TYPES
OF CHRIST IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
A
Bible Study - Commentary by Jim Melough
Copyright
2001 James Melough
Solomon
The study of Scripture reveals
that frequently the Holy Spirit has been selective in what He has chosen to
record. For example, as a mere historical record, the Bible leaves a lot to
be desired, for the simple reason that the Holy Spirit has selected only as
much of history as serves to accomplish the Divine purpose, which is to
present the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord’s genealogy as
recorded in the Gospel of Matthew is another example, but again the Holy
Spirit has selected only what facilitates His purpose, which is to present the
Lord Jesus Christ as God’s anointed King.
And it is the same with most
of the men who are set before us in Scripture as types of Christ: imperfection
marks all of them, for while no evil has been recorded of some, we recognize
that the apparent perfection is the result of the Holy Spirit’s
selectivity: He has chosen to omit in regard to them any mention of the
imperfection that marks all men except the Lord Himself.
This helps us to see that many
of those who are very clearly types of Christ, will be seen as such only when
we bring to our examination of their lives the same discrimination as has been
employed by the Holy Spirit in regard to history, genealogies, etc. It is
obvious, for example, that while David is very clearly a type of Christ as the
rejected King, there are incidents in his life which are clearly to be omitted
when examining the symbolic picture.
With this in mind, we look at
Solomon and recognize that like David, he too is a type of Christ, not in the
folly that marked the latter part of his life, but in the humility and wisdom
that marked his early years. The full significance of that wisdom will be
better understood in the light of the knowledge that his reign, in which
Israel reached the zenith of her glory, and in which silver “was nothing
accounted of” because of the abundance of gold, is itself but a foreshadowing
of the coming Millennium when the type will be fulfilled, and the true Solomon
will reign over the whole earth. As Christ Himself declared two thousand
years ago, “Behold, a greater than Solomon is here,” Mt 12:42, so will it be
again in a day that can’t be far off. But unlike the Christ Who has come once
to fulfill the type portrayed by David, the Christ Whose coming is
foreshadowed in Solomon’s reign, will come, not to save but to judge; not to
redeem, but to rule. Note, for example, that Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei -
evil men who had been spared during the reign of David - were put to death
when Solomon began to reign (1 Ki 2).
Then a repentant and pardoned
Israel will be elevated to an even higher pinnacle of glory from which her
dominion will embrace the whole world; and not in Israel only, but in the
whole earth, will there be abundance and blessing such as the world has never
known.
When the record of Solomon’s
life is scanned with the spiritual illumination that differentiates between
what is recorded of him as a mere man, and what has been written of him as a
type of Christ, it will become invested with new meaning. We will see what
God wants us to see in all Scripture: CHRIST.