HOW TO INTERPRET TYPOLOGIES
1. Definition - A type is a pattern, image, or a symbol of a person, place, or thing. For example, Adam was a type of Christ, baptism corresponds to the deliverance experienced by Noah and his family in the flood. Joseph was a type of Christ, as the people looked to the staff that Moses held up and were delivered so are people saved when they look to Christ alone.
2. A type should show similarity to a quality, element, or meaning to something else. For example, Abraham’s offering of Isaac is a type of God offering up His son for our sins.
3. A type should bring out the rich meanings of God’s purpose in the historical context. The correspondence between the type-Joseph and the antitype-Christ will bring out added depth to the meaning of both people’s lives.
4. A type will sometimes be given direct explanation in other scripture. For example, Christ is said to be the creator in Hebrews 1:10-12. Also in Psa 102:25-27 we see Jehovah as the creator. This is a direct assertion that Christ is the creator.
5. Types can help us see Old Testament truths in New Testament thinking. For example, Paul uses Christ as redeemer both coming and going to Zion. This means that while the passage Paul quotes from in Isa 27:9 says, ``A redeemer comes out of Zion.’’ Paul uses it to tell the future, ``The redeemer will turn away ungodliness from Jacob.’’ Jesus will help Israel to be saved. Christ remains the same both in the O.T. & in the future. (Romans 11:26)
6. Types can be seen in quotations in the N.T. from the O.T.. For example, Paul contrasts believers and non-christians in 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1. He quotes from Isa. 52:11 when he says, ``Be separate and touch not the unclean thing.’’ He reflects the unclean idols, practices, marrying with pagan women, and the environment surrounding the Jewish nation. He parallels this to the Romans’ temptation to become involved with idolatry, lawlessness, the polluting influence of politics, and the conformity to the evil world.
7. Types can be seen in people. For example Solomon, David, and Melchizedek are seen as types of Christ. Melchizedek was the king of Salem, earlier named Jerusalem. He also gave bread and wine. He was a priest of God. He blessed Abraham on behalf of God. Abraham gave to him a tenth of what he owned. Then the writer of Hebrews said, ``You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.’’ Psa. 110:4 & Heb. 7:11,17,21. The writer uses this type to compare and contrast the Levitical priesthood and the heavenly priesthood.
Illustration: Melchizedek is a type of Christ in the sense that he is a priest who is independent from all earthly dependencies. Christians should learn how to trust in God alone and we are freed from death’s sting.
8. A type can also show similarities in events. For example the calling of the Israelites out of Egypt is a type of the Christians’ deliverance from his old nature, environment, and dependencies. Matthew takes this from Hosea 11:1 and applies it to Jesus when he says, ``From Egypt I have called my son.’’ (Matt. 2:15) As Jesus was called out as an individual God is calling people out of their hardships, problems, and predicaments today.
9. Types can also be found in things. For example, as the temple was the central place of worship for the Jews so in the N.T. the temple is our body where the Holy Spirit dwells. I Cor. 3:16 says, that we are to worship the Lord with our bodies, our lives, and our actions. We are to treat our lives with respect worthy of God’s Spirit who is staking His reputation on us. 2 Cor. 6:16 says,
``I will dwell with them and will move and walk among them, and I will be their God and they shall be my people. As the temple was a holy place so should our every thought, word, and deed reflect that holiness that lives in us.
10. Typology should play a supporting role to the main doctrines of scripture. Always look for the correlations involving the central themes of the O.T. and N.T..
11. Do not oversimplify or overcomplicate typologies. Be aware of the entire context of the immediate and greater context of scripture. For example, do not insist that the 12 plates on Aaron’s breastplate are the twelve tribal strategies to fight Satan since we are to take up the breastplate of righteousness in Ephesians 6. The priest was using these to intercede in prayer for these 12 tribes of Israel as his duty.
12. Types may contain symbols. For example, the tabernacle is often used to foreshadow N.T. truths. The tabernacle contained the water, the laven, the shewbread, and the Holy of Holies which can all be used a symbols to explain the redemptive ministries of Christ. We may enter into the Holy of holies directly through prayer in the power of the Holy Spirit.
A. Symbols may use a single parallel to represent something else like an object, an idea, or an event. For example there are many symbols used to explain different dimensions of the Bible: bread, meat, milk, fire, water, seed, sword, and light.
B. Symbols may use figurative language to explain the broader meanings of a truth. For example the word is lamp to our feet and light to our path. (Psa. 119:110)
C. Symbols have the advantage of being timeless either in the past, the present, or future.
D. Symbols may represent several meanings. For example the washing of the water with the word from Titus 3:5 can mean that the word of God washes, cleanses, purifies, and brings satisfaction to our thirsty souls.
E. Symbols can be used to enrich or to distort, so we must be careful of not spiritualizing or allegorizing the meanings of symbols. Let your main doctrines of the scripture come from explicit texts not from obscure ones. For example I Jn. 5:11-13 gives us the truth about the assurance of salvation for the believers. Do not be led astray by those who may try to make you think that a born again Christian can lose his salvation.
F. Be sure to check the context of the symbols. For example in Matt. 16:6 the context will tell you that the leaven refers to wrong teaching. In other places like Matt. 13:33 leaven indicates the positive spreading of the kingdom of God.
G. Cross-references will also shed light on the meanings of symbols. For example, Jesus knows that his sheep hear his voice and follow him in John 10. Psalm 23 is a good reference to depict the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep. In both places there is a trusting, protecting, and guidance element in their relations.
H. See how the author intends to use his symbolism. For example Solomon wrote Songs of Solomon to parallel the marriage relationship with a believer’s relationship with the Lord.
I. Be discriminating in what parts of the symbols to apply to the text. For example, when Jesus said in Matt. 7:6, ``Do not throw your pearls before swine.’’ He did not mean to say that the Pharisees were exactly like pigs. Instead, he meant that by emphasis the Pharisees would not have any use for the gospel in their self-righteous mindsets.
J. Check to see if the symbolism is normal or special. For example, the pilgrimage of the Jewish people in the Sinai desert is not the normal symbol for the spiritual Christian. The wilderness wandering is a special event that God took the Jews through to emphasize His sovereignty, chastening, and will for their lives. We must always interpret O.T. symbolism in the light of N.T. TEACHING.
K. THE KEY PRINCIPLE TO REMEMBER IN INTERPRETING A PASSAGE THAT MAY BE LITERAL OR FIGURATIVE MEANINGS IS - ``If the passage makes sense seek no other sense.’’ Note that figurative does not mean mythical.
L. Certain symbols of Christ may be seen in Revelation. For example, Christ may be seen as the lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, or the Lamb of God. Revelation is a special book filled with figurative language. For example, the dragon is Satan. The seven heads are the seven mountains (Referring to Rome) (17:9) Always interpret symbols in Revelation in light of the purpose of the book. John was writing to Christians to resist the demands of emperor worship. He informs his readers that the final showdown between God and Satan is near. John assures the readers of Christ’s ultimate victory, protection, and blessing.
M. Figurative language is often used in dreams. For example, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream of the healthy seven ears of corn eating the seven blasted ears of corn correctly. He told Pharaoh that this dream was a prediction of seven years of abundant harvest followed by seven years of famine. Soon Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of the land of Egypt.
N. Jesus referred to Himself in prophetic figurative language at times. He said, ``Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.’’ (Jh. 2:19) When he resurrected from the dead the disciples understood what he had meant as he opened their minds to the scriptures. (Lk. 24:45) Note Several of the above ideas were taken from p. 221-227 of Understanding and Applying the Bible by J. Robertson McQuilken, Moody, 83
13. Be careful that you do not make types out of anything. Study the N.T. examples of types and metaphors first. This will give you practice in interpreting types for yourself. Here are some examples:
A. God the portion of His saints, the shield of the righteous, the husbandmen, the guide of His people, the refuge of His people, and the great I am.
B. The gospel era typified by the year of jubilee, Christ was typified by the cities of refuge, Israel as a type of the church, Solomon’s temple as a type of the heavenly state, the tabernacle as a type of the Christian church, Jerusalem as a type of the church, the priests as typical of believers, Christ typified as the ark of the covenant, the mercy seat as a type of Christ,the brazen serpent as a type of Christ, Christ typified as the two goats (Lev. 16:7,8), Christ typified as manna, Christ typified as the smitten rock, the burning bush as a type of the church, Christ typified as the paschal lamb, Christ typified as Jacob’s ladder, Jonah as a type of Christ, Moses as a type of Christ, and Isaac as a type of Christ.
EXAMPLES OF TYPOLOGY SERMON OUTLINES
Title - Joseph as a Type of Christ
Topic - Becoming Like Jesus
Propositional Statement - What can we learn from Joseph about becoming like Christ?
1. Joseph’s name means fruitfulness.
A. Joseph had taken on God’s identity, His purposes, and sworn His allegiance to Him alone.
B. Joseph, like Jesus would surely prosper because He had surrendered His life to God’s purposes not his own
C. Joseph would bless others who worked with him as they would enjoy the benefits of associating with God
2. Joseph was rejected by his own, but God turned his tragedy into a triumph.
A. Joseph did not become bitter, resentful, or belligerent.
B. Joseph resigned himself to God’s sovereign purposes.
C. Joseph knew that God’s ultimate purposes would triumph despite his circumstances.
D. Joseph knew that even though his brothers tried to kill him, the Lord’s will would still bring triumph.
E. Though many conspired against him, he did not seek revenge.
F. Joseph stayed pure despite temptations.
G. Joseph was falsely accused and cast into prison, but endured.
H. Joseph was able to save his nation from destruction.
I. Joseph used God’s deliverance for the good of all not hoarding it only for himself.
J. Joseph did not revel in his own position, honor, and advancement, but spread the benefits to others.
K. Joseph provided the bread of life for those who would have perished without it.
L. Joseph mercifully forgave his brothers and dealt generously with them.
M. Joseph displayed grace when humanly speaking he could have extracted revenge.
N. Joseph provided a dwelling for his people in the rich and fruitful Goshen
O. Joseph exercised power and authority over people as it was given by God in justice and love.
P. Joseph knew that while men would mean anger, God could use it for good.
Applications
1. God blesses those who do not become bitter, but disappointments, rejections, and hardships.
2. We should look for God’s sovereign purposes in turning tragedies into His triumphs.
3. As Joseph resisted the many temptations to abuse power, so should we.
4. We should not seek advancement just for our own benefits, but for God and fellow Christians.
5. Joseph’s identity and healthy self-image allowed him to stay faithful, joyful, and loving of himself and God.
David as a Type of Christ
Title - David as a foreshadow of Christ
Topic - Becoming a man after God’s heart
Propositional Statement - What can we learn from David as a type of Christ?
1. David’s name means beloved of God. Jesus is the most beloved of all heaven and earth. David would have been secure in God’s love despite persecutions, misunderstandings from his family, and loss of power.
2. David was born of humble parents, but was exalted by God. God exalts the humble, but resists the proud.
3. David was a shepherd as Jesus was. He recognized that ``The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.’’ (Psa. 23:1)
A. David demonstrated affection, care, and protection of his people.
B. David demonstrated the ability to lead his people.
C. David demonstrated the ability to lead his people to the source of life.
D. David was able to restore his people when they wandered, grew weary, and nursed them back to health.
E. David was willing to stand for the welfare of his people.
4. David possessed a holy and beautiful disposition. He was a joy to be around.
A. David attracted the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterates, the powerful and the weak. His moral excellence was a beacon of light to all around him. Even when he sinned with Bathsheeba he sought the Lord’s forgiveness and was restored.
B. David recognized the importance of a clean heart before he could instruct others in the right way.
5. David was exalted to the throne by the direct intervention of God.
6. David possessed supernatural power to overcome his enemies.
7. David was qualified by God to defeat the giants that threatened his people.
8. David’s scepter was a scepter of righteousness and whose offspring will fill the earth.
9. David was richly imbued with the spirit of prophecy. He predicted the person, work, suffering, glory, and kingdom of the Messiah.
10. David had to bear the malicious attacks of his own people unjustly. Many opposed him because of their jealousy, mistrust, and ignorance.
11. David had to endure the deceitful conspiracies of his own people, yet he triumphed through it all.
12. David experienced numerous victories in life and even more so through his death.
13. David said, ``The Lord is at my right hand I will not be moved.’’
14. David was able to defeat the lion, the bear, and Goliath as Jesus triumphed over all His foes.
15. David was a frail man whose victories were gotten through the shedding of his blood. Let no one think that victories come easily.
16. David’s subjects were happy, blessed, and protected by God.
Applications
1. Let us learn to be a man after God’s heart through prayer, devotion, singing, and fellowship.
2. Let us look to God for our restoration when we fall and never give in to defeat.
3. Let us read the Psalms of David looking for Christ and His purposes.
4. Let us seek the expansion of God’s kingdom by facing our enemies with confidence, courage, and assurance.
5. Let us trust God to fight our battles for us in defeating our giants.
HOW TO INTERPRET METAPHORS
1. Definition - A metaphor is a comparison in which the writer describes one thing in terms of something else. For example, the church is the bride of Christ, is a metaphor to compare the church to a wife in her role, identity, and position. (Ephesians 5)
2. Metaphors are common in the O.T. as they describe God, His purposes, His messages, His activities, and His people. For example in Jer. 2:13 it says, ``My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.’’ God is describing His people as those who have forsaken His resources for those of idols who fail to deliver. God’s provisions are everlasting, powerful, pure, wholesome, nourishing, and sustaining. In contrast the idols promises are empty, powerless, deceitful, and disappointing.
3. Distinguish the literal from the figurative in metaphors by checking the context of the passage. First look for the literal meaning and then search for any relevant portions that show similarity to main doctrinal truths of the scripture.
4. Metaphors may also appear in forms as similes. Similes are comparisons that use words such as like and as. Seek to understand how the two things are compared. For example, Jer. 23:29 says, ``Is not my word like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?’’ Take your time in extracting the rich comparisons between the scriptures and a rock that is enduring, stable, supportive, and unchanging.
5. Metaphors bring out vivid meaning of people, events, objects, and patterns in scripture. For example, Paul says, ``I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.’’ Paul means that he started the church in Corinth while Apollos pastored and nurtured it toward maturity, but God is the only one who caused it to grow, prosper, and mature. Therefore, there should be no jealousy, envy, or personal favoritism among men.
6. Metaphors use a rich reservoir of imagery. By using figures of speech we can express a great deal of meaning with only a few words. For example, ``More grease to your elbows.’’ This means that someone is wishing you ease, facility, and progress in your work. Symbolic language enriches the meanings of statements by comparing a truth with something familiar to the people and their cultural context.
7. Jesus used metaphors that drew upon the background, history, language, and culture of the people. He showed interest in the surroundings to bring out deeper and broader meaning for His truth. When Jesus cursed the fig tree and it withered at once, He likened to unbelieving Israel that had given no fruit.
8. Jesus uses the family, the home, and everyday life to provide imagery in his parables. For example, in the parable of the prodigal son, he demonstrates how God is ever ready to accept the wandering, sinful, and the backsliding who are willing to repent and serve the Father.
9. Jesus uses metaphors in relationships such as in the father-son, friends, and servant relationship in comparison to the vine and the branches. (John 15:11-31) This is to display how objects can bring out the deeper meanings of personal relationships in many contexts.
10. Jesus uses the sphere of business, market scenes, and daily conversations in His metaphors. For example, Luke 14:28 He says, ``Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ’This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ Jesus uses this to emphasize the importance of calculating the cost of commitment, discipleship, and relationships before beginning. Many people enter into relationships without first considering all that is involved and suffer needlessly.
11. The O.T. & N.T. uses personifications of things, qualities, or ideas by representing them as persons. The Psalmist might identify a barrier like the Red Sea, the Jordan river, or the mountains as obstacles for the believer. This is seen in some of the phrases like, ``The Jordan is driven back.’’ In effect the river is treated like a person with human like qualities. Jesus said, ``Do not worry about tomorrow for each day will take care of itself, sufficient are in the evils in each day.’’ Here Jesus pictures a day like a person. This helps bring abstract ideas down to a concrete-human level.
12. Rites and rituals are interpreted by Paul as signs of something deeper. For example, Paul explains how Abraham demonstrated faith even without circumcision-a sign of his Jewishness. In Rom. 4:9-10 which says, ``Is this blessedness only for the circumcised or also for the uncircumcised? Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.’’ Paul shows that rituals, like circumcision are only outward-superficial efforts to portray what has been done internally by faith. In Africa rituals are important. Yet, we must look below the surface to understand the beliefs that are represented and align these with Biblical beliefs and truths.
13. Jesus & Paul use metaphors in ironic manners. An irony is used to explain words that can mean just the opposite of what is said. Jesus refers to the Pharisees as erecting the tombs of the prophets by rejecting Him. He said, ``You fill up the measure of your fathers.’’ (Matt. 23:32) Jesus is giving them over to their own depravity through these statements of irony. He in effect is saying, ``Just go ahead and complete the job that your fathers started in persecuting another prophet and rejecting His message.’’
14. Hyperboles use exaggeration to drive home a point. For example Jesus said, ``First take the log out of your own eye and then you will be able to see the speck in your brothers eye.’’ (Matt. 7:1,2) Let us realize that hyperboles are useful if they are not stretched to mean something out of balance with the rest of scriptural teaching.
15. Metonymies are useful tools to name one thing for another thing. For example, one may refer to Jacob as the new nature-blessed by God while referring to Esau as the old nature-condemned of God. Sometimes the newspapers may refer to the President’s statements as Dodon Barracks. Jacob refers to himself as the grey hair as a way of stressing his old age and his reluctance to allow Benjamin to go back to Egypt.
16. A synecdoche is a figure of speech which uses a part to refer to a whole. For example, in Micah 4:3 we read, ``And they will beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning knives.’’ Swords and spears are synecdoches of all of the armaments which implies a total laying down of all offensive, hostile, and destructive weapons - literal and figurative.
Note - Much of the ideas for the above instruments were taken from Interpreting the Bible by A Berkeley Mickelsen, 170-195, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Mich. 1979.
Examples of Metaphorical Subjects
A. Christ as a King, Prophet, & Priest.
B. Christ as a counselor, a foundation stone, the physician, the head of the church, the bridegroom of the church, the refiner, the light of the world, the advocate, the rock,the living water, the bread of life, the shepherd, and the captain of salvation.
C. Christians as pilgrims on the earth
D. Christians as soldiers in God’s army
E. Christians as sheep of the Good Shepherd hounded by the devil, the world, and the hireling.
F. Christians as members of the body who are dependent on one another.
G. Christians as stones in the great temple of the Lord.
H. Christians as living sacrifices
I. Christians as athletes, farmers, servants, stewards, and choir members.
J. Churches likened to golden candlesticks providing light to a dark world.
K. Christ’s church as a family with its problems and its solutions.
L. Christ’s church as the garden of the Lord.
M. Christ’s church as a habitations for God to dwell and be worshipped.
N. The word of God as a hammer, as a light to our path, as a counselor, as a reprover, teacher, healer, and medicine.
EXAMPLE OF A METAPHORICAL SERMON
Title-God’s Word Is Like Medicine
Topic-The Healing Properties of the Scripture
Propositional Statement - How does the Bible heal us?
1. The Need for Healing - Everyone’s human nature is sick morally, spiritually, & psychologically. This contributes to sick thinking, believing, and behaving. All of these manifest themselves in sinful thoughts, words, beliefs, and deeds.
2. The Nature of the Word as Medicine - The word of the Lord is pure, holy, and perfect cleansing man’s nature.
3. The Eternal and Unquenchable Source of Its Medicine - God’s word is never failing, everlasting, and inexhaustible in its supply of medicine for the sins of the soul. It has a capacity to heal the mind, heart, emotions, and actions of people.
4. The Point of Entry For the Medicine - The scriptures applied to the mind can bring peace to the troubled thought processes of man. The scriptures assure us in Isa. 26:3, ``You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.’’
5. Its universal applications - Regardless of the culture, history, language, customs, politics, influences, or powers, the scriptures can heal anything, anywhere, anytime, any place, and anyone.
6. Its increasing virulence- (Effectiveness) The medicine of the scripture will continually increase, expand, enlarge, deepen, and broaden its curing effects as the scripture penetrates into a person’s mind, heart, emotions, habits, and will.
7. Its Security and Stabilizing Effects
The scriptures will continually provide a permanence where it is applied. It will give roots to those who obey it and apply its message.
8. It yields fruits that last - The Bible provides fruits that encourage men’s hearts. It produces results without sorrows, deceit, guilt, or regret.
9. It produces change - Only through the word of God are men’s hearts changed beyond superficial remedies. It heals the sin sick soul. It is the balm of Gilead that heals, soothes, and quenches the burning fires of our being.
10. The Spirit teaches the word - Men cannot apply the medicine of the word without the Spirit’s illumination. We must apply the ointment of scripture with the spirit of prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit.
11. We can avoid errors with the Bible Jesus said, ``You error not knowing the scriptures or the power of God.’’ John 5:39 The scriptures help in preventative medicine as well as curative treatments.
12. The word of God is taken by the Spirit to quicken, enlighten, refocus, and transform the mind, heart, and emotions of man. Useless arguments will not change the man without the use of the scriptures.
13. The scriptures are sharper than a sword- Heb. 4:12 says, ``Your word is able to judge and discern the thoughts and the intents of a man’s heart.’’ The word of God is also good for diagnosis of man’s problems as well as its cures.
14. The scriptures reveal the recipe for our salvation, the first step to healing-saving our sin sick soul through His forgiveness.
15. The scriptures point out those practices, thoughts, and attitudes that we must remove in order for healing to take place.
16. The scriptures give us models of those like Jesus who healed using the word of God.
17. The scriptures reveal the gracious character of the great Physician.
18. The scriptures reveal the power of the gospel, the dynamite of God. This power is greater than any other power in the universe. Able to change wretched men into saints useful for the Master’s work.
19. The healing is made effective when men are regenerated.
20. False healers will be exposed by the true nature of the word of God. It reveals who are the counterfeits.
Applications -
1. We should give thanks for the healing power of the word of God.
2. We should apply the remedies prescribed by the Bible.
3. We should be serious about the responsibilities of taking its medicine, cures, and instructions.
4. We should invite other sick people to take freely of its healing powers.
5. We should realize that the healing properties of the Bible apply primarily to the saved. The non-christians apply the word of God first for salvation.
6. The medicine is preventative as well as curative.
7. The medicine builds up as well as repairs, heals, and sustains.
2ND METAPHORICAL SERMON EXAMPLE
Title - Sin as the leprosy of man
Topic - The destructive power of sin
Propositional Statement - How can we compare sin with leprosy?
1. Every part of the body is vulnerable to leprosy. Likewise every aspect of our life is subject to sin.
2. No person is immune from leprosy. Similarly every person, every culture, every occupation, young and old, educated and illiterates, men and women, chiefs and servants are all susceptible to sin.
3. A leper was one to be avoided. Sinners are people that no one will have long term associations with. Fellowship with lepers will lead to infectious disease. ``Do not associate with sinners or you will become like them.’’
4. Leprosy was generally hereditary. Sin is passed onto all men through the sin of Adam. No one can escape the fact that they were born in sin. They must find a cure for its disease or die.
5. Leprosy made a man appear ugly, despicable, and deformed. Sin affects people internally in the same ways as leprosy.
6. Leprosy begins as a small spot and then spreads to other parts of the body. Sin could be a wrong thought, a careless word, or a sin of omission but it will spread to other areas of our life.
7. Leprosy is deeply rooted throughout the body that it affects. Sin is deeply rooted in our sinful natures, our cultures, our minds, and our habits. We can only be forgiven from sin through the application by faith in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
8. Only Jesus was able to heal the lepers of His day. Only Jesus Christ is able to take away the cause and effects of sin from people today.
9. Leprosy excluded people from society and made them outcasts. Sin excludes people from fellowship with the godly and makes them undesirable to be with. People fear to associate with sinners as they do not want to acquire their guilt, problems, and bad reputations.
10. The leper addressed Jesus as Lord saying, ``If you are willing you can make me whole!’’ Sinners must come acknowledging Jesus as Lord in repentance asking Him for complete forgiveness of their sins in faith.
11. The leper appealed to Christ’s power, His forgiveness, His goodness, His compassion, and His purpose. Sinners must humbly approach Jesus counting on His qualities today.
12. Christ responded to the leper with love, mercy, and healing. Christ will respond to any sinner who comes to Him today seeking wholeness.
13. Christ simply spoke the word and the leper was made whole again. Christ’s word, applied in faith, can heal anyone regardless of their background, deeds, or position.
14. Jesus was willing to touch the leper, even at the risk of infection. Jesus is willing to associate His reputation with anyone who will look to Him for healing. Christians should be willing to associate with the undesirables today to bring them healing of their souls.
15. Christ’s healing of the leper was instantaneous. Sinners who trust Christ for solutions to their sin will be instantly saved, cleansed, and renewed by the Spirit of God. They do not have to speak in tongues to be saved or attend a certain church or perform certain rituals to be saved by Jesus.
16. Jesus sent the leper to the priest to verify the healing. New Christians should become a growing member of a Christ centered church where a Pastor can certify the Christians transformation. This will strengthen his faith and those of others both inside and outside of the church. (Heb. 10:24,25)
17. The leper was to present a gift to the Lord. Christians should continually give thanks, blessing, and their offerings to the Lord for the great forgiveness granted to them by God. This will make the Christian a vibrant testimony of the continually cleansing, sanctifying, and restoring that the Lord performs for them daily.
Applications -
1. We should remember that once we were lost, but now have been found, were once blind, but now we see, were like a leper, but now have been healed.
2. We should continually tell others about how God has made us whole.
3. We should offer ourselves as living offerings to the Lord in response for all that He has done for us.
4. We should have great compassion and not hatred for the sinful people of this world. Many of them do not even know they are in such a despicable leprous state.
5. We should yearn for the health of all men’s souls, first spiritually, and then the other dimensions will be affected.
How To Interpret Prophecy
1. Realize the difference between true prophets and false prophets. A true prophet is a spokes person for God who declares God’s will with 100% accuracy.
2. Prophecy is a gift in the N.T. as well as an office. (I Cor. 12:27-30 & Eph. 4:11-13)
3. Be careful that you do not read anything extra into the prophecies given in the Bible.
4. Many false prophets seek to lead astray people. (Jer. 14:14-15)
5. Prophecies came to people through dreams, night visions, or God’s voice spoken silently to them in their minds. (Numb. 12:6) Do not think that just because a man has a special dream it is a prophecy from God. Visions, dreams, and counterfeit prophecies can come from the flesh, from others suggestions, from our experiences, from some false information, our fears, our distorted perspectives, or from the devil.
6. In N.T. times we first look to the scriptures for our truth. If a dream, vision, or a prophetic message comes to us, we must check it’s validity, credibility, and truth with the whole of the scriptures. Many people have been led astray through phony prophetic messages.
7. Some false prophets will whip themselves into an ecstatic state of emotion before they can give their so-called prophetic messages-be wary of these people. God is a rational God who uses logical processes to communicate his truth to our conscience brains.
8. God continues to bring many people to Christ through dreams, visions, and miraculous messages. However, the scriptures are God’s normative way of communicating His truth.
9. Satan can appear as an angel of light to lead many people astray. Be careful of ancestral worship, idol worshippers, and mystics who pretend to have a direct access to the voice of truth. Jesus said, ``I am the way the truth and the life.’’
10. If we have a question about the veracity of a prophesy we should apply the principles of Prov. 3:5,6 & Psa. 37:3-5, ``Trust in the Lord with all our heart and do not rely on our own insight. In all our ways acknowledge Him and He will direct our paths.’’ ``Commit your ways to the Lord, trust also in Him and He will make your thoughts agreeable to His thoughts.
11. We can see the tragedy of those like Hezekiah who did not harken to the voice of the prophet Isaiah In Isa. 39:1-8) Even thought Hezekiah gained 15 years of extra life because of his prayers he did not exercise wisdom and suffered for it. Isaiah’s life situation allowed him to personally be involved with the event, the circumstances, and the conversations that went on around him. Prophets are those who are informed about the latest news.
12. Prophesy in the O.T. AND THE N.T. have similarities and differences. Peter saw prophecy as effecting everyone as predicted by Joel. Paul encouraged the people at Corinth to strive after the gift of prophesy. However, prophesy in the N.T. carries a special emphasis on preaching and proclaiming the truth that has already been revealed in scripture. (2 Tim.3:16,17) Balance out the use of literal and figurative use of language. If you interpret something figuratively there must be a legitimate reason for viewing it symbolically. Use first objective reasoning and then subjective reasoning guided by the illumination of the Holy Spirit.
13. The emphasis on most prophetic messages in the O.T. is summarized by Amos in Amos 4:5 which says, ``Prepare to meet they God, O Israel.’’
14. Prophets have a unique ability to tie the past, present, and future events together in a coherent message. Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and Jeremiah were continually trying to bring the ideals of the Lord to bear on the realities of the people. We must learn to focus on all the parts of the prophetic message and not emphasize the future over the past and the present truths.
15. Many prophesies were given to specific people, like the Jews, for specific purposes, at specific times, and for specific events. We should not try to claim the prophetic messages of Israel’s restoration in Romans 9-11 that all Israel will be saved and say that all Nigeria will be saved. Some prophesies have a unique audiences and applications to them.
16. Prophesy is not just given to satisfy the curiosity about the future. Rather it is given to help people better conform themselves to God’s will in the present to prepare themselves for the future. (I Jn.2:28)
17. Prophesy has a forthtelling aspect which is primarily an exhortative, reproof, correction, and instructional. It also has a foretelling aspect which is to predict future events - some of which will be immediate, some more distant, and some in the far distant future. Some prophesies have multiple, partial, progressive, intermediate, short-range, or long-range fulfillments. This can be seen in the fulfillment of the coming of the kingdom of God.
18. Deut, 29:29 says, ``The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.’’ Not all prophesies are going to make sense to our rational minds. We must take many of them by faith in God’s ability to make all things complete in His time.
19. Combine insights from the grammatical-historical-contextual studies of the passage. When you study the meaning of the words, integrate that with the historical facts, and put a contextual framework around the prophecy you have the basics of good interpretation. For example, Joel 2:29 says, ``Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. I will pour out my Spirit in those days.’’ This is referring to the Messianic period when Christ will set up His literal reign upon the earth. The day of the Lord referred to the judgment of God’s people at the hands of foreign nations. It signified the purification and restoration of Israel or God’s people along with suffering. Here Joel is focusing on the intervention of the Lord to destroy the enemies of God’s people. The day of the Lord in this context encompasses a long time of judgment and blessing. Beginning after the rapture it will include the tribulation of seven years and the return of Christ as well as the 1,000 year reign of Christ on the earth and the making of the new heavens and the new earth.
20. Remember that most prophecies were given to a particular audience with a particular message for a particular circumstances at a particular time. The prophet might choose to teach, proclaim, exhort, or foretell the future. A discerning interpreter will be able to tell the true nature of the prophecy. When Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem he might also have been referring to the dispersion of the Jewish nation and their consequential suffering.
21. Self-fulfilling prophesy is also an element to consider. In Matt. 27:25 the people cried, ``Let his blood be on us and on our children!’’ This might have been an indication for the great suffering endured by the Jewish people through the ages.
22. There are direct and typological kinds of prophesies. The direct kinds are statements like in Gen. 3:15, ``He will crush your head and you will strike his heel.’’ This was fulfilled through Christ’s death, burial and resurrection in his victory over Satan. Typological prophesies are more like the one recorded in Zech 11:12-13 where we see Zechariah is assessed a worth of 30 pieces of silver as Jesus was. The people treated the prophet as the would treat Jesus-with rejection, scorn, and misunderstanding. (Acts 7:51) ``You stiff necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears. You are just like your father: You always resist the Holy Spirit.’’
23. Interpret all prophesies in light of the person, work, teachings, ministry, and words of Christ. He is the author and perfecter of our faith. Heb. 12:1
Note - Some of the above information was adapted from pp. 280-303 in Interpreting the Bible by A Berkeley Mickelsen, Eerdmans, 1979.
