In the context of the Old Testament, purifications or baptisms of things for burnt-offerings refer to the ceremonial cleansing processes required for objects used in sacrificial rituals. These practices were integral to maintaining the holiness and sanctity of the worship and sacrificial system established by God for the Israelites.

Biblical Foundation

The concept of purification is deeply rooted in the Levitical laws, which were given to Moses on Mount Sinai. These laws provided detailed instructions on how the Israelites were to approach God in worship, emphasizing the need for purity and holiness. The book of Leviticus, in particular, outlines various purification rites, including those for objects used in burnt-offerings.

Purification of Objects

The purification of objects involved in burnt-offerings was necessary to ensure that everything presented before God was clean and acceptable. Leviticus 6:28 states, "The clay pot in which it was boiled must be broken, and if it was boiled in a bronze pot, it must be scoured and rinsed with water." This verse highlights the importance of cleansing the vessels used in sacrificial offerings, ensuring they were free from any impurity that could defile the offering.

Water as a Purifying Agent

Water played a crucial role in the purification process. It symbolized cleansing and was used to wash away impurities. Numbers 19:9 describes the preparation of the water of purification: "Then a man who is ceremonially clean is to gather up the ashes of the heifer and place them in a ceremonially clean place outside the camp. They are to be kept by the Israelite community for use in the water of purification; it is for purification from sin." This water, mixed with the ashes of a red heifer, was used to purify both people and objects that had become ceremonially unclean.

Symbolism and Significance

The purification rites for objects used in burnt-offerings were not merely ritualistic but carried deep symbolic meaning. They underscored the holiness of God and the need for His people to approach Him with reverence and purity. The cleansing of objects served as a reminder of the separation between the sacred and the profane, illustrating the broader spiritual truth that sin must be removed for one to be in right standing with God.

New Testament Reflection

While the Old Testament focused on the external purification of objects and individuals, the New Testament shifts the emphasis to the internal cleansing of the heart. Hebrews 9:13-14 reflects on this transition: "For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their flesh is clean, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!"

In this way, the purifications or baptisms of things for burnt-offerings in the Old Testament serve as a foreshadowing of the ultimate purification through Jesus Christ, who cleanses believers from sin and enables them to worship God in spirit and truth.2 Chronicles 4:6
He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on the left, to wash in them: such things as they offered for the burnt offering they washed in them; but the sea was for the priests to wash in.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Of the Law.
... frequent washings and sprinklings, several purifications, and several ... for who hath
required these things at your ... place: for instead of daily baptisms, He has ...
/.../various/constitutions of the holy apostles/sec iv of the law.htm

Concerning Baptism.
... not God the author of the purifications and baptisms ... by briefly observing how in
all things we follow ... into such Jewish observations and baptisms, however that ...
/.../proposition xii concerning baptism.htm

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