TYPES OF TIME FOR ETERNITY

It's difficult to overstate just how profound the Bible is. Obscure texts within the sacred record have been regarded as mere poetry, or even superfluous information, only to take on pivotal significance when someone realises its importance. There was no greater period of this happening than when the New Testament was being written. Seemingly insignificant passages were suddenly revealed by the Holy Spirit to hold the most profound insights into God and His plan. Many of these Holy Spirit inspired revelations fall into the categories of "types". The study of Biblical 'types' is known as "typology".

Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
Romans 5:14

Even the very first man, Adam, was a type. He was a type of Christ. When Adam sinned and the Lord slew animals to provide coverings for the first couple. These animal sacrifices were also a type of Christ who would one day become the covering for all sinners.

For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar.
Galatians 4:22-24

Abraham's wives are also to be regarded as types. Paul explains that Hagar represents the flesh (human efforts and desires) while Sarah represents the hope of the New Covenant ("the Promise") to be made possible through Christ. Some of the most profound typology occurs in some of the most - what appears to be boring, tedious, irrelevant - passages. Most especially are the feasts of Israel described in Leviticus 23 (how many people cite Leviticus as their favourite or 'goto' Biblical book?).
There are seven 'festivals' (some translations render these as 'feasts') referred to in Leviticus 23 (plus the weekly Sabbath). Consider that this set of instructions was given around fifteen hundred years before the first Christmas. Each of these festivals are a type of Christ and His work of salvation. Here's how -

* The Sabbath (Lev. 23:3) - Christ is our Sabbath; in Him we rest; all the work of salvation has been done. 

1. The Passover (Lev. 23:5) - Christ is our Passover Lamb; in Him God passes over our sins; The Passover Lamb had to eaten quickly -  there is no time to waste in turning to the Lord. 

2. Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:6) - Christ died for our sins and was buried (this was a time to eat unleavened bread and bitter herbs); in Him we have died to sin; our pilgrimage (journey with Christ in this life) will be a time of dying to self and frequent disappointments. 

3. Firstfruits (Lev. 23:10) - Christ rose from the dead - never to die again, and He is firstfruits of all who will one day be resurrected to eternal life; in Him we rest; all the work of salvation has been done. 

4. Pentecost (Lev. 23:16) - Christ is has poured out the latter rain to make the harvest possible; in Him we are baptised with the Holy Spirit so that we can bring in His harvest of souls (Acts 2:4ff). 

5. Trumpets (Lev. 23:24) - Christ will return with the blast of an Arch Angel's trumpet (1Cor. 15:52; 1Thess. 4:16); we are to live knowing that our time is short and our life could be over at any moment. 

6. Atonement (Lev. 23:27) - Christ bears our divine wrath before the Judgment Seat of God; one day we will all stand before the Righteous Judge and give an account of our lives - and only those who in Christ will be admitted the freedom to enjoy the full benefits of Christ and His Righteousness for eternity. 

7. Tabernacles (Lev. 23:34) - Christ will clothe His redeemed in His righteousness and we shall receive a resurrected body like His; this earth is not our home - this body is not our ultimate body! One day we shall all be resurrected to enjoy Christ all that Christ enjoys. This is our inheritance.

having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints
Ephesians 1:18

There are many more types in the Old Testament that point to the work of Christ. But recently, there has been some discussion about a field of typology that has been largely overlooked in much of Christian thought. It is the field of typology that illustrates the mission of the redeemed. In a day when some people are trying to 'tame' God (á la Rob Bell and co.) by claiming that God will actually redeem everyone and not send anyone to eternal damnation. But Biblical Typology throws down an enormous challenge to this cute idea. In fact, it's not a chivilrous glove-type-challenge being thrown down to rebut this very appealing idea, it's a mountain of granite-type-challenge! For example, consider the typology of Noah and his mission.

because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.
First Peter 3:20

The list goes on from the conquest of Canaan, the reign of the Judges, the message and ministry of the Prophets, God's preservation of the 'remnant' (Ezra 9:8; Isa. 28:5; Rom. 9:27), to name a few. Perhaps more importantly, this Old Testament Typology reveals a mission for the Redeemed that shows we are to witness, plead, preach, and live righteously in the processwith a tremendous sense of urgency. There is not one redemptive Old Testament type where the messenger's demeaner was one of 'take it or leave it', 'think it over', 'explore your options', 'you've got plenty of time to make a decision, no rush'. On the contrary! And this is a dire warning to God's people today to reprioritse their lives and witness and live for the mission of knowing Christ and making Him known. This is why we might also also regard certain types as types of time for eternity, because they reveal both the urgency and the consequences of our mission. 

As you read through the Bible, as I hope you do daily, take note of the urgency of those serving the Lord, and how eternally dire they understood their mission to be. And while you're at it, pray that God would give me a clearer of revelation of this well - and add to that prayer one of my most urgent needs: that I won't be duped by the mundane, the urgent trivialities of life, and the things that just don't matter.

The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.
Luke 8:14

Ps. Andrew

CAMEL CARERS

WANTED: RELIABLE PERSON, MUST BE GOOD WITH CAMELS

Camels, dromedaries, ships of the desert. One hump or two. Smelly, noisy, flea-hosting. I have asked many children what they hope to be when they grow up. Firemen, policemen, rock stars, sports champions, usually top the list. I have never, ever, had a young child aspire to be a "camel carer". Ever! Wealthy nomads owned slaves and hired servants to do this horribly humble job of watering socially insensitive camels. What might surprise you is that Jesus Christ was a camel-carer. Nearly everything Jesus said was from the perspective of a camel-carer...

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Mark 10:45

By all reports the ships of the desert drink a lot. It is their ability to trek for days across deserts that helps to make them the ideal means for nomads to travel with their wares. If you were asked to water several camels by pouring water into troughs for them to drink out of, you would be very busy for the next hour or so. It wouldn't be a pleasant job. It was a lowly job. In Genesis 24, Abraham asks his unnamed servant to travel back to his place of origin to find a wife for his son Isaac. The servant loads up the camels for the long trek. When he arrives at a well near the country of Abraham's kin, he prays a prayer asking God for the seemingly impossible. As he waits for the owner of the well to arrive, he asked God that -

1. It would be a woman who came to the well.
2. This woman would offer him a drink from the well.
3. This woman would also offer to give all of his camels a drink as well (she had to be a camel-carer).

Let the young woman to whom I shall say, 'Please let down your jar that I may drink,' and who shall say, 'Drink, and I will water your camels'—let her be the one whom you have appointed for your servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown steadfast love to my master."
Genesis 24:14

The most convincing answers to prayer are always the most coincidental. Coincidences tend to coincide most often just after praying for them to occur. Coincidentally, coincidences almost cease when prayer stops. Abraham's servant experienced the most remarkable coincidence to his prayer because even before he uttered "Amen" God was already answering his prayer.

¶ Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder.
Genesis 24:15

What Rebekah does is literally extraordinary. She offers the stranger a drink, then offers to water his camels! Rebekah was a camel-carer! Camel-carers add value to others - often without being asked. This is what makes them so inspirational. When Rebekah turned up at the well she must have been on a mission. It's not that camel-carers haven't got anything better to do. What contributes to them being very inspirational people is that despite their opinions, their feelings, their energy levels, or their needs, they serve. But if that's all they did I guess they'd be called "camel-servers". They care for things that people care about and by doing so they are actually caring for people. One of the secrets to very inspirational people's success at life is that they have learned you can bless a person by caring about what they are about. Abraham's servant had just been on a long bonding trip with his dromedaries. He cared about his camels. When you care about what those you care about care about, you may be becoming a camel-carer.

Over the 18 years I have been pastoring Legana, I have bonded not just with our people, but with the things we share - our property, our plants, our carpark, our buildings, our kitchens, our toilets, our creche, our playground, our grass, our fences, our microphones, and our musical instruments. If this list makes you think, "That's a sad, dull list" then you're probably not a camel-carer. I guess not everybody is. But some of you are. I've seen you caring for our camels. I've seen you on a Sunday at the door half an hour before our services start because you care. I've seen you making drinks for our thirsty camels at the end of our services because you care. I've seen you at our Sunday night prayer meeting because you care about our camels. I've seen you in one of our Home Groups listening and sharing with other camels, because you care. I've seen you down at our facilities through the week sweeping our pavements, pruning our plants, washing our windows and walls, weed-spraying our car-park, tidying our garden-beds, bringing our bins in, replacing our broken lights, and watering our parched plants. Camel-carers.

Camel-carers are often mistaken for being task-driven because they take care of such practical matters as washing dishes, setting up tables, cooking choc-chip shortbread cookies, or pressing RECORD on the audio computer in the sound-desk. Mistaken. By now you're probably connected the most obvious traits of camel-carers and realising that a person's measure as a camel-carer is commensurate with them being an inspirational person. Enter, Jesus Christ. He was the ultimate "camel-carer". He is clearly the ultimate Very Inspirational Person. If you want to transition from being a Very Draining Person to being a Very Inspirational Person, become like Jesus! But don't just see Jesus from the Gospels - see Jesus in Genesis when Rebekah volunteers to water a herd of camels. See Jesus in Exodus when Moses shepherds a nation of wandering whining people. See Jesus in First and Second Samuel when a young goat-herder volunteers to do battle with an obscene giant. Jesus.

THE SERVANT KING
Author unknown

1. From heav'n You came helpless babe
Entered our world Your glory veiled
Not to be served but to serve
And give Your life, that we might live 

This is our God, the servant King
He calls us now to follow Him
And give our lives as a daily offering
Of worship to the Servant King

2. There in the garden of Tears
My heavy load He chose to bear
His heart with sorrow was torn
"Let not My will by Yours" He said 

3. Come see His hands and His feet
The scars that speak of sacrifice
Hands that flung stars into space
To cruel nails surrendered 

4. So let us learn how to serve
And in our lives enthrone Him
Each other's needs to prefer
For it is Christ we're serving.

I met a new camel-carer in our church two weeks ago. She asked if it would be OK if she came down through the week and trimmed up the dead fronds on our ferns. I thought to myself, "Hallelujah! A camel-carer!" This past week I have been surrounded by camel-carers. These people aren't idle. Yet they volunteer to serve. They don't just do the minimum - they water our camels as well. They aren't looking for thanks, accolades, encouragement, or medals with colourful ribbons, or their photo in the newspaper. Camel-carers care for things because they care for people.

¶ When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing ten gold shekels,

Gen. 24:22

The Genesis 24 account doesn't end though with a bunch of camels rejuvenating their saliva stores. In what many Bible teachers have seen over the years, Rebekah is a type of New Testament believer. Her innocent faithfulness to her unseen spouse is honoured with treasures beyond her wildest imagination. This will be case for every faithful believer whose works will be tested by fire. And in a serendipitous way, if Rebekah hadn't watered these camels at this time, the world might not have hosted the Saviour since Rebekah went on to become the ancestor of Jesus Christ!

each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
First Corinthians 3:13

Abraham, a type of the God the father, has sent his servant, a type of the Holy Spirit, out into the world looking for a bride, a type of New Testament believer, for his son, a type of Christ. What distinguishes the believer from the world? Camel-caring. When we say don't kill unborn camels or exterminate old ones, it's because we care for people, not politics. When we volunteer, we show the care of Christ, our Servant-King.

Will you let me be your servant
Let me be as Christ to you
Pray that I might have the grace
To let you be my servant too(The Servant Song, by Richard Gillard of New Zealand)

"I'm not watering those stinking, flea-infested, slobering camels!" is usually translated into: "I'm really busy at the moment. Couldn't you find someone else for the creche roster?" and various other statements. But, "Let me get you a drink and I'll pour water for your camels to." - is most often translated not with words but with actions. If you really want to show someone you care, water their camels.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28