Types and Shadows
Introduction
Types and Shadows and Parables serve as mediums of instruction which God uses to communicate spiritual truth to mankind. To understand types and shadows and parables it to understand revelation that is hidden or cloaked in meaning. While this knowledge is hidden from those who are considered by God to be unworthy or perverse in heart, this same knowledge is intended by God to be revealed to His people.
The Old Testament (Jewish Tanakh) was fulfilled by the New Testament (Brit Hadashah) and therefore many of the things that occurred in Old Testament period were foreshadows of things to come under the New Testament era. Salvation is one example of this because God in his foreknowledge knew that mankind would fall into sin so God had already prepared a plan of salvation for their redemption before the foundation of the world (prior to the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden).
1 Peter 1:19-20 (NLT)-M
19 It was the precious blood of the Messiah, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.
Already the sacrifice of God's Son Jesus (Yeshua) the Jewish Messiah was prepared before the foundation of the world and long before the fall of mankind into sin.
Throughout the Old Testament era God was at work illustrating to humanity the redemption which was to come. The sacrificial system of the Old Testament era taught humans the need for blood atonement for sin just as the innocent animals died on behalf of the guilty humans. This was a foreshadow which spoke of Jesus the Messiah who was to come and sacrifice his own blood on behalf of sinful humanity to purchase their redemption on their behalf. The Old Testament is filled with spiritual illustrations which spoke in advance of the coming atonement made by Jesus the Messiah.
Types and shadows and parables are often synonymous in many ways being something that serves as a natural illustration of spiritual things. Boaz in the book of Ruth is a type of Messiah who was a kinsman redeemer was able to save those who come to him by faith. Boaz was a type and shadow of the Messiah who was to come later.
A shadow is something that is a dark image like a silhouette portrayed against a wall when a person is standing between a light source and the wall in a darkened room. The silhouette or shadow projected on the wall is not the actual person but if someone is familiar with that person they can recognize the shape of that silhouette as being created by the outline of that familiar person's image. A shadow is a dark image or outline that is vague and without detail but yet it does portray someone who is real.
In the same way a spiritual shadow is something that mirrors the good things to come in a dark manner. It is not meant to be specific but only gives a general outline or a dark image of things to come. Those who have spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear what the Spirit of God is saying will be able to see and comprehend what is being communicated by types and shadows that exist within the Old Testament.
A parable is similar to the types and shadows because it also communicates spiritual truth howbeit in a cloaked or vague manner. Some parables are obvious enough for everyone to see what they mean but other parables are such that it requires spiritual discernment from those who have spiritually open eyes and spiritually open ears to hear what the Spirit of God is saying.
Numbers 12:6-8 (NLT)
6 And the LORD said to them, “Now listen to what I say: “If there were prophets among you, I, the LORD, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams.
7 But not with my servant Moses. Of all my house, he is the one I trust.
8 I speak to him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles! He sees the LORD as he is. So why were you not afraid to criticize my servant Moses?”
Normally God would reveal himself to prophets in visions and in dreams which were often symbolic in nature. But Moses was different because he had a friendship with God and was closer to God than any other humans and God spoke to him in direct manner like a man speaks with a friend. God did not speak in dark sayings or use riddles when speaking to Moses. Moses was faithful to accomplish every detail that God told him to do and so he won the position of being a friend with God!
John 15:15 (NLT)
15 I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.
Jesus confided in his disciples because they paid the price to give up everything to follow him and they earned the position of being friends with God. This is why Jesus would reveal the meaning of the parables directly to his disciples but when he spoke to the masses of people outside his inner circle he only used parables.
Matthew 13:10-17 (HCSB)
10 Then the disciples came up and asked Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
11 He answered them, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them.
12 For whoever has, ⌊more⌋ will be given to him, and he will have more than enough. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
13 For this reason I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand.
14 Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You will listen and listen, yet never understand; and you will look and look, yet never perceive.
15 For this people’s heart has grown callous; their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn back— and I would cure them.
16 “But your eyes are blessed because they do see, and your ears because they do hear!
17 For I assure you: Many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see yet didn’t see them; to hear the things you hear yet didn’t hear them.
Those who were outside of the circle of the friends of Jesus did not have the parables expounded to them in clear manner. Only the disciples received the direct revelation of what these parables meant. Among the masses of people were those who were hard-hearted and profane. Many did not want to repent or change but only wanted benefits like healing or free-food which Jesus offered them. Such people were spiritually "dull-of-hearing" and spiritually "blind" meaning that they could not see the mysteries presented to them even though people with good heart conditions were enabled to see these things.
The parable is therefore a form of code which only addresses those who have good heart motives in the sight of God. These good people were able to see the spiritual revelation of the parable but to the profane and spiritually dull of hearing they received nothing.
In this manner, the wicked were reserved for eternal damnation because they exercised their human freewill to resist God for a long-period of time. They become hard-hearted and unable to perceive spiritual things and this sealed them up for the eternal damnation which they deserved.
Psalm 78:1-2 (NASB)
1 Listen, O my people, to my instruction; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,
King David was moved by the Holy Spirit to record things over 1,500 years before the time of Jesus which were fulfilled when Jesus opened his mouth to reveal secrets in the form of parables which were dark sayings of ancient times.
Matthew 13:34-35 (HCSB)
34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and He would not speak anything to them without a parable,
35 so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: I will open My mouth in parables; I will declare things kept secret from the foundation of the world.
The things that Jesus revealed in parables were the mysteries of God which were kept secret since the foundation of the world. To understand a parable is to understand spiritual mysteries and secrets of the kingdom of God. These things were revealed throughout the Old Testament era as illustrations or allegories or foreshadows or dark images or outlines or patterns or portrayals or previews or symbols which all reveal or speak of things to come. These words are all synonyms for types and shadows and parables which are all designed to communicate spiritual truth in indirect manner. Those who have spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear will be able to see these things which represent spiritual truth hidden in the form of a code which is reserved for those whose hearts are right before God.
Deuteronomy 29:29 (NASB)
29 "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.
The things revealed to humanity are those things which are released in the form of a parable. In this manner, this revelation will bless and prosper those who are good in God's sight while the wicked who have made a lifestyle out of rebelling against God will be "dull-of-hearing" and unable to see or perceive what a parable is saying. These wicked hard-hearted people are those who are pestilent sinners which are in direct rebellion to God and have become hardened by a lifetime of rebellion. These types of sinners have no desire to change or repent. Such wicked types of sinners have cut themselves off from God and are blinded from the spiritual revelation that could save their souls from hell. God hides his revelation from the perverse and rebellious but reveals revelation to those whose hearts are humble before God and have a good heart condition like that of Moses who was God's friend.
Both Clear and Vague Parables
Some things God reveals in the Old Testament have clear and obvious parallels to spiritual truth as is revealed in the New Testament. There are other parables however that are vague in context but nevertheless those who have spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear can see the revelation represented by vague parables also. Below are some links to biblical parables or types or shadows which illustrate spiritual truth.
Parable of the Goat and the Mother's Milk
This parable actually speaks of a spiritual Torah-principle related to the management of finances and gives the secrets to prosperity. But it is cloaked in the form of a parable which says, "Do not boil a young goat in it's mothers goat milk." But in fact this parable is not talking about goats or goat-milk at all and only those who have spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear will be able to discern the hidden meaning of this parable. In fact the true meaning is "hidden-for" God's people and it is cloaked or veiled to hide it from those who are perverse in God's sight and unworthy of seeing this revelation.
See "The Parable of the Goat and Mother's Milk" for more details.
Ruth: A Spiritual Analogy
The entire book of Ruth is filled with spiritual analogy and types and shadows which speak of salvation for humanity and the Jewish harvest of souls represented by the Barley harvest and the Gentile harvest of souls represented by the wheat harvest. Ruth is a clear and obvious type of parable which is easy for anyone to see who has spiritual eyes and spiritual ears that are open (an indication of a good heart condition before God).
See the teaching lesson called "Ruth: A Spiritual Analogy" for more details.
Another spiritual analogy that speaks of God anointing ordinary men as civil leaders to execute judgment upon domestic and foreign terrorists. Saul had certain signs come to pass just after he was anointed to be king by the Prophet Samuel. These signs are type and shadow which speak of spiritual things related to the office of a civil servant or king.