Part 2 – Old Testament Typology
| This Article is part of a multi-part Study Series called The Cross as Seen by Typology. |
Having the introduction to Biblical Study by typology, let’s now note how detailed the Lord is in using typology to reveal the very meaning of the Lord’s suffering in His passion of the cross.
“And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum (aromatic gums); these sweet spices with pure frankincense (for white smoked incense): of each shall there be a like weight: 35And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered (Heb., malah, pulverized) together, pure and holy: 36And thou shalt ‘beat some of it very small,’ and put of it before the testimony (the Ark) in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy. 37 And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD.” (Exodus 30:34-37)
These pulverized spices speak of the sweet fragrance of Christ’s suffering and death as… unto the LORD who “gave His only begotten Son” for us.
There are many helpful ways of grouping the types together. For example, we often find those which differ in many respects have one detail in common; and we may assume that the teaching conveyed by that one point is the same in each case, and by linking all together the point is emphasized and impressed. Such is the case when we see types of the Lord’s suffering.
There are, used in the building and equipping of the Old Testament Tabernacle and for its priestly service, many elements that were produced by the same method of being “beaten,” all pointing to the suffering Savior. Consider that all these elements had the word “beaten” in common as seen by Jehovah God’s explicit instructions to Moses for their making. There was the Beaten gold, the Beaten ears of corn, the Beaten flour, the Beaten olive oil, and the Crushed and finely Beaten spices that are mentioned in these verses; Exodus 27:20, 29:40, 37:17, 37:22, Leviticus 2:14, 2:16, 16:12, 24:2, Numbers 8:4, 28:5, 2 Chronicles 2:10, 9:15-16, and more.
Each of these is a significant “type” or representation of The Lord’s sufferings, and death that yields so much to us as believers today, and as was also promised to be received by the believers of Israel in the coming Kingdom at His 2nd coming. In the Tabernacle and its service, and elsewhere, we again and again have the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ typified by the crushing and beating of different substances.
In the Tabernacle, itself, the mercy seat was of pure “beaten” gold. The High Priest sprinkled only a drop of the blood of an innocently sacrificed bullock off of his “finger” (Leviticus 16:14) to “atone for” or “cover” the sins of the people. The word for “atonement” in the Hebrew is “kaphar” and it means “to cover.” Likewise, the word propitiation speaks of a “covering,” as by “the blood of Christ.” Thus, Paul wrote;
“(Jesus) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (Heb. expiatory covering) through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past (during the Old Testament), through the forbearance of God;” (Rom. 3:25)
The “beaten gold” mercy seat was atop and “covered” the “Law” that was in the ark beneath it. Two gold Cherubims were poised above the mercy seat, are positioned looking downward toward the beaten gold mercy seat that received the drop of the blood of “covering.” This spoke of Christ shed blood covering the sins of the people of Israel.
Likewise, the golden “candlestick” that lit the Holy place of the Tabernacle, which burned the oil of crushed olives, was not just pure gold, but of “beaten gold.” The beaten crucified and resurrected Lord is now “the Spirit” who gives us the life and light of Christ now in us to empower us and guide our way...
The spices for the holy “ointment” and for the “altar of incense” were made of “crushed and beaten” frankincense and other spices that were added to the compounded “beaten olive oil.” This holy ointment, typified the “Spirit” that came out of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Spirit was come “upon” the believers of Israel at Pentecost. Today “the Spirit of life” dwells within us as members of “the body of Christ.”
Consider now how the Tabernacle Holy Anointing Oil was compounded of spices and oil and their significance. First, realize that ultimately everything we as believers possess of the Lord comes to us via Jesus’ sufferings and His Cross. This can be seen in the compounding of the Holy Anointing Oil used in the O.T. Tabernacle and its service by their types. The elements of the Compounded Holy Anointing Oil, as seen in Exodus 30:32-25, are symbolic of the all-inclusive riches of “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” that has flowed to us from the resurrection side of His cross.
The elements of the Holy Anointing Oil typify:
- Jesus in His Incarnation
- Jesus in His Suffering
- Jesus in His Death
- Jesus in His Resurrection
The resurrected Christ brought His humanity and human experience into the eternal God-Head (Rom 1:3-4). The “Spirit of God,” typified by “oil” is now fully compounded to be all that man needs… for eternity.
Now let’s read God’s formula for the Holy “anointing oil,” taking it by its phrases in Exo. 30:23-25:
“23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices,
- of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and
(Speaks of Jesus’ death – Note: The 4 Wise Men brought
‘gold,’ representing His kingship, ‘frankincense” a symbol
of Jesus’ priestly role, and the ‘myrrh’ here prefigures
Jesus’ death, as used in His embalming (John 19:39).
(500 shekels - A shekel in weight equals 11 grams or 0.4 ounces.)
- of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and
(Speaks of the sweet fragrance of His life offered)
(250 shekels; the offering and sacrifice of His life is a sweet-smelling savor unto God (Ephesians 5:2)
- of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, 24And
(A sweet reed or cane that grows up out of muddy estuaries.
It speaks of His death that released His essence as a sweet
Smell of the Spirit)
(250 shekels; the dried reed was pulverized beyond recognition for its use in the Holy ointment.)
- of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and
(Speaks of His humble life offered, from which He rose,
destroying all the power of the Devil (Heb. 2:14)
(500 shekels; “Cassia” in Hebrew means “to bow down the Head” as Jesus “humbled Himself to death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:8). It is used as a remedy for snakebite. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3746536/ )
- of oil olive an hin: (One (1) hin, Symbolic of God’s One Spirit)
(Olive Oil here speaks of “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” that came by Jesus being “crushed” to death for its release
to us. The fact that all the spice elements that were added into the oil speak of what is included in the Spirit.
Thus, the Oil speaks of the divinity of God into which the elements of Jesus’ incarnation, suffering death, burial and resurrection
were added or compounded.)
- 25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound (of more than one component) after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.”
(“Compounded” together, these represent the One All-Inclusive Ointment, now as the Spirit within every believer)
Since, Christ brought His humanity and entire human experience into the eternal Godhead Spirit;
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15 (KJV)
Most every element of the Tabernacle and its service, including the Priests, were set apart, being anointed with this Holy Ointment, representing the Holy Spirit that we today have within us, sealing us (cf. Eph 1:13).