Tag Archives: types and shadows

Bible 911 Zechariah

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This installment of Bible 911 is from Zechariah and is a word of hope. It is part of the foretelling of Jesus’ Easter/Passover mission starting with His Palm Sunday ride into Jerusalem (verses 9-13). I will start with the focus verse and then fit it all into Easter. Have your Bibles handy as I will put down a lot of verses you may want to look up. I use the NIV, so that may help in your quest.

9:11

Blood of the covenant – If you search in a Bible app the best thing you will find in the Old Testament is Exodus 24:8. The setting is Mount Sinai and Moses is finally offering the sacrifice that Pharaoh would not let them, go do. Before the blood of this covenant was sprinkled on the people, Moses read to them the Book of the Covenant. I will go back in time from this offering and give other blood sacrifices and covenants that are types and precursors to this one and that look ahead to Jesus on the Cross.

God made a covenant with blood in Genesis 15:18 with Abram, which was binding to all of his unborn children. In this story, a burning torch and smoking firepot passed through the slain animals. This is very much like the Children passing through the Red Sea after killing the Passover lamb and on their way to Mount Sinai.

We need to travel back to Genesis 4 and the first spilling of blood by a man. Hebrews 12:4 brings up the blood of Able in connection with the new covenant and sprinkled blood. (Remember he had made a proper sacrifice to the Lord.)

We need to step further back and point out what must have been an animal sacrifice, even though the terms we are looking for are not present. Genesis 3:21 has hides of animals being used to cloth, Adam and Eve. I believe that these animals were sheep. (They are not identified.) If they were Adam and Eve were clothed in a lamb because of their sin. This may be the blood and sacrifice of the covenant. (We have hints of things going on “before the foundations of the world” (KJV) but that would be another post.)

New Testament verses for you to look up-Matthew 26:28 (Mark 14:24), 1 Corinthians 11:25, Hebrews 9:20, 10:29, 13:20. these are references to Jesus, blood, and the covenant which is the point of His death on the cross.

Waterless Pit – The other part of Zechariah 9:11 is the waterless pit or cistern (CJB). It has also been translated as a dungeon. I like cistern the best, it brings to mind where Joseph and Jeremiah were thrown when they were imprisoned. It was a common thing in Israel to dig holes and store water in them. They are in other stories in the Bible. we are set free of our pits when we accept and walk in the grace of Jesus. the love of the Father, and fellowship with the Spirit.  

Before going to the Easter connection, there is one more thing I found. This is not in Zechariah. It concerns salt and its connection to the covenant and sacrifice. This is my “think about” assignment for this post, why is salt referenced with these two things?

The King Rides In

There are many God-given types and shadows and metaphors in the Bible. It seems that their importance has been pointed out to me quite a bit lately. So, when I thought about Zechariah 9:9 and how this relates to our Easter/Passover stories it made me reflect on these gems throughout the Bible. God really is a God who likes to hide things so we can search them out. The triumphant ride into Jerusalem and all of the events of this week have been shadowed starting in Genesis and laid out for us in every book of the First Covenant.  

Zechariah 9:9 is one of several stories about kings returning to save and restore peace to the Daughter of Zion and Jerusalem.

  • 2 Samuel 19 has the account of David returning to Jerusalem after the defeat of Absalom. Even though the country was in chaos, I have to believe that there was still a parade that started on the Mount of Olives. This is the same path that Jesus followed as He left the Jordan River.
  • Revelations 7:9+10, 6:2, and 19:11 also tell of Jesus’ second return to Jerusalem to claim His Bride and how that time will look. It is an interesting “comparison and contrast” to Zechariah. He will be on a war horse, not a colt.
  • These two were leaders but not kings. Joshua followed a similar route after Israel crossed the Jordan. Elisha also traveled this path as he went back to Mount Carmel (possibly looking for Elijah). It is a retracing of Elijah’s trip to the Jordan River before he was taken by the fiery chariot.

Verse 10 reflects the promise in Exodus 24 about peace and the territory that would belong to Israel. This area was probably realized under David and Solomon. Ephraim and Jerusalem represent the North and South Kingdoms but also speak of the blessings given by Jacob in Genesis. Judah was made the family leader and Joseph got the firstborn son’s blessing.

Verse 12 tells the “prisoners of hope” that there is a double restoration coming. I have always seen Noah as the first prisoner of hope when he was in the ark.

Verse 13 makes reference to Greece as an enemy. To put this in some context, Zechariah was alive in the time of Darius (this could be the last book of the Old Testament written). He did attack Greece and lost. It could also speak of the time of the Maccabees. We could even extend that to Paul’s “conquering Greece” with the Gospel.  

I hope you have learned something new from my Bible 911 of Zechariah, remember the assignment on salt.

Rachel – The Loved

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Rachel-The Loved is a spin-off of Leah The Overlooked.  Rachel is a type of grace, she did nothing to get the love of Jacob.  Since Rachel had her faults it needs to be mentioned that to be a “type and shadow” every characteristic and action does not have to be perfect.  Leah and Rachel are many of the pairs of people that are used to teach us lessons in the Bible.  (Examples – Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, David and Jonathan, Paul and Peter.  The pair does not need to be in conflict but their actions teach us something.)   

Rachel is a picture of grace because she did nothing to inspire Jacob’s love for her.  Rachel means ewe or female sheep (#7354 Strong’s).  Like David, her grandson, she was probably taking care of the sheep because she was the youngest.  Genesis 29:17 (NIV) says she was “lovely in form and beautiful” but I can imagine her as a tough and harden individual.  Taking care of sheep was not easy work. 

As a “mother of Israel” she bore Jacob Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) and Benjamin.  Benjamin was the last child born to Jacob and was the “other tribe” that stayed with Jerusalem when the kingdom split under Rehoboam. (Judah and Levi are the tribes who stayed.)

Rachel had her share of struggles and problems, but she was loved.  I can imagine Jacob’s anger when Laban’s household gods came out of the camel’s saddle as they went to Bethel (Genesis 35).  In spite of her issues Jacob still loved her, that is grace.  

Leah – All that is said about her was that she was older and had “delicate or weak eyes”.  I have heard many negative things said about Leah over the years.  Considering that she had seven children by Jacob I cannot imagine that she was ugly or some of the other things I have heard.  Leah according to Strong’s (#3812) means “to be or make weary”.  I read this as speaking to her life and the pain she endured from Rachel, Jacob, and her father.  Laban used his daughters to snare Jacob and then used up everything that came from the bridal cost – fourteen years of work.  She also had to watch her first three sons not receive a blessing from their father – Ruben committed adultery and Levi and Simeon slaughtered the men of Shechem bring trouble to Jacob/Israel.

It would be very easy to cast Leah as “natural Israel” and all of the weariness they have endured over the millennia.  I just don’t think it is that easy!  Leah is still a “mother of Israel” and the grandmother of Jesus.  So, my type is going to be edgier than that – she is a picture of those who are working for their place at the feast and not those who understand and walk in grace.  That can cover the people who sit in Christian churches every week and still struggle with their walk with Jesus. Compare this to Rachel you enjoyed the love of Jacob even when she did some pretty outrageous things.

Laban’s Daughters – These two girls are probably behind the command in Leviticus 18:18 not to marry your wife’s sister.  Siblings will disagree, unfortunately, it may be very heated.  In reading Genesis 29 through 31 it is obvious these ladies have issues.  I will not attempt to excuse them but please do not discount the example they were raised by – Laban.  But you got to love the Bible, it does not pull punches.  Problems and praises can be on the same page.  Sometimes you wish more was written as that would help frame the issues better.  On somethings, they are not so, just study (thoroughly) and don’t take things out of context.  

The last post in this series (hopefully) will be on the family that produces the players from Abram to the Exodus.  It is important to remember that even though Leah was chosen and placed with Jacob, and Rachel was loved by him both played a part in the Father’s plan.