The Bible is full of shadows and types. These two things, though different, basically speak of the same thing: a relationship or a likeness between two things or actions. The corresponding thing to a type is called the anti-type. A good example is found in 1 Pet. 3:20,21: the salvation of Noah’s family in and by water is a type of salvation by baptism, which is the anti-type. So that momentous event of the flood is only a type, the real important thing is your baptism. Also 1 Cor. 10:1-11. Note in v.11 he says the things which happened to the ancient Israelites were only types. Your journey through life is the crucial issue.
The Bible also speaks of shadows and substance. Heb. 10:1.For the law having a shadow of things to come, and not the very image of the things…..So the animal sacrifices were a shadow of the sacrifice of Christ. They were different but they bore a resemblance:- they involved death and the shedding of blood. cf. John 1:29
They lacked real substance (Heb. 10:4 It is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin) but, in contrast, the sacrifice of Christ was and is effectual.
An important thing to understand is that a shadow cannot exist without the substance, but substance can exist without shadow. Unless there is a substance there can be no shadow. This is important Biblically since the shadow appears first in the Bible. This can lead to the impression that the shadow is most important when it is not so. How many people come across the Ten Commandments early in the book of Exodus and proceed on the assumption they must be of supreme importance and strive to bind these upon men? Quite a few religious groups bind the Sabbath upon men, even though it is but a shadow (Col. 2:16,17). The O.T. wouldn’t exist without the N.T. – sounds funny? It’s true, it was but a shadow of the New which is the substance.
You need light to shine on the substance in order to throw a shadow. From whence comes the light? It comes from eternity, from the mind of God who devised the plan of salvation in Christ and the church of Christ which came into existence historically some 2000 years ago, cast a long shadow into the ages before the Christ. This is why it was a mystery – you could see the outline but not the detail.
Some of these shadows and substances have more than one point of relationship, one such being the two great covenants that God made, one which we call Old and the other New, which divide our Bibles into two sections.
1. Both covenants were made with the nation of Israel. This is fitting inasmuch as they were the chosen nation to be a witness of God to the world. The occasion of the first covenant was in the infancy of the nation after they had come out of Egyptian slavery. Deut. 5:1ff 900 years later Jer. 31:31-34. When he spoke that it became the old covenant (Heb. 8:13 In that he says, a new covenant, He has made the first old). Some 1500 years after the first covenant the new covenant was made to the same nation – but it was a different set of people – a people who had experienced the promised land, had periods of judges and then kings before experiencing deportation and the loss of their independent nation status. Now they lived all over the world, not just in Palestine.
2. Both covenants were inaugurated on mountain tops. This was fitting as they were “mountain-top” experiences. The first was on Mt. Sinai in the Sinai peninsula, and the second was on Mt. Zion in Judaea. This was prophesied – Isa. 2:2-4out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.and so it came to pass – Luke 24:47. repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
But there were differences:
3. The mountains were different.
a. Sinai – uninhabited and rugged – Ex. 19:2 they came to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness, and there Israel camped before the mount.
b. Zion – populated and the jewel in the crown – Ps. 48:2 beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion…
4. The occasions were different.
a. the people were terrified (Heb. 12:21 so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake
b. the people were shocked but then glad (Acts 2:6,7 the multitude came together and were confounded…were all amazed and marvelled. v.41 they that gladly received his word were baptised..
5. Thousands were present
a. Ex. 12:37 – 600,000 men over the age of 20
b. Acts 2:5; Jews out of every nation under heaven. 9-11 lists 15 nations
6. People attracted by signs
a. Fire, thunder, lightning – the people were terrified and wanted it to stop. Ex.19: 16 all the people who were in the camp trembled: 20:18 the people removed and stood afar off and in v.19 they said let not God speak with us lest we die.
b. Sound of wind, fire, human languages speaking multiple languages because people from all over the world Acts 2:11 we do hear them speak in our languages the wonderful works of God
7. The covenants were fundamentally different
a. the first justified by performance
b. the second justified by faith in Christ – superior in every way.
8. The giving of both covenants was preceded by the death of the firstborn and Passover lamb fifty days earlier.
The Jews had been sold into slavery in Egypt and thus for God to make them His people they had to be redeemed. Ex. 6:6 I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgements; 2 Sam. 7:23And what one nation in all the earth is like your people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to Himself…your people whom you redeemed to you from Egypt, from the nation and their gods?Ex. 4:22,23 You shall say to Pharaoh, thus says the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn, and I say to you, let my son go that he may serve me, and if you refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay your son, even your firstborn.– God asked Egypt to let His firstborn nation go free so that He would not have to kill their firstborn. You see a slave could be freed voluntarily on the part of the slave owner, otherwise the redemption price would have to be paid. So it was that Egypt received the price. In buying the people with the death of the firstborn of Egypt, God owned the firstborn of Israel but He accepted the Levites in their place (Num. 3:13). A sad scene is found in Num. 33:3,4 where God had demonstrated judgement upon their gods by the plagues, and the Israelites walked out in full view of the Egyptians who were burying their dead firstborn. This happened 50 days before the giving of the covenant on Mt. Sinai
a. Sinai – Ex.12:2,3;take a lamb on the 10th day of the first month16:1 they came to the wilderness of Sin on the fifteenth day of the second month19:1in the third month, the same day, they came to the wilderness of Sinai.Egyptian firstborn – sinners.
b. Zion – Acts 2:1 – 50 days after Passover – Jesus – Col. 1:15-19 the firstborn of all creation!
You see, they were sold unto sin (Rom. 7:14), and so had to be redeemed from under the law (Gal. 4:5); Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us (Gal. 3:13,14) and he redeemed us from all wickedness, purifying a people for His own (Tit. 2:14). We were not redeemed with corruptible things but with the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet. 1:18). We are the church of the firstborn ones (Heb. 12:23), having been redeemed unto God (Rev. 5:9)
50 days before the giving of the old covenant they sacrificed the Passover lamb, and 50 days before the giving of the new covenant Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us (1 Cor. 5:7). In Egypt God looked down and saw the blood on the door posts and lintel and passed over them saving them with a great salvation, but the blood of Christ speaks better things, not saving our bodies from a plague but our souls from eternal hell.