Vicarious Ordinances in the Old Testament

I was searching the scriptures, looking for examples of vicarious ordinances practiced in Old Testament times, when I came across Deuteronomy 21:1-9. The more I thought about it, the more elements in common I saw between this ordinance to expiate murders by unknown persons, and baptism for the dead. Here is the Old Testament account.

1 If one be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath slain him:
2 Then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain:
3 And it shall be, that the city which is next unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take an heifer, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke;
4 And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer’s neck there in the valley:
5 And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister unto him, and to bless in the name of the LORD; and by their word shall every controversy and every stroke be tried:
6 And all the elders of that city, that are next unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the heifer that is beheaded in the valley:
7 And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
8 Be merciful, 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 them.
9 So shalt thou put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.


First they determine which city shares the guilt for a murder committed nearby (vs. 1-2). If they knew who the murderer was they would execute him and the people of the city would be rid of the blood of the murderer. The elders are responsible for exercising justice. Since they cannot find the real killer of the slain man, they take an innocent heifer and kill it in the place of the murderer (v.4). The heifer becomes a vicarious sacrifice.

Note that in verse 4 they take the heifer to a rough valley which is not under cultivation. This makes me think of a wadi in Israel, a place where rains will wash away the blood of the heifer. I also think of baptismal fonts in temples located below ground, with the font resting on the back of cattle.

In verse 5 we see that the ordinance must be carried out under the direction of the priesthood, just as baptisms must be performed by the priesthood.

Verse 6 says that the elders wash their hands over the dead heifer. I notice that both baptism and this ordinance require water. The sins ceremoniously washed fall on the dead heifer, the vicarious sacrifice. Baptism also involves a kind of death, as “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death….” (Romans 6:4). Baptism also involves washing away of sins, “…arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).

In verse 7 the elders confess their innocence of sin.

In verse 8 they call upon the Lord, which again reminds us of baptism and “calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16). It is interesting that in the Hebrew the first part of this verse can also be translated as “Let atonement be made for.” The Mosaic ordinance foreshadows the Lord’s atonement, making forgiveness of sins possible, and giving meaning to the ordinance of baptism. The innocent heifer can be seen as symbolic of Christ giving his life as a ransom for our sins.

Verses 8 and 9 make it clear that only by observing this vicarious ordinance can the people be spared – saved – from the blood of the innocent man who was shed. The sins of the people cannot be forgiven without the proper ordinance. So too baptism is essential for salvation and the forgiveness of sins; and just as the Bible shows that a proxy can be slain in the place of a living person who is unavailable, a proxy can be used in the place of a dead person who was not baptized in life.