The Old Testament saints had types of Christ in their Scriptures, but not knowing the glorious Antitype, as we do in Christ and His finished work on the cross, they had not the key to open up the Scriptures as we have. The New Testament throws a flood of light upon the Old Testament.
Doubtless the Old Testament sufficed for the spiritual needs of the saint living in those days, though for about the first two thousand five hundred years of the world's history there were no Scriptures at all. Yet God revealed Himself to Abraham, Job and many another in a wonderful way. But it is the New Testament saint who gets the full value of the Old Testament Scriptures. So we read,"Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." (Rom. 15:44For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. (Romans 15:4).)
ADAM AND EVE, A TYPE OF CHRIST AND THE CHURCH
No Old Testament saint reading Gen. 2 could see more in it than an intensely interesting account of how man and woman came into the world. They might wonder why man and woman were created in such a unique way. They might ponder over it for long, but they would never guess that a most precious type of the death of Christ, as necessary to possess His bride, was here foreshadowed. Yet in the light of the New Testament this is plain.
We have New Testament warrant for so understanding this most precious type of Christ and the church, given at so very early a stage in the history of mankind. We read, " Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing: but that it should he holy and without blemish." (Eph. 5:25-2725Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:25‑27).)
A little lower down in the Chapter this is indicated even more clearly. We read, " For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the church." (Eph. 5:31, 3231For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:31‑32).)
As the marriage relationship has been known ever since man and woman were created, many have thought that it afforded a convenient illustration of Christ and the church. In the light of Eph. 5, however, we gather that the marriage relationship was purposely established to be an illustration of what was in the mind of God before time was as to Christ and the church. This is confirmed by the fact that Eph. 5:3131For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. (Ephesians 5:31) quotes Gen. 2:2424Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Genesis 2:24). Thus the Old Testament and the New Testament grasp hands over the centuries.
This is deeply interesting, lifting marriage to a very high standard; the more so as we see the purity of the marriage state being assailed on every hand. We have the unsavory spectacle of divorce courts being crowded. Where one judge once sufficed to attend to these sordid matters, it takes several to-day to cope with this tide of evil. How this stands in lurid contrast to the divine exhortation,
The late well-known servant of the Lord, C. H. Macintosh, a man marked by deep affection, used to ask newly wedded young men if they were seeking to be Ephesian husbands? Surely a high standard, but it is the standard of the Word of God. How much happier a world it would be, if this were carried out.
Another very striking thing to be noticed is, that this first type of the death of Christ occurred BEFORE ever sin came into the world. We may well ask the reason for this, for death is the penalty of sin. In this Scripture it is not so much the setting forth of the necessity for the atoning aspect of the work of Christ, though that is a prime necessity for God's glory and the sinner's salvation. Seeing that sin had not come then into the world, the reason must be found in a different direction. The answer to our question is very beautiful. It is the foreshadowing of LOVE seeking to obtain the object of its affection, the type, as we shall see, of our Lord willing to go to the death of the cross for the express object of securing His bride.
The LORD God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. Whilst in that condition He took one of his ribs, and therefrom made He a woman, and brought her to the man, the first record of a surgical operation. We read,
" And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of My bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." (Gen. 2:22, 2322And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (Genesis 2:22‑23).)
Eve was of Adam. The church of God is of Christ. Adam fell into a deep sleep. Christ went into the deep sleep of death to possess His bride.
Adam exclaimed that Eve was bone of his bones, and flesh of his flesh. Of the church, Christ's bride, it is said that believers are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. (Eph. 5:3030For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. (Ephesians 5:30).)
That is to say what was literally and physically true of Adam in relation to Eve, is symbolically and spiritually true of Christ in relation to His church.
Genesis is the book which gives us the beginnings of things. A very happily phrased title is given to the first introduction of things in the Scriptures. It is called " The law of first mentions." These first mentions, generally speaking, present in very few words the essence, the fundamental thought of the divine mind in relation to the subject in hand, to be developed in detail in subsequent Scriptures. In this first mention of Adam and Eve we have a most striking example of this.
One has only to read Gen. 2 and Eph. 5 to see the close relationship between the two, as of type and antitype, of illustration and the thing illustrated. Its occurrence so early in the history of mankind shows how' very dear the thought of the church is to Christ.
ISAAC AND REBEKAH, TYPE OF CHRIST AND THE CHURCH
Thrilling is the eastern story of how Rebekah was won to be Isaac's bride, but still more wonderful when we see in it a type of Christ and His church, His bride. It should be carefully noticed, however, that the story of Isaac and Rebekah is preceded by the touching tale of Abraham offering up Isaac, and receiving him as " in a figure " (Heb. 11: 19) from the dead, setting forth typically the truth so insisted upon throughout the New Testament, that there could be no church of God, no bride for Christ, apart from the sacrifice of our Lord on the cross, settling the whole question of sin for God's glory and man's blessing.
It is interesting to note that Gen. 22:22And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. (Genesis 22:2) is the first place in Scripture where the word, LOVE, occurs, and that after more than two thousand years of the world's history had passed by. Here it is the love of Abraham to Isaac, the love of the father to his son, typical of the love of God-the love of the Father to His Son. We read, " Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou LOVEST, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." (Gen. 22:22And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. (Genesis 22:2).) Abraham was to take his son, his " only son," a term of great endearment, the dearly loved child of promise, to offer him up as a burnt offering. God sent HIS Son, His only begotten Son, into the world to die on the cross. " The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world." (1 John 4:1414And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. (1 John 4:14).) When the sacrificial knife in Abraham's hand was poised in mid-air to strike the fatal blow, we know how his hand was divinely held back, and a substitute provided instead of Isaac in the ram caught in the thicket by its horns. But in the case of our blessed Lord there could be no substitute.
" Himself He could not save,
He on the cross must die,
Or mercy could not come
To ruined sinners nigh.
Yes, Christ, the Son of God, must bleed,
That sinners might from sin be freed."
Abraham's obedience to this command must have been the most exquisite anguish to a parent's heart, yet it pales into utter insignificance before the supreme example of our Lord, who "Humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Phil. 2:88And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:8).)
Following the story of Abraham offering up his son Isaac, we get the beautiful tale of the wooing of Rebekah on the behalf of Isaac. Abraham sent a trusted servant, a type of the Holy Spirit, to distant Mesopotamia for this purpose, warning him not to take a wife of the Canaanitish enemies of the Lord, but to seek one of Isaac's kindred. Thus is illustrated how the Holy Spirit does not take the raw material of the ungodly world wherewith to build His church, but chooses those who are the subjects of the grace of God, those who are saved from their former life of alienation from God, and are brought into " newness of life." The church belongs to the New Creation, stainless and pure, and not to the Old, with its corruption and violence.
Arrived at a well, where his camels could be watered, Abraham's servant prayed that the wife chosen of the Lord for Isaac should appear, and in response to the request for a drink of water should offer to give drink to his camels also. As he thus prayed, a daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, appeared. Rebekah was very fair to look upon, and acted just as Abraham's servant prayed that she should. He then adorned her with a golden earring and two golden bracelets, inquiring eagerly who she was, and where she came from, joyously exclaiming, " I being in the way, the LORD led me." (Gen. 24:2727And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master's brethren. (Genesis 24:27).)
The damsel returning to her mother's house told of this unexpected happening, whereupon Laban, Rebekah's brother, came out and entreated Abraham's servant to enter the house. Food was put before him, but he refused to eat till he had declared his errand, so intent was he to carry out the task with which he was entrusted. He told of Abraham's wealth, of his flocks and herds, of his men servants and women servants, of his silver and gold. He told above all of the miraculous birth of Isaac, of God's promise to Abraham, that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed. He told how Abraham had given all that he had to Isaac, and that his one desire was to find a wife of his own kindred for his beloved son. Does this not remind us forcibly of the Scripture, "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand " (John 3:3333He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. (John 3:33))? The story told, the servant produced jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah, typical of spiritual blessings God bestows upon His people, who form the church of God.
Silver is typical of redemption, a first necessity, if we are to be associated with Christ in His risen life.
Gold is typical of divine righteousness, so that the believer can stand before God in the conscious sense of acceptance on the ground of the atoning death of our Lord.
Raiment sets forth typically that the righteousness of God, through the atoning death of our Lord, is " UPON all them that believe." (Rom. 3:2222Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: (Romans 3:22).) This righteousness is imputed, not of the believer's making in the slightest degree, but all of God's wondrous grace. The youngest believer stands in this divine righteousness before God as much as the maturest saint, aye, as much as the saints in glory. Immediately the prodigal in all his rags returned to his father, the servants were bidden to " bring forth THE BEST ROBE, and put it on him." (Luke: 22.) What the epistle of Romans states doctrinally (Rom. 3:2222Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: (Romans 3:22)), the gospel of Luke sets forth parabolically (Luke 15:2222But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: (Luke 15:22)). Imputed righteousness is the best robe.
Abraham's servant, keen to finish his task, urged:that he should be allowed to depart without delay. The mother and brother, however, pressed that Rebekah should stay at home for at least ten days, and that then she might go. How like this is to worldly believers, who would defer out-and-out surrender to Christ, and laying their lives wholeheartedly at His blessed feet; substituting for consecration to Him half measures, compromises with the flesh and the world, dishonoring to the Lord and disastrous for the believer. There is nothing like full surrender to the Lord's will. We read, " The love of Christ constraineth us; hecause we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:- and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live UNTO THEMSELVES. but UNTO HIM which died for them and rose again." (2 Cor. 5:14,1514For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. (2 Corinthians 5:14‑15).))
Abraham's servant, however, pressed for immediate departure, whereupon the brother and sister inquired of Rebekah herself as to this. How beautiful and decisive was her response. "And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I WILL GO." (Gen. 24:5858And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. (Genesis 24:58).)
Was there ever such a wooing? The servant must have told his story right well to induce a young woman to travel a matter of between five and six hundred miles on her camel, through wild desert lands, infested by bandits and robbers, to marry a man she had never seen.
Surely if Rebekah acted in this decided manner, we, Christians, should not be behindhand in out-and-out decision for the Lord. How true of believers in relation to our Lord are the words of Scripture, "Whom HAVING NOT SEEN, ye love; in whom, though now YE SEE HIM NOT, yet believing ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." (I Peter 1: 8.)
Surely in the light of the New Testament the nameless servant of Abraham stands for a beautiful type of the Holy Spirit of God, engaging the affections of God's people with the Lord Jesus Christ, the heavenly Bridegroom. Were this influence not at work in this world there would be alas! no response on the part of sinful men. How cheering it is to see the irresistible work of the Holy Spirit in souls. How real is this work! This is the secret of the persistence of Christianity in this world.
So Rebekah started on her adventurous journey, getting as far as the well Lahai-roi in the south country in the land of Isaac's sojourn. Isaac, expectant, walked in the fields at eventide, and behold the camels were seen in the distance. Rebekah at the same time lifted up her eyes, and saw Isaac for the first time afar off. She inquired who he was. The servant replied, " It is my master." Hearing this Rebekah took a veil and covered herself, a sign of her new relationship to Isaac. "And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he LOVED her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death." (Gen. 24:6767And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death. (Genesis 24:67).) This is only the second time that the word, love, is found in the Scriptures. The first time, as we have seen, it sets forth typically the love of the Father to the Son; the second time, the love of Christ to the church, His spotless bride.
Of course it is very obvious that an Old Testament saint could only read in this story a very beautiful account of how Isaac wooed and won Rebekah, deeply important surely to him, as being in the line in which was wrapped up all the promises of God to the nation. The Lord's people, however, rejoice to study in the light of the New Testament this most precious type of Christ and His church, and in so doing gain a deeper sense of the desire that the Lord has to possess Himself of His bride, even to the giving of Himself in death, and that the death of the cross. “Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might PRESENT IT TO HIMSELF a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." (Eph. 5:25-2725Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:25‑27).)