Patty Bowling
The awesomeness of
the Bible is not necessarily found completely in its fulfilled prophecies, its
historical accuracy, its accounts of God's mighty heroes, or it's guidelines for
every day living. These are indeed fascinating aspects of the Bible, each adding
its own evidence of authenticity to the "big picture" of the Bible as a whole.
The Bible's greatest wonder has to
be Jesus Christ and His scheme of redemption. The truly remarkable facet of the
Bible is that Christ can be seen in each and every book - Old Testament as well as the New Testament. Every book, every
chapter, and every line holds a picture of Jesus Christ.
The book of Jeremiah is no exception. It holds many
Messianic prophecies that show a beautiful picture of the coming Savior and His
Kingdom. The scathing rebukes and the condemnation preached by Jeremiah is
overshadowed by the consolation and promises from God concerning the coming
Messiah.
Jeremiah 23:5-6, "5 Behold, the days
come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign
and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6 In his
days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this [is] his name
whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."
Jeremiah 30:9, "But they shall serve
the LORD their God, and David their
king, whom I will raise up unto them."
Jeremiah 31:31-34, "31 Behold, the days
come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel,
and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with
their fathers in the day [that] I took them by the hand to bring them out of the
land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto
them, saith the LORD: 33 But this [shall be] the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in
their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and
they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor,
and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me,
from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I
will remember their sin no more."
Jeremiah 33:15-16, "15 In those days,
and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto
David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. 16 In
those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this [is
the name] wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our
righteousness."
These Scriptures, far from being all
inclusive of the prophecies of Christ given by Jeremiah, show the redemption
that would be offered to all mankind - Jew and Gentile - through Jesus. The Jews
anxiously awaited their coming Redeemer. Little did they know that the very man
who preached God's message to them would himself be representative of their long
awaited Messiah.
What Is A "Type?"
A type can be described as such: "to mark
an impression. A fore-shadow; a prefigure of things to come." A type can be seen as an object, person,
symbol or event that is similar but not identical to the anti-type (the fulfillment of the
type). Thus, a comparison between the two will bring out an analogy that will
present a clear Biblical truth.
The rules concerning
typology must be kept in mind when
speaking about types. This assures
that the meaning of the Scriptures
are not stretched into absurd proportions, or that we read into the passages
things that were not intended. A type must be directly appointed or
designated within the Bible in order
to be used to teach doctrine. But an illustrative type, though not to be
used for doctrinal teaching, must obviously illustrate God's Truth. Most
importantly, we must affirm that the anti-type is always superior to the type.
The whole purpose of
a type is to teach, illustrate,
and/or predict Biblical truths. In this study, we can see Jeremiah as an illustrative type of Christ, being that
it is not specifically designated in the Scriptures as being a type. Let's look at some of the
comparisons between Jeremiah and Christ, and we will see how Jeremiah was
remarkably prefiguring the incarnate Christ.
JEREMIAH AND CHRIST
Both were "innocent
blood."
Jeremiah
Jeremiah 26:15, "Be assured, however,
that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood on yourselves, and on
this city, and on those who live in it, for in truth the LORD has sent me to you
to speak all these words in your hearing."
Christ
Matthew 27:4, "I have sinned, he said,
for I have betrayed innocent blood." (Judas speaking of Jesus)
Both wept over
Jerusalem's sins
and the coming
judgment.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah 13:17, "But if you do not
listen, I will weep in secret because of
your pride, my eyes will weep bitterly, overflowing with tears, because the
LORD's block will be taken captive."
Christ
Luke 19:41, "As he approached Jerusalem
and saw the city, he wept over
it."
Both wanted justice for their
enemies. Jeremiah sought
vengeance whereas Christ
sought forgiveness.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah 18:23, "But you know, O LORD,
all their plots to kill me. Do not
forgive their crimes or blot out their sins from your sight. Let them be
overthrown before you; deal with them in the time of your anger."
Christ
Luke 23:34, "Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what
they are doing. And they divided up his clothes by casting lots."
Both were accused of being
"mad."
Jeremiah
Jeremiah 29:26, "The LORD has appointed
you priest in place of Jehoiada to be in charge of the house of the LORD; you should put any madman who acts like
a prophet into the stocks and neck irons."
(In a letter from Shemaiah to Zephaniah - speaking of Jeremiah)
Christ
John 10:20, "Many of them said, He is
demon-possessed
and raving mad. Why listen to
him?" (The Jews speaking
of
Jesus)
Both were accused of
being
self-appointed prophets.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah 29:27, "So why have you not
reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth, who poses as a prophet among you? (In a
letter from Shemaiah to Zephaniah - speaking of Jeremiah)
Christ
John 8:53, "Are you greater than our
father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?" (speaking to
Jesus)
Both were mocked by their
enemies
as well as their
brethren.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah 20:7, "O LORD, you deceived,
and I was deceived, you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks
me."
Christ
Luke 18:31-32, "Then He took the twelve
aside and said to them, Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things
that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished
32 For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon."
Matthew 27:31, "And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off
Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified."
Luke 22:63, "Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him."
Their brethren and enemies
waited to
catch both in a "slip of the
tongue."
Jeremiah
Jeremiah 20:10, "I hear many whispering
Terror on every side! Report him! Let's report him! All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, Perhaps
he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on
him."
Christ
Luke
11:53-54, "When Jesus left there, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law
began to oppose Him fiercely and to besiege Him with questions. 54 waiting to catch Him in something He might
say."
Both were said to be worthy of death.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah
26:11, "Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the
people, This man should be sentenced to
death because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with
your own ears."
Christ
Matthew
26:65-66, "Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, He has spoken
blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the
blasphemy. 66 What do you think? He is
worthy of death, they answered."
Both were defended by some of God's spokesmen.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah
26:16, "Then the officials and all the people said to the priest and the
prophets, This man should not be sentenced to death! He has spoken to us in the Man of the LORD
our God."
Christ
John
10:21, "But others said, These are
not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of
the blind?"
Both were put out of the land of the living.
Jeremiah by his enemies' desire - Jesus litertally.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah
11:19, "I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter. I did not
realize that they had plotted against me, saying, Let us cut him off from the land of the
living, that His Name be remembered no more."
Christ
Isaiah
53:8, "By oppression and judgment He was taken away. And who can speak of
his descendants? For He was cut off from
the land of the living, for the transgression of my people he was
stricken."
Both were "led as a lamb to the slaughter."
Jeremiah's enemies, but Jesus in fact.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah
11:19, "I had been like a gentle
lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against
me, saying, Let us destroy the tree and its fruit; let us cut him off from the
land of the living, that his name be remembered no more."
Christ
Isaiah
53:7, "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. He was led like a lamb to he slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His
mouth."
Both were conspired against to secretly be killed.
Jeremiah
Jeremiah
18:23, "But you know, O LORD, all
their plots to kill me. Do not forgive their crimes or blot out their sins
from your sight. Let them be overthrown before you; deal with them in the time
of your anger."
Christ
John 11:53,
"So from that day on they plotted to
take His life.
