In the Old Testament there is a large and varied store of typical teaching, but the mine will only yield its wealth to the diligent worker. “The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting.” The Spirit of God has laid under contribution, persons, places, events, and things in general in teaching Christ to us, and in the unfolding of the circle of Divine truth of which He is the center.
The 39 books comprising the Old Testament are like a picture gallery, but the collection of pictures although large and varied, is meaningless and uninteresting without a guide to explain and a key to unlock the boundless treasure. But the Holy Spirit — the guide into all truth has come — and the ‘Son’ sent from God, the key surely to the whole Word of God; and now these typical pictures stand out before us conveying their precious lessons, and unfolding the Christ of God in His glories and work to our hearts. This kind of teaching is solid food, belonging “to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
The dispensational types of Genesis, the redemption types of Exodus, the sacrificial types of Leviticus, the wilderness types of Numbers, the Canaan types of Joshua, the Kingdom types of the historical writings and the prophetic types of the Prophets will yield a harvest both rich and abundant to all who care to labour in this profoundly interesting field of Bible research.
The study of the types, however, require careful handling, and the student will need grace to curb imagination and check severely the mere working of mind or intellect; for our encouragement, however, let us remember that we are endowed with the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:1616For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16)) and the Holy Spirit the power of the new man.