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Scripture Reading: Num. Col. 1:12; Eph. 3:8; Phil. 1:19
In this message we come to the conclusion of the vital sketch of the divine revelation in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers concerning God's economy with His chosen and redeemed people.
Apparently the Old Testament has nothing to do with the church. Actually the history of Israel recorded in the Old Testament is a picture of the church life. We need to have this understanding as we read Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. If we have this view, then we will see that in the divine revelation in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers we have a full type of the church in the mystical union with the all-inclusive Christ, who is the embodiment of the processed and dispensing Triune God.
Let us first consider the full type of the church and then the matter of the mystical union with the all-inclusive Christ.
Deuteronomy 7:6 says, "You are a holy people to Jehovah your God; Jehovah your God has chosen you, from among all the peoples which are upon the face of the earth, to be a people for His personal treasure." In type, this indicates that the church has been chosen by God.
The typology in Exodus 1, 12, and 14 indicates that the church has been redeemed from God's judgment and saved from the bondage of the fall. As believers today, we know this and have experienced it.
Having been redeemed from God's judgment and saved from the bondage of the fall, we, like the children of Israel in the Old Testament, are now enjoying the divine care and Christ as the heavenly and divine provisions (Exo. 15—17). Under God's care, we enjoy His nourishing and cherishing us with Christ as our provisions — as the manna, as the living water which flows out of the smitten rock which follows us, and as the tree (the crucified Christ) cast into the bitter water. No matter what our circumstances may be, if we apply the crucified Christ to our situation, the bitter water will become sweet (Exo. 15:23-25). This is an aspect of Christ as the heavenly and divine provisions. Another aspect is typified by the twelve springs and seventy palm trees at Elim (Exo. 15:27).
At Mount Sinai the children of Israel received the divine revelation recorded in Exodus 19—40 and Leviticus 1—27. This revelation is marvelous; human, philosophical writings cannot compare with it. The type here signifies that the church today has received God's revelation.
At Mount Sinai the children of Israel not only received the divine revelation but were also trained in knowing God, in being built up together with God in His divine trinity as His dwelling on earth for the expression and testimony of the Triune God, and in the priesthood for the divine service. The children of Israel stayed at Mount Sinai for nine months, and during that time they were trained by the Lord. We may say that through this training they became a divinely cultured people, with God Himself as the main constituent of this culture. In the church life today, we also are being trained by the Lord in knowing Him, in being built up together with Him, and in serving Him.
According to the book of Numbers, the children of Israel were formed into an army of God to fight for God's economy (Num. 1—4; 21:1-4, 21-35; 31:1-12). We have a similar revelation in the book of Ephesians. The first five chapters of this book are sufficient for the revelation concerning the church. But in the sixth chapter Paul goes on to show us that the believers have been formed into an army to fight for God's economy.
The church today is also journeying with God and suffering frustrations and trials for its purification. Before we were saved, we were traveling in this worldly wilderness by ourselves, but now that we have been saved we are journeying with God. God is our companion not merely beside us or in front of us but mainly within us. Sometimes we may not want to walk with Him, but He continues to walk with us, and His presence changes our journey. At other times we may cause Him to be unhappy with us or we may not agree with Him, but we cannot get away from Him. Even if we decide to give up journeying with Him, He will not stop journeying with us, and eventually we have to come back to Him to be one with Him.
As we are journeying with the Lord, we suffer frustrations and trials for our purification. These trials and frustrations deal with our peculiar traits. The members of our family, the brothers and sisters in the church, and the many different persons and things in our environment may be contrary to us and thus become frustrations to us. However, these frustrations are needed for our purification.
As a result of the foregoing, the church is prepared by God to take the all-inclusive Christ as its good land.
The full type of the church in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers is a type of the church in the mystical union with the all-inclusive Christ, who is the embodiment of the processed and dispensing Triune God. This mystical union is our destiny and our destination. In different kinds of circumstances and in dealing with different persons, we may say, "O Lord Jesus, I need You!" What does it mean to tell the Lord that we need Him? It actually means that we enjoy Him. Day by day, we may enjoy the all-inclusive Christ, the embodiment of the processed and dispensing Triune God, as our good land.
According to the type in Exodus, we first enjoy Christ as the Passover and the unleavened bread (1 Cor. 5:7-8). The Passover is for us to be saved, and the unleavened bread is for us to live a life without sin.
After experiencing Christ as the Passover and after beginning to enjoy Him as the unleavened bread, we go on to enjoy Him as the heavenly manna and the rock that flows out the living water (1 Cor. 10:3-4).
Even the law is a type of Christ, for it typifies Christ as God's expression, bearing God's image that man may know God (John 1:18; Heb. 1:3a).
John 1:14 reveals that Christ tabernacled among us. He is the tabernacle of God, with the ark as the center of God's testimony.
According to Romans 3:25, Christ is the propitiation place — the cover, or lid, of the ark — for God to meet with man in His righteousness. Christ is thus the place where God meets with His people.
In the Old Testament the high priest wore the shoulder plates and the breastplate. This typifies Christ as the High Priest bearing and embracing in love God's redeemed people (Heb. 4:14-15; 7:25-26).
The Old Testament typifies and the New Testament reveals that Christ is all the offerings for the believers (Heb. 10:5-7, 9-10).
The books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers have much to say concerning the Sabbath and the feasts. These typify Christ as the reality of the Sabbath and of all the feasts to the believers (Col. 2:16-17).
Numbers 6 speaks of the Nazarite vow. Christ is the real Nazarite living absolutely for God (Phil. 2:8; Heb. 10:9; cf. Matt. 2:23 and note 2).
Christ is also the reality of the type of the red heifer for the washing of the believers' uncleanness (1 John 1:7).
John 3:14 and 15 reveal that Christ is the brass serpent to take away the sin of the believers that they may have eternal life.
Today we may also enjoy Christ as the One who is the cities of refuge for the believers (Eph. 1:7).
Finally, Christ is the all-inclusive land with the bountiful supply for the believers (Col. 1:12; Eph. 3:8; Phil. 1:19). This is for the building up of the house of God on earth (Eph. 2:19; 1 Tim. 3:15), for the establishing of the kingdom of God on earth (Acts 1:3; Rom. 14:17), and, ultimately, for the consummation of the house of God and the kingdom of God as the New Jerusalem in eternity for the fulfillment of God's eternal economy (Rev. 21:1-2). Therefore, what is portrayed concerning the church in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers will have its ultimate consummation in the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth for eternity.
