven through Christ. Christ also judges the generation for their lostness and disobedience.
John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod, most likely at the insistence of the Jewish leaders and because Herod himself did not like what John was preaching about him. Luke 3:19-20 Herod was living in adultery, but Herod was indulging his lust. At the request of Herod’s wife and step-daughter, John the Baptist was beheaded. Matthew 14:1-12, Mark 6:16-29 Such act was the ultimate refusal to repent. The Herod here is the son of Herod the Great who wanted to kill Jesus. By this time, Herod Antipas succeeded his father. Not long after this scene, he tried to succeed to the position of king. Instead, the emperor of Rome banished him for his sensual lifestyle. He had sent away his wife and took his brother’s wife, Herodias. This is what John the Baptist preached against. Herodias wanted John the Baptist dead and also wanted Herod to be king. Charges were brought against him by his nephew, Herod Agrippa I, upon which the emperor banished him. Herod seems to have died while in exile. None of the Herods were good people. They were very worldly, indulged their lust, and were corrupt. We see each of them introduced to the gospel, and all of them refused. Herod Agrippa I would be struck dead by the Holy Spirit in Acts.
Baptism:
Jesus prescribes it in Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16, John 3:5
Baptized into Christ and have clothed yourselves with Christ. Gal 3:27 (imitation of Christ)
Buried with Christ in baptism. Col 2:12
In the Law of Moses, baptism was to remove dirt from the flesh; in the New Covenant, baptism is an appeal to God for a good conscience, having been resurrected with Christ. 1 Pet 3:21
We must go further than outward cleansing. There must be a baptism by fire through the Holy Spirit to purify the heart. Matt 3:11, Mal 3:2-4, James 4:8
Summary
The earth, the universe, and all that is in it were created by God the Father to host the sacrifice of Christ. Heaven is a temple of worship, and any sacrifice must occur outside the gate. Thus, Christ suffered outside the gate of the temple in Jerusalem, and all sacrifices under the law of Moses suffered outside the gate. But when Christ’s sacrifice was completed, the temple veil was torn in two, and we are now (1) able to enter into the holy of holies, (2) all priests who believe on Christ, and (3) the temple of the Lord.
John the Baptist was preparing every believer for service in temple worship, and He was coming to announce and prepare because the New Covenant was about to be ushered in. John the Baptist marked the coming of the New Covenant, and baptizing all believers signified that we must all be clean before God to serve in temple worship. We all now have access to the holy of holies, and we must all be clean, both inwardly and outwardly. This is the meaning of “the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” and the meaning of the great significance of John the Baptist.
It also makes sense now that God required cleanness among His people. Those with defects, illnesses, and undertaken activities which made them unclean were not permitted into the presence of God. Likewise, we can still commit unclean acts which make our hearts unfit for the presence of God. Anything done on the outward which is unclean arose from an unclean heart. We no longer recognize outward cleansing rituals, however, we must still recognize that the heart must be clean to enter into the presence of God in the same way that the outward body must be clean in Numbers 8:7. For example, leprosy of the heart renders us unfit for the presence of God, and we must root out the unclean parts of the heart.