Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Another way of studying the Bible is to take five great divisions: History, Type, Prophecy, Miracle, and Parable.
It is a very interesting thing to study the types of the Bible. A type is a representation of one thing that represents something else. For example, a sacrificial lamb might be a type, or representation, of Jesus. There are many types in the Old Testament that represent Jesus. Get a good book on the subject and you will be surprised to find out how interested you will become. The Bible is full of patterns and types of ourselves. A popular objection against the Bible is that it tells about the failings of men. We should, however, remember that the object of the Bible is not to tell how good men are, but how bad men can become good. More especially, the Bible is full of types of Christ. Types are foreshadowings, and wherever there is a shadow, there must be substance. As John McNeill says, “If I see the shadow of a dog, I know there’s a dog around.”
God seems to have chosen this means to teach the Israelites about the promised Messiah. All the laws, ceremonies, and institutions regarding Moses and the law and the tabernacle point to Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection. Read the book of Exodus and look for types of the Messiah. The enlightened eyes see Christ in all. For instance, the tabernacle was a type of the incarnation of Jesus. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:14). The laver typified sanctification or purity. That He might sanctify her, having cleansed her [the church] by the washing of water with the word (Ephesians 5:26). The candlesticks typified Christ as the Light of the World. The showbread typified Christ as the Bread of Life. The high priest was always a type of Christ. Christ was called of God, as was Aaron. He always lives to make intercession (Hebrews 7:25). He was consecrated with an oath, and so on.
The Passover, the Day of Atonement, the smitten rock, the sacrifices, the city of refuge, and the brazen serpent all point to Christ’s atoning work. Adam was a beautiful type. Think of the two Adams. One introduced sin and ruin into the world, and the other abolished it. So Cain stands as the representative natural man, and Abel as the spiritual man. Abel as a shepherd is a type of Christ, the heavenly Shepherd. There is no more beautiful type of Christ in the Bible than Joseph. He was hated by his brethren, he was stripped of his coat, he was sold, he was imprisoned, he gained favor, he had a gold chain about his neck, and every knee bowed before him. A comparison of the lives of Joseph and Jesus shows a starthng similarity in their experience.
The disease of leprosy is a type of sin. It is incurable by man. It results in misery and affliction. It is treacherous in its nature, and from a small beginning it works complete ruin. It separates its victims from their fellow men, just as sin separates a man from God. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear (Isaiah 59:2). As Christ had power to cleanse the leper, so by the grace of God His blood cleanses us from all iniquity.
If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:6-7)
You see how studying the types in the Bible can be beneficial. Another good way to study the Bible is to study Bible characters; take them right from the cradle to the grave. You find that skeptics often take one particular part of a man’s life – say, of the life of Jacob or of David – and judge their entire lives by that one part. Some say these men were not typical saints and that God did not punish them. If you go right through these men’s lives, you will find that God did punish them according to the sins they committed.
A lady once said to me that she had trouble in reading the Bible, that she seemed not to feel the interest she ought. If you don’t keep up your interest in one way, try another. Just keep reading it.
Another interesting study is the meaning of proper names. Every name in the Bible, especially Hebrew names, has a meaning of its own. Notice the difference between Abram (“a high father”) and Abraham (“father of a multitude”), and you have a key to his life. Another example is Jacob (“supplanter”) and Israel (“prince of God”). The names of Job’s three daughters were Jemima (“a dove”), Kezia (“cassia”), and Kerenhappuch (“horn of paint”). These names signify beauty, so that Job’s sore boils left no taint.