Lesson 26 - Typical Verbs

It should be helpful to call attention to various typical ceremonies which God ordained. In these verbs we will recognize many foreshadowings of the Cross.

For instance, it is not by accident that in connection with the offerings, blood was to be poured out; certain things were to be pierced; or parted in pieces; or that the rock was to be smitten, and the serpent was to be lifted up. And in this study we have described how certain substances were to be beaten. There are other examples.

One such gives us an important truth in connection with the Meal-offering. While it is true that there was no blood shed in this offering, the death of Jesus is surely pictured. (The subject of the Meal-offering is the idea of feeding on Jesus.) It does not merely typify His spotless life, though this is the most prominent characteristic.

At the end of Leviticus 2 the offering of first fruits is included in the Meal-offering. Surely there must be some mention of His death between the description of His life in verses 1and 2, and the resurrection, typified by the First-fruits in verse 14.The Meal-offering was to be eaten by the priest and it was to be made with grain and oil with no leaven.

· Leviticus 2:1-16, "'When someone brings a grain offering to the LORD, his offering is to be of fine flour (His life, perfect). He is to pour oil on it, put incense on it 2 and take it to Aaron's sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the fine flour and oil, together with all the incense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. 3 The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings made to the LORD by fire. 4 "'If you bring a grain offering baked in an oven, it is to consist of fine flour: cakes made without yeast and mixed with oil, or wafers made without yeast and spread with oil. 5 If your grain offering is prepared on a griddle, it is to be made of fine flour mixed with oil, and without yeast. 6 Crumble it (His death, broken bread) and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. 7 If your grain offering is cooked in a pan, it is to be made of fine flour and oil. 8 Bring the grain offering made of these things to the LORD; present it to the priest, who shall take it to the altar. 9 He shall take out the memorial portion from the grain offering and burn it on the altar as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. 10 The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings made to the LORD by fire. 11 "'Every grain offering you bring to the LORD must be made without yeast, for you are not to burn any yeast or honey in an offering made to the LORD by fire. 12 You may bring them to the LORD as an offering of the firstfruits, but they are not to be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma. 13 Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings. 14 "'If you bring a grain offering of firstfruits (His resurrection) to the LORD, offer crushed heads of new grain roasted in the fire. 15 Put oil and incense on it; it is a grain offering. 16 The priest shall burn the memorial portion of the crushed grain and the oil, together with all the incense, as an offering made to the LORD by fire.

Here His perfect life is pictured in verses 1 and 2 of chapter 2, and in verse 6 we see the offering being baked into a loaf of fine flour that was unleavened.

Well now, between mention of His perfect life in 1 and 2 and the mention of the broken bread, parted into pieces. Broken bread! Where could we find a more descriptive type of His death? So in this chapter of Leviticus we have a type of Jesus’ perfect life (unleavened bread); His death (the broken loaf of unleavened bread); and His resurrection (the first-fruits).

· Deuteronomy 21:22-23, If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, 23 you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse.

In these two verses we see a foreshadowing of two related events.

First, it points to the crucifixion of Jesus by being hung on a tree. Notice that verse 22 says, “If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death…” We don’t normally think of Jesus as being guilty, but then we must ask why did He die? And the answer is that He took our sins onto Himself, and because He was then guilty of our sins, God turned away from Him.

Second, we see a type of Judas who was guilty and following his betrayal of Jesus went and hanged himself on a tree. By overlooking these important typical verbs, some have failed to see the completeness of the picture, and have even denied that the Cross was in the Old Testament. But when we put the various verbs together, we see how accurate are the smallest details. It is not by accident that each word is used in its place by the Holy Spirit, when He would “signify” something fresh about the very form of the death which Jesus would suffer.