Typology
in the Bible is the study of people, events, institutions, and patterns in the
Old Testament that foreshadow and are fulfilled in the New Testament. In a sermon given at Canaan Global Methodist
Church[2]
a few weeks ago, Rev. Danny Hossler referred to the typology of Abraham sending
his trusted servant on a mission to secure a bride (Rebekah) for his son,
Isaac, to that of God’s sending his trusted Servant (the Holy Spirit), to Earth
to secure a bride for His Son, Jesus.
The
analogy of Abraham as God the Father certainly plays true in the sense of
Abraham as the “sender”. In that culture
a father was the overseer of the selection of a bride for his son. Abraham took authority over the matter by
sending his most trusted servant on this holy mission. The servant, Eliezer[3], (as type
of the Holy Spirit) seeks a suitable bride, depending on God’s direction. That bride turns out to be a distant niece of
Abraham, Rebekah, who is the type (in this sermon) of Christ’s bride, the New
Testament Church….us). To follow Rev.
Hossler’s analogy to completion, there is one other character, the groom. That groom is undoubtedly Jesus, the Son of
Father God.
The
entire cast of four persons in Genesis 24 is Father (Abraham), Spirit (the
trusted servant, Eliezer), Son (Isaac), Daughter-in-law/bride (Rebekah),
representing in order, Father God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, and Us (humanity) which
God seeks to redeem and save.
God,
like Abraham, caring for the future of his Son, Jesus, sent his Spirit to fetch
a bride. Now, Abraham was exceedingly
rich and influential, and so you’d think there would be some bejeweled
princesses on the shortlist of candidates to be Isaac’s wife. But it turned out to be Rebekah, not anyone
of special notoriety. That’s just like
the people God sent his Spirit to fetch from earth, sinners-all, unworthy to be
in God’s presence, let alone married as the bride of God’s Son.
As
analogies go, this isn’t a bad explanation of how the Old Testament Scriptures
are an accurate foreshadowing of God’s plan for His creation. The characters and their roles fit well when
held against all of what the Bible teaches.
All
analogies break down at some point, especially if you hunt long into the wee
hours, and nitpick enough to break them apart.
But here, the basic analogy serves the point, that God always shows us
something in the accounts of His people in the past that will tell us what His
people are headed-for in the future.
After all, isn’t that the most salient motive God would have to give us
His Word? If Scripture is designed to
draw us into a relationship with God for our redemption, what better way than
to tell us what went wrong, so we can figure out how to do right?
Another
lesson from the past that casts a little light on what God may be up to in the
present with His people is what Jesus said about another Old Testament family
that had to contend with the first global catastrophe, Noah and the flood.
Here’s
the backstory on why the ark project was begun:
When
the Lord saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and
that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time, the
Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and he was deeply
grieved. Then the Lord said, “I will wipe
mankind, whom I created, off the face of the earth, together with the animals,
creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky—for I regret that I made
them.” Noah, however, found favor with the Lord. Genesis 6:5-8
Fast
forward about four millennia, and we find Jesus’ disciples questioning him
about when all the troubles will be over.
It’s recorded in the Gospels that when Jesus gave His answer, he picked
Noah’s time for how it would be when He returned for God’s final judgment on
humankind, the devil, and all who follow evil, rather than God’s way:
As
the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. For
in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. They
didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. Matthew 24:37-39
Jesus
pointed to evil covering the earth in Noah’s day, the same earth which God had
created in goodness. Jesus said it would
be the same at the end. He described the
final outbreak of man’s arrogant stand against God when all the world’s forces
of evil would gather as an army in the valley of Megiddo to fight against God’s
chosen people, Israel. The main armies
would come from Gog and Magog, apocalyptic references to God’s enemies in
Ezekiel’s prophecy.[4] Jesus gave Apostle John the sequence for the
final judgment and defeat of Satan and all who reject Jesus:
When
the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his
prison and will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of
the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle. Revelation 20:7-8
As
Abraham, Isaac, Eliezer, and Rebekah’s days were a typical foreshadow of Jesus’
first coming for His bride, Noah’s time shows our world in complete chaos. Noah, representing the remnant of God’s
design for His creation is considered by his neighbors a madman, building a humongous
boat without a drop of water in sight.
He preached about a coming judgment, and stood for righteous living,
that annoying reminder to the world of how their flagrant sinfulness had turned
God’s world into a sewer of lust, hatred, and cruelty. Noah was mocked, much like the church
today. And very much like the nation of
Israel, hatred for being God’s people.
In that final battle it will be the world forces of evil against one
tiny slice of land atop the Mount of Olives.
Beloved,
that scenario is building as we live and breathe.
·
Consider what we are
seeing constantly in the news, the seeds of hatred spewed out towards the
nation of Israel.
·
Recent reports reveal
Russia and China have supported terrorist efforts against Israel.
·
Consider the inroads
of terrorist Muslim extremists’ building strongholds in American cities and
even Congress, a nation with a history of strong support for Israel.
It
would not surprise me if, in my lifetime, we see a bill introduced in a
congressional session to make preaching or practicing Christianity against the
law!
For You Today
At
this point let me recap the scenario I would like to leave in your mind
today…of humankind’s condition, and what God is up to in response:
1.
God is always up to
good, as the father
fetching a bride for His son.
2.
God always warns us to
be aware that human rebellion is no small matter to be ignored…as Noah building
an ark before the flood.
3.
God is always up to
restoring what has been marred
by evil (sin) such as sending his only Son, to take our punishment on a cross.
4.
God always has a
mic-drop ending…such as in
resurrection!
Everything you see on
the newscasts, streaming and screaming about how bleak things are in this world
today, are largely designed to keep you coming back to the broadcast for the
next jaw-dropping catastrophic episode.
You are kept on edge, because the ratings are everything to those who
get paid to push this agenda, or sell that soap.
Is
it ever going to be better? What shall
we do? How shall we live?
I
would dearly love to be able to say that it will all be better soon, and we
will get back to normal any time now. However, beloved, all of my wishes and $3.00 more
will buy you a loaf of bread. Our naïve
hope for better times is based upon the settled Biblical fact that God really
does want His people to have a peaceful, joyful, even prosperous life! However, the Enemy, and this world’s system
prefer evil and selfishness, and all the chaos and pain it brings. This is why we have drug problems,
relationships blowing apart, wars, terrorist attacks, and news broadcasts. But our hope is not in the Enemy, or this
world’s system of get what you can, keep all you get, and God help anyone
who stands in your way. Our hope
is in Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God.
Satan
is powerful and not to be confused with a guy in a red suit with horns, tail,
and pitchfork, sporting a cheesy waxed mustache and sizzling red eyes. Satan is a spiritually-fallen angel, who was
right next to God, and in charge of way more than even Donald Trump or Elon
Musk. He is very powerful, crafty, and
evil; his chief tool is deception and outright lies. If you don’t believe me, just ask Eve.
What
will happen to Satan…eventually? In the
final words of Scripture, we read that Satan (the Enemy) is defeated and thrown
into the Lake of Fire,
an eternal punishment.
So,
how shall we live in the meantime? Is
there any good word that comes out of all this.
Yes…live, love, be kind, stand fast in the faith; Jesus has got
this.
Hear
what He said to His disciples about the coming days…then and now:
“Then there will be
signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and there will be anguish on the earth
among nations bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and expectation
of the things that are coming on the world, because the powers of the heavens
will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a
cloud with power and great glory. But when these things
begin to take place, stand up and lift your heads, because your redemption is
near.” Luke 21:25-28
So,
God’s word gives us our daily marching orders, back then, and now…this
day! Know the times and why the heathen
rage
but don’t be depressed or enraged. Rather, understand and keep doing what God gifted
you to do in serving others, all the while keeping your heart and head lifted
up…your redemption draws near.
That’s
what God is up to! And that’s what we
should be doing!
You
chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!
