Godly Social Order - Corinthians

Typology and Us

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: Sociology

Lesson: 25-49

Genre: Lecture

Track: 25

Dictation Name: RR274G14a

Location/Venue:

Year:

Let us worship God. Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from this present evil world according to the will of God to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen. Let us pray.

Our Lord our God we thank Thee that Thou are He that has made all things and govern all things and are at work to redeem all things and to renew the whole of creation. We Thy people, members of a fallen and sinful humanity come to Thee gratefully for Thy redemption, for Thy providential care and for all Thy promises to us in Jesus Christ which are Yea and Amen. All glory be to Thee, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Our scripture is First Corinthians 10:6-13. Our subject: Typology and Us.

“Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

This is one of those great passages that opens up a vast realm of scripture. And many, many books could be and have been written without exhausting it’s meaning written about the implications of this text. In verse six and again later Paul speaks of examples. And this is a word better understand by us as types, t-y-p-e-s. Types and typology are less in view in our time than in the past.

Typology presupposes a pattern in history ordained by God whereby past biblical events have a correspondence to later events and also to history since then. The events of the Old Testament are made clear in their meaning in the New Testament. And together explain the purposes of God in all of history. Typology assumes that the God of scripture is continually active in working, working out His purposes. So that we can better understand history by knowing full well the biblical history. God says I am the Lord, I change not. And this is why typology is relevant to us. Unhappily typology has been much abused and some of the interests in it destroyed by people who cheapened its meaning. We’ll go into all the colors of the tabernacle and its furnishings and so on and so forth and thereby bypassed what typology is all about. Because of typology the Bible always has a present relevance. It guides and it constrains us. Not only by its laws and instructions but by its history and its meaning. For this reason Paul begins this part of the text with the words ‘now these things were examples (or types) to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they lusted’. They referred to the Israelites of the Exodus generation, delivered from Egyptian slavery they whined and complained because they lacked the security of slavery and had to walk by faith. Somehow because they were the Lord’s they should never have any problems. But as we saw when we studied Hebrews, because we are the Lords, because we are his children He chastens us, otherwise if we were not chastened we would have to be classified as bastards.

In verses seven and eight Paul refers to the episode of Exodus 32, Israel’s fertility cult celebration while Moses was on Mount Sinai. His language however is inclusive also of the time of whoredom with the women of Moab in Numbers 25. In both instances with only a slight provocation Israel lapsed into a ready apostasy, one of a flagrant sort and a loud mouth whining and complaining about God. Because of their sin some twenty three thousand died in a single day according to Numbers 25:9 the number who died in the plague were twenty four thousand. The figures are approximate. Paul chooses to understate the number in order to stress the offense. The offense of Israel was to tempt Christ, to try the patience of the coming Messiah of God the King. For people who were miraculously delivered and cared for to try the patience of the Great King was the height of folly and many died struck by serpents. And they paid the price for their rebellion. They wanted the privilege of freedom but not its responsibilities, they wanted the blessings of God but when God put them to the test they whined and complained and reproached God. Their complaining was Paul says a direct affront to Christ the King. All complaining is seen by Christ the Lord as a challenge to His wisdom and purpose. Paul clearly has the Corinthians in mind and us. This comes out in verse ten. Neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer. We read of Israel’s complaining in Numbers 14:2 and 36 and 16:11 and 14. We read of it also again and again in other texts. The destroyer is death, eternal death. Paul makes clear that we never have a right to complain against God. His purposes for us are to test us and to prepare us for eternity. And he best knows what we need.

As Isaac once said ‘must we go to heaven on flowery beds of ease?’ In verse eleven Paul tells us ‘now all these things happened unto them for examples, for types and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come’. This is a remarkable statement. One of the most far reaching in its implications in the whole of Paul’s letter. Paul says the Old Testament history was recorded for the Christian community to admonish and to teach it. The Old Testament is the church’s book. It was written and given to teach the Christians what God requires of them. This is the meaning of its typology! The meaning and culmination of history rests, he says, with the Christian community upon whom the ends of the world are come. This tells us that the Old Testament is even more relevant for the Christian community than it was for Israel because it is in the Christian realm that the meaning of God’s plan unfolds. This means therefore as great as the judgment was upon Israel even greater God’s judgment will be on the church for not heeding his warnings. For the church to see the Old Testament as primarily a Jewish book is thus fearfully wrong. Besides being God’s law book for all time and in addition to declaring the atonement it is by vicarious substitutionary sacrifice Old Testament history gives us God’s teaching for Christians in His dealing with waywardness and sin. Christians should read the Old Testament and know it because we are told it is however much for Israel in its day, even more for us unto whom the ends of the worlds have come.

The church too has a long wilderness journey and God is less tolerant of the apostasy of the people upon whom the ends of the world have come. God who judged Israel severely will be even more severe on his judgment on the church. The church does not take heed. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall, Paul says in verse twelve. The self-righteousness of Israel in the wilderness is exceeded by the Christian church and by countless churchmen since the days of Corinth. Lest anyone assume that God’s testing of men in history is too severe and essentially unfair, Paul adds in verse thirteen, there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to all men. But God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able but will with a temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it. So Paul says you can go on whining about your temptation and shutting out God, you will suffer then the fate of Israel. God’s trials of us are not excessive Paul says, whatever we may think. In verse seven Paul refers to the drunken behavior and sexuality of sinning Israel as play, an interesting term. Now sin in the Bible is trying to be God, determining for ourselves what is good and evil. The essence of our creature hood is responsibility to God our maker. When men play god its appeal for men is its supposed freedom from responsibility. That’s why sin is so appealing.

I’ve seen all too many men and women commit adulteries with persons far inferior in every way to their own spouse. But virtue means responsibility whereas the appeal of sin is irresponsibility. Using other people for one’s own purposes. And sinners love irresponsibility. That’s why by comparison to married adultery seems so appealing. It’s flight from responsibility. This is why too when adulterous couples divorce and marry one another their pleasure is often gone because irresponsibility is replaced with responsibility! Responsibility is basic to creature hood and it is deaf to try and escape it. Paul in verse thirteen presents faithfulness and virtue as the easier way because God so ordains it. If we complain about our situations they become all the more difficult for us. Because God has so ordained it. When we look to Him, when we bow to His wisdom saying that we don’t know why we’re undergoing this trial but Thy will be done and Thou hast ordained this for our good then the griefs and burdens and trials become easier. We are able to bear trials because God so wills it. If we refuse the trials we refuse God’s way for us. For Paul faith is essentially related to the God related patterns and typologies. Because faith sees a purpose and direction in all of history, past and present. The focus of that meaning and pattern is the kingdom of God, not the Corinthians nor us. The purposes of history unfold in time and in us but they transcend us. Israel errored seeing itself as the end and the church too is commonly guilty of the same error. In knowing our place, knowing our limitations, and in everything to give thanks. Let us pray.

Thy word is truth, oh Lord. And Thy word speaks to our every condition. For all things come from Thee and Thy word therefore is the word for every moment, day and year of our lifetime. Forgive us for putting our trust in our word rather than in Thine. For demanding that Thou give voice to our complaints rather than to Thy chastening, to Thy blessing word and to Thy so great salvation. Make us strong by Thy word and faithful in Thy service. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Are there any questions now about our lesson? Yes?

[Man speaking] Rush when you were talking about a statement that Joseph [unknown] made in the report last year and I never quite heard it put like this, it seems very simple but I think its profound. He said from the standpoint of the New Testament the entire Bible is a new covenant book. So that in this most fundamental sense there’s not really an Old Testament from our standpoint because the entire Bible is designed to govern us.

[Rushdoony] Very, very well put. And that’s why originally in the very early church there was no distinction between the Old Testament and the New Testament. It was all the word of God and it was a heretic, Marceon, who pushed them into making it and that’s led to no small confusion, we should see it as one book.

As you can see what Paul has to say here puts an entirely different slant on the meaning of typology. And so much of the typology that we’ve seen about the colors and the tassels and this and that and the other thing in the sanctuary and in the priests garments is nonsense. It’s running away from God’s purpose in His word. It creates a lot of cheap meanings for cheap people.

[Man speaks] Typology is a very ethical typology, its designed to govern action not just to gratify speculation.

[Rushdoony] Very, very well put. This is why the church is going to be strong when it sees the Bible as one word from God, from beginning to end. When it sees that typology tells us not little trifles about colors and tassels but about what we are to do, how we are to live, how we are in everything to praise and thank God. So this particular text I’ve always felt is a very, very potent one.

It’s been a text that’s been important in enabling me to see the whole of the Bible as a unity because God says so. Are there any other questions or comments? If not let us conclude with prayer.

Our Father Thy word is truth. And we thank Thee that Thy word speaks to our needs, to our conditions, to our weakness, to our strength, to our sin and to our faithfulness. To guide us, to correct us, to fill us with joy at Thy meaning which is the truth and shall prevail. Make us joyful in Thy word. And now go in peace, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, bless you and keep you, guide and protect you, this day and always, Amen.