The NT links Christian Baptism to various OT events and images. In one place, baptism is likened to that vessel of deliverance, Noah’s Ark (1 Pt. 3:20). The wrath of God was poured out on a corrupt earth, vanquishing every living thing. Mankind’s only escape was that Ark. The vessel was of God’s appointing and built by Noah according to the Lord’s particular specifications. Of vital importance, it was only useful for those inside. God brought His people into the ark, He kept them in it, and brought them safely to rest on Mount Ararat.
The ark, the remaining in the ark, and the deliverance from judgement were all a gift. The Ark delivered Noah and His family from the watery wrath of God; while baptism into Christ delivers us by the watery sign of God’s tender-mercies.
Baptism, like the ark, is a vessel of deliverance. When we baptize, we’re marking this child as being in the covenantal vessel. That vessel is Christ. By this sign of baptism, we’re brought into Christ. By grace, we remain in Christ. And again by grace, Christ bears us up above the waves of wrath, and in the end, brings us safely to our heavenly rest.