SHADOWS AND TYPES

The Old Testament is our schoolmaster. By studying it we can see more clearly the heart and mind of the Father, His intent for man and His commitment to His own eternal purpose. Nothing is written by chance and God inspired every author. Inspiration is breathed in knowledge. The first five books of the bible were given to Moses by inspiration. Moses became a scribe and wrote what God told him to.

God supplied: • Content: activities or events that were to be documented or written about. God determined what was to be recorded in scripture and who it was to be written about. • Format: Literal, figurative, or symbolic writing. Even the style of writing was inspired by God.

This leads us to another Golden Rule- keep the element of man’s thinking out of studying the Word. The Bible will never contradict itself!! Regardless of the format all scripture is relative to our relationship with God. The Bible is God speaking to man. But the criterion for understanding it is that you must be spiritual. SPIRITUAL SHADOWS: Shadows and types are Old Testament natural or supernatural events, people, places and things which serve as examples we are able to use in defining spiritual events and principles. We must remember that a type is not an exact copy. It is a resemblance of the original. Their functions are simply to aid in understanding the Word of God.

Hebrews 8:4-5

4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: 5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

Colossians 2:16-17

16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

These are all shadows of types of what was to come.

Galatians 3:24-26

24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

God uses shadows and types to allow us to understand the spiritual thing that is to come, that thing that will be eternal. When the real thing comes, that which is a shadow disappears.

Hebrews 10:1

For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

EXAMPLES OF SHADOWS THE STORY OF JOSEPH His life is a type of Christ. We see how he was hated by his brothers and they hated his relationship with his father as well as the fact that he was a dreamer. He came to his own with the truth but they rejected him. This is a shadow of the life that Jesus lived. Joseph was sold into slavery and Jesus was crucified by the Jews. He was placed at Pharoh’s right hand and Jesus sat on the right hand of God. In the days of famine, Joseph was the deliverer of his brothers. Jesus is the Savior of the world.

We must remember another rule. Types are not an exact repilca! We should not force a type or make a doctrine out of a type. Nothing in the Old testament is an exact replica of the New.

ERRORS IN STUDY • Spiritualizing: Many have erred by trying to force a type to fit perfectly in a spiritual concept. This is not possible. As Paul stated, the shadows of the Old Covenant are not able to make us perfect. When this issue is pursued it is called spiritualizing. • Presumption: Assuming that you understand what the scripture is conveying, therefore making a forced relationship of scriptures. This is a refusal to allow the scriptures to interpret themselves. Spiritual types must point us to their New Testament counterpart. This is the actual spiritual event that takes place in the New Covenant. Spiritual principles become our schoolmaster for teaching the Body of Christ the intent of God as well as those spiritual principles that reflect His heart and mind.

I want you to understand that you can get more out of a shadow and type than symbolism. It is the spiritual principles that are most important to me. I have selected a story from the Old Testament that illustrates this valuable asset.

THE STORY OF DINAH, THE SISTER OF JOSEPH.

Genesis 34:1-29

1 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her. 3 And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel. 4 And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife. 5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come. 6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him. 7 And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done. 8 And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife. 9 And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you. 10 And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein. 11 And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give. 12 Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife. 13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister: 14 And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us: 15 But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised; 16 Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. 17 But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone. 18 And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son. 19 And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father. 20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying, 21 These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters. 22 Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised. 23 Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us. 24 And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city. 25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. 26 And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went out. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. 28 They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field, 29 And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.

List any types and the spiritual principles found in the story above. Shechem and Hamor being killed even after they were circumcised is a type of “circumcision of the flesh profits nothing.” You cannot enter into the kingdom of the chosen by the deeds of the flesh. You must be chosen by God. Making certain sacrifices of the flesh does not make you good enough for the Kingdom of God. There must be a circumcision of the heart.

When you are looking at spiritual types, do not turn a type into a doctrine. You cannot trust a spiritual type to be a doctrine. Doctrine is LAW and there is no salvation outside of a doctrine. For instance, there is no salvation outside of Jesus Christ. There is no salvation outside of the doctrine of being born of the water and of the Spirit. Such doctrine is sound. Sound doctrine is teaching that promotes the intent, or heart and mind of God.

A type can be relative to the moment or to the situation. Therefore, you cannot force it to become a doctrine. For example, in the Old Covenant when God told the priests to wear linen breeches, if you make a doctrine out of this, then everyone who ministers should wear linen breeches. But, this was only relative for the moment. It is an instruction that offered a spiritual type, because, the white linen represented the righteousness of God.

You cannot force the Body of Christ to live according to types because they are not exact copies of the original. Theologians have pulled spiritual principles out of types making them doctrines and thereby yoking the church. Example: HEAD COVERINGS FOR WOMEN. Paul said that there is no such custom in the church of God. But, men have gone back to the Old Covenant and said that women should not come into the house of God without a covering over their heads making this a doctrine.

Example: “JEZEBEL PAINTED HER FACE.” When Jezebel painted her face, she did it to disguise herself not to be more beautiful. And so, theologians have pulled this out and said that every woman who puts on make-up has the spirit of Jezebel. But Jezebel had her purpose and motive and her wearing of make-up was only relative to the moment. Jezebel was an idolatress or an idol worshipper and she caused the prophets of God to worship her and her idols. Today, there are a lot of men in the pulpit who have the congregation worshipping them. This is the spirit of Jezebel which is idolatry and witchcraft. There is more spirit of control coming from pulpits that are occupied by men than by women. Anyone, man or woman, can operate in the spirit of Jezebel.

Job 28:28

And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.