For many believers, Leviticus feels distant and difficult, filled with sacrifices, feasts, and laws that seem far removed from modern Christian life. Seeing Christ [1]
Maybe not so distant and difficult for those of us in the Church of God – we already accept the holy days and quit eating unclean meats, but the sacrifices still seemed very foreign to me. Why so much detail about something that was supposedly “done away”? “Fulfilled in Jesus”?
(The offerings) are a type of Jesus Christ and a description of His sacrifice for us. messianiclearning [2]
The word “type” has a specific meaning here. It isn't just a word invented by academics. Basically, type means the same as symbolism, prefigure, or foreshadow. A type in the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New Testament, very often in the person of Jesus Christ. The fulfillment is called the anti type. And my reference for that is the Bible itself – we just have to look past the English into the Greek behind these verses.
Rom 5:14 ESV Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come - type is Greek typos, meaning pattern
1 Co 10:6 ESV Now these things took place as examples for us - examples is Greek typos - Literal translations use types
1 Peter 3:21 Berean Standard Bible And this water symbolizes the baptism that now saves you also - symbolize is Greek antitypon
Consider this type from "The Law of the Offerings".
Christ is the offering, Christ is the priest, Christ is the offerer. Jukes [3] (p. 31)
It is possible that in time I might have figured this out on my own, after all there are clues in the New Testament.
Heb 10:12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God
Heb 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession.
I'm not sure when I would have realized that Jesus is both High Priest AND the sacrifice in the same offering.
Jukes breaks down the five kinds of sacrifices described in Lev 1-7, comparing them, contrasting them, with details like who can eat them, which parts are burned, what animals or grains can be sacrificed. All of these things point to aspects of Jesus' sacrifice, His life and His death. In Jukes' own words:
The varieties in the Typical Offerings represent different aspects of Christ’s One Offering: the different offerings giving us different aspects of His Offering [3] (p 143)
My point is not to go into depth on the offerings, but to show that the Old Testament is full of types, especially types that point to Jesus, hence the Gospel. For me, Jukes' book was an introduction to the idea. Studying types reminds me of this saying from the Bible Project.
The Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus. bibleproject [4]
We see types very early in Genesis. The quote earlier Rom 5:14 says that Adam is a type of the one to come, meaning Jesus.
1 Co 15:45 Thus it is written, The first man Adam became a living being the last Adam (Jesus) became a life-giving spirit.
In Gen 2, the Sabbath is introduced. Is it not a type of the 7000 year plan of God?
Of course, there are many Old Testament verses that are actual prophecies of Christ, the kingdom, and the Gospel, these are not types. The earliest is Gen 3:15.
Gen 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
This verse even has its own name - “Protoevangelium” which means first gospel as it is the first promise of redemption and victory over sin and Satan. biblehub [5]
But I'm talking about types, types which prefigure Jesus. Some Old Testament characters prefigure or “typify” Jesus, not necessarily their whole life, but maybe in one aspect, like Jonah in the belly of the fish for three days typifies Jesus being in the grave for three days. But Jonah also tried to run away from God, not a type of Jesus.
Not Every Detail is Typological: Types should not be over-analyzed to extract hidden meanings from every detail of the OT text. homaibiblestudy [6]
Of the dozens of figures in the Old Testament that typify Jesus in some way, I've picked three to talk more about – Joseph, Joshua, and Boaz.
Joseph
It is the sheer number of parallels that makes Joseph a fascinating type of Jesus. Many of these follow the same order in both of their lives. These came from John Ross [7]
Beloved sons sent by their fathers.
Both hated by their own brothers.
Both stripped of their clothes.
Both sold for silver.
Jesus was sold by His disciple Judas to the chief priests for thirty pieces of silver.
Note the same name — Judah, Judas.
Both placed in a pit.
Both were falsely accused.
Both were imprisoned with two criminals.
Both were raised up after suffering.
Both were given all authority.
Both provided bread that saved the world.
Their own brothers did not recognize them.
When they finally recognized them, someone wept.
Joseph and Jesus forgave their betrayers.
Joshua
After the death of Moses, God chose Joshua to lead Israel to the Promised Land, securing rest for the nation - Josh 1:1-2 . Christ is the greater Joshua leading His people into the eternal rest of God’s kingdom - explainingthebook [8]. The name “Jesus” is derived from “Joshua”, spelled “Yehoshua” or sometimes “Yeshua”. And the names Joshua and Jesus mean “Yah Will Save”, Yah is God's shortened name as in "Hallelu Yah" -wiki(Joshua) [9], abarim-publications [10]. All of which makes this verse make sense.
Mt 1:24 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for HE WILL SAVE his people from their sins.”
Boaz
Boaz performed deeds of kindness toward Ruth.
Jesus performed deeds of kindness toward Israel and beyond - blind, lame, lepers, demon possessed, tax collectors, beggars, and the Samaritan woman.
But the most important type pictured by Boaz is that of kinsman redeemer. The redemption by Boaz is a picture of what God had done by redeeming Israel from bondage in Egypt, and would do for Israel. At incredible cost to Himself, Jesus redeemed sinners (Rom 3:24; Gal 4:5; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14). Not just anyone could redeem the person in distress, it had to be family. This is a type of Jesus coming in the flesh to be a family member to all mankind. He is our Redeemer, AND a kinsman. kinsman-redeemer [11]
Boaz is the only human kinsman-redeemer featured in the whole Old Testament. greater_boaz [12]
Conclusion
We see many many Old Testament people who typify Jesus in some aspect of their lives. We also see stories like the Exodus which point to the great work that Christ will do in delivering His people and establishing His kingdom. We see Jesus' redemption of mankind in the story of Boaz and Ruth. We see the Holy Days repeatedly point to aspects of Jesus' ministry – He is the Passover lamb, He is the Wave Sheaf offering, accepted by God, He is the King who returns on the Day of Trumpets, He is the goat “for the LORD” on the Day of Atonement. We see the life of Jesus foreshadowed in the Tabernacle, in its furnishings, and in Tabernacle rituals like sacrificial offerings. We see types in the seventh day Sabbath, and in the phrase “the third day”, as in the story of Jonah, or when Abraham lifted up his eyes on the third day (the binding of Isaac) – Gen 22:4. In other words, we see the Gospel everywhere in the Old Testament. Jesus Himself told the disciples as much on the road to Emmaus (that time when they didn't recognize Him).
Lk 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
You can find MANY more examples by searching for “old testament types of Jesus”.
References
