Shadows and Types of the Old Testament/Covenant

[sparkman]

I'd like to start a discussion on shadows and types of the Old Testament/Covenant, and hear the input of other individuals on this topic.

I know that there are various individuals who have studied the Old Testament in detail and can point to the various shadows and types that it uses.

Here are some that I already know:

1. The Sabbath is a type of the spiritual rest that a believer has in Christ (Matt 11:28-30, Hebrews 9:9-10).
2. The high priest was a type of Christ.
3. Physical circumcision is a type of the spiritual circumcision or "putting off the flesh".
4. The Passover was a type of Christ's sacrifice.
5. Pentecost pointed to the birth of the Church.
6. Not muzzling an ox related to the need to provide for the ministry (Paul mentioned this in I Cor 9:9).
7. Israel was a type of the believer.
8. Egypt was a type of sin, or our sinful past.
9. Pharaoh was a type of Satan.
10. The Red Sea crossing was a type of baptism.
11. The Promised Land was a type of salvation or spiritual rest in Christ.
12. Isaac was a type of Christ.

It would be neat if we could discuss this issue without arguing whether days or diet apply under the New Covenant for the purpose of this one conversation. Elaboration on the meaning of the rest of the festivals would be interesting as well.

Discussion Questions:

1. What other shadows and types are in the Old Testament/Covenant?
2. What are the meanings commonly assigned to Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Firstfruits, Feast of Weeks,
Day of Atonement, Feast of Trumpets, Feast of Booths/Tabernacles?

If someone has notes relating to shadows/types in their Bibles, it would be interesting to know the identification of various shadows and types you've found over the years, or if you have references to good books in this regard by sound sources, those references would be appreciated.

 

[sparkman]

I found this thread which has a few good ones that I didn't mention.

For instance, Noah's Ark related to our redemption through Christ.
Christ was a type of Moses the prophet in Deut 18, or vice versa.
The nation of Israel was a type of Christ.

See thread:

http://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/70063-types-shadows-christ-genesis-malachi.html

 

[Grace777x70]

Great discussion points...I'll chew on them for a bit and see which one (s) I will comment on.

How about another shadow being " Wandering In the wilderness " = living the Christian life with unbelief.

Would this be one too?

Hebrews 3:16-19 (NASB)
[SUP]16 [/SUP] For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?
[SUP]17 [/SUP] And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
[SUP]18 [/SUP] And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?
[SUP]19 [/SUP] So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

 

[sparkman]

Notice that Paul refers to the Sabbath and festivals as shadows whose realities were Christ in Colossians 2:16-17.

Animal sacrifices were a type of Christ's sacrifice.

Hebrews 10:1-2 calls the ceremonial and ritualistic law a shadow of things to come.

 

[HeRoseFromTheDead]

The wilderness was also a symbol of where GOD was to be found. John the baptist lived in the wilderness. Israel found who GOD was at Sinai. That is where Elijah found GOD. David received many revelations of GOD in the Judean wilderness.

Great discussion points...I'll chew on them for a bit and see which one (s) I will comment on.

How about another shadow being " Wandering In the wilderness " = living the Christian life with unbelief.

Would this be one too?

Hebrews 3:16-19 (NASB)
[SUP]16 [/SUP] For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?
[SUP]17 [/SUP] And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?
[SUP]18 [/SUP] And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?
[SUP]19 [/SUP] So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

 

[Buzzard]

[h=1]God’s Soap Recipe[/h] [TABLE]
[TR]
[TD]by [/TD]
[TD]Kyle Butt, M.Div.[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

When Old Testament instructions are compared to the New Testament explanations for those actions, it becomes clear that many of the ancient injunctions were primarily symbolic in nature. For instance, when the Passover Lamb was eaten, none of its bones was to be broken. This symbolized the sacrifice of Christ, Whose side was pierced, yet even in death escaped the usual practice of having His legs broken (John 19:31-37).

With all the symbolism in the Old Testament, it is important that we do not overlook the Old Testament instructions that were pragmatic in value and that testify to a Master Mind behind the writing of the Law. One such directive is found in Numbers 19, where the Israelites were instructed to prepare the “water of purification” that was to be used to wash any person who had touched a dead body.

At first glance, the water of purification sounds like a hodge-podge of superstitious potion-making that included the ashes of a red heifer, hyssop, cedar wood, and scarlet wool. But this formula was the farthest thing from a symbolic potion intended to “ward off evil spirits.” On the contrary, the recipe for the water of purification stands today as a wonderful example of God’s brilliance, since the recipe is nothing less than a procedure to produce an antibacterial soap.

When we look at the ingredients individually, we begin to see the value of each. First, consider the ashes of a red heifer. As most school children know, the pioneers in this country could not go to the nearest supermarket and buy their favorite personal-hygiene products. If they needed soap or shampoo, they made it themselves. Under such situations, they concocted various recipes for soap. One of the most oft’-produced types of soap was lye soap. Practically anyone today can easily obtain a recipe for lye soap via a quick search of the Internet. The various lye-soap recipes reveal that, to obtain lye, water was poured through ashes. The water retrieved from pouring it through the ashes contained a concentration of lye. Lye, in high concentrations, is very caustic and irritating to the skin. It is, in fact, one of the main ingredients in many modern chemical mixtures used to unclog drains. In more diluted concentrations, it can be used as an excellent exfoliate and cleansing agent. Many companies today still produce lye soaps. Amazingly, through God’s inspiration, Moses instructed the Israelites to prepare a mixture that would have included lye mixed in a diluted solution.

Furthermore, consider that hyssop also was added to the “water of purification.” Hyssop contains the antiseptic thymol, the same ingredient that we find today in some brands of mouthwash (McMillen and Stern, 2000, p. 24). Hyssop oil continues to be a popular “healing oil,” and actually is quite expensive. In listing the benefits of Hyssop, one Web site noted: “Once used for purifying temples and cleansing lepers, the leaves contain an antiseptic, antiviral oil. A mold that produces penicillin grows on the leaves. An infusion is taken as a sedative expectorant for flue, bronchitis, and phlegm” (see “Hyssop”).

Two other ingredients stand out as having cleansing properties. The oil from the cedar wood in the mixture provided a minor skin irritant that would have encouraged scrubbing. And the scarlet wool (see Hebrews 9:19) added wool fibers to the concoction, making it the “ancient equivalent of Lava[SIZE=-1][SUP]®[/SUP][/SIZE] soap” (McMillen and Stern, 2000, p. 25).
Thousands of years before any formal studies were done to see what type of cleaning methods were the most effective; millennia before American pioneers concocted their lye solutions; and ages before our most advanced medical students knew a thing about germ theory, God gave the Israelites an award-winning recipe for soap.

[h=2]REFERENCES[/h] McMillen, S.I. and David Stern (2000), None of These Diseases (Grand Rapids, MI: Revell), third edition.


So; now the question is:::::
what is the True "“water of purification.”

 

[Buzzard]

Copyright © 2002 Apologetics Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

We are happy to grant permission for items in the "Inspiration of the Bible" section to be reproduced in their entirety, as long as the following stipulations are observed:...............

Apologetics Press - God’s Soap Recipe

 

[JaumeJ]

My favorite shadowtype from the Tanakh, OT as put in the OP, is how Abraham was given the Gospel, there is only one. This was long before the law was given to Moses by Jesus Christ.

When the veil is removed we know Christ from the "In the beginning to the final Amen of Revelation."

This is quite a shadow/type. Praising God always, amen.

Note: Abraham never had the veil of Moses with which to contend. He is our forefather, and our faith is the same as his.....

 

[Crosby]

Yes, this makes for a very interesting discussion and/or study. As you know it's been said that the Old Testament concealed is New Testament revealed... or said somewhat in that manner.

 

[JaumeJ]

Of course my brother, you will like the quote below from Galatians as do I. As you say, many who read the law, most I shold say, read it with the veil of Moses, just as today many who think they are free of the law teach against it blinded to the Word within the law shining light on Jesus and the Gospel, His Gospel.

Because of His Flesh we are free indeed to enter into the holiest boldly. Amazing grace from faith in Him, amen.

Yes, this makes for a very interesting discussion and/or study. As you know it's been said that the Old Testament concealed is New Testament revealed... or said somewhat in that manner.

 

[crossnote]

Adam/Jesus

Romans 5:14,18 KJVS
[14] Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. [18] Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

1 Corinthians 15:21-22,47 KJVS
[21] For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. [22] For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. [47] The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

The Bible is full of types and shadows, things first shown in the natural to be a reflection of the true spiritual. I could probably spend weeks, months, and perhaps even years posting on all the different similitudes in scripture, as this is also how the Holy Spirit teaches us by comparing spiritual things with spiritual, but few have that understanding.

Here is a post I made with a few examples....http://christianchat.com/bible-discussion-forum/111949-spiritual-law.html

 

[hornetguy]

For instance, Noah's Ark related to our redemption through Christ.

Yes, specifically baptism, and how it is an appeal to God for a clear conscience through Jesus death, burial and resurrection.

[SUP]"[/SUP] [SUP]20 [/SUP]who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the [SUP][p][/SUP]water. [SUP]21 [/SUP]Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God [SUP][q][/SUP]for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, [SUP]22 [/SUP]who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him." 1 Peter 3 NASB

 

[crossnote]

Fig leaves...symbolizing the vanity of human effort apart from God.

Genesis 3:7 KJVS
[7] And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

 

[Stephen63]

I'm surprised Melchizedek wasn't at the top of the list.

Psalm 110:4 (KJV)
[SUP]4 [/SUP]The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 7:11-24 (KJV)
[SUP]11 [/SUP]If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron? [SUP]12 [/SUP]For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. [SUP]13 [/SUP]For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar. [SUP]14 [/SUP]For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood. [SUP]15 [/SUP]And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, [SUP]16 [/SUP]Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life. [SUP]17 [/SUP]For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. [SUP]18 [/SUP]For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. [SUP]19 [/SUP]For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. [SUP]20 [/SUP]And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest: [SUP]21 [/SUP](For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec [SUP]22 [/SUP]By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. [SUP]23 [/SUP]And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: [SUP]24 [/SUP]But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.

 

[Ariel82]

And the animal skins God used to replace the fig leaves hint at Jesus death on the cross to cover our sins.