Types in the Old Testament

Order of Service

• Prayer of Invocation
• Sermon
• Closing Prayer

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Sermon Title: Types in the Old Testament

Scripture: Genesis 22

I. Introduction: Three Categories of Christ in the Old Testament

A. Promises — broad declarations of God's redemptive plan, beginning with Genesis 3:15 B. Prophecies — fill in the details of how God will fulfill his promises C. Patterns — types and shadows that foreshadow the person and work of Christ

II. What Are Types and Shadows?

A. The term type (Greek: typos) means an imprint or impression

1. Used in Romans 5 where Paul calls Adam a type of Christ
2. Same word used when Thomas demands to see the nail marks in Jesus's hands B. The term shadow appears in Colossians 2 and Hebrews 8
3. Old Testament ceremonies, temple, and sacrificial system serve as shadows
4. Shadows point ahead to the substance, which is Christ C. Foreshadowing builds anticipation and, when fulfilled, we experience the fulfillment with added force D. Types demonstrate that the Bible is not an accidental collection but one unified, true story centered on Christ

III. Types in Persons

A. Examples raised from the congregation: Adam, Joseph, Melchizedek, Seth, Moses B. Isaac as a type of Christ — Genesis 22

1. Isaac is the only beloved son of promise; Abraham is commanded to sacrifice him
2. Isaac carries the wood for the burnt offering; God stays Abraham's hand
3. Abraham declares, "God will provide for himself the lamb"
4. The New Testament draws on this language directly:
   • Romans 8:31–32 — God did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, doing what Abraham was kept from doing
   • 1 Peter 1:18–19 — ransomed with the precious blood of Christ, like a lamb without blemish
5. Isaac points to Christ as the sufficient sacrifice God himself provides C. Mephibosheth as a type of the sinner welcomed by Christ — 2 Samuel 9
6. Mephibosheth is lame in both feet and of the house of Saul — two marks of unworthiness
7. David, honoring his covenant with Jonathan, seeks him out and restores him
8. Mephibosheth calls himself a "dead dog," yet David seats him permanently at the king's table
9. David here types Christ:
   • Matthew 9:10–13 — Jesus reclines with tax collectors and sinners; he came to call not the righteous but sinners
   • Romans 5:6–10 — while we were still weak, still sinners, still enemies, Christ died for us and reconciled us to God
10. Mephibosheth types the believer; David types Christ welcoming the spiritually crippled to his table

IV. Types in Places

A. Jacob's ladder — Genesis 28

1. Jacob sees a ladder between earth and heaven with angels ascending and descending
2. Fulfilled in Christ — John 1 — Jesus tells Nathanael he will see heaven opened and angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man
3. Christ himself is the ladder; he bridges the gap between heaven and earth B. Mount Sinai — the presence of God experienced by Moses foreshadows the presence of God dwelling in the person of Christ

V. Types in Things

A. Temple sacrifices and gifts — Hebrews 8 — shadows pointing to Christ as the substance B. The bronze serpent — lifted up in the wilderness; Jesus applies this to himself: as all who looked on the serpent were saved, all who look to Christ lifted up on the cross and believe are saved

VI. Types in Events

A. Jonah in the belly of the fish — Jesus explicitly applies this to his own death and resurrection: three days and nights in the earth, as Jonah was three days in the fish B. Israel's forty-year wilderness wandering — types Christ's forty-day temptation in the wilderness

1. Israel failed; Christ succeeded as the second Adam and the true Israel
2. His righteousness in overcoming temptation is credited to all who believe on him

VII. So What? — Why This Matters

A. Seeing types reveals that all of Scripture is unified and centered on Christ B. It makes the Old Testament more readable and desirable — we read looking for Christ C. As Spurgeon observed, in almost every passage of the Old Testament there is a road that leads to Christ D. Understanding types helps believers become better, more eager readers of the whole Bible, both Old and New Testaments