This study is a continuation of what we began last time. This is just the smallest little taste of how the Bible points to Jesus. Some people have become so fascinated with this type of study that they have devoted their lives to it. While that could be wonderful if God calls you to that, there is a danger to be avoided. The pictures themselves can become so interesting that we lose track of the common sense meaning of the passages. There are people who get so caught up in allegory that they start to doubt the reality of the "first level" understanding. For example, they think that Adam and Eve were not real people but just pictures for our learning. It really seems like those "here is what it REALLY means" people are only heading for trouble.

Don't let that happen to you. It would be better to completely ignore these pictures if they cause you to slip in your simple, child-like trust in God and His Word. Sure, the Cities of Refuge pointed to Jesus - but they were also real cities with real people who really took in those fleeing from Avengers of Blood. Joseph's life pointed to Jesus in many ways, but those events really happened to him. It's not just an allegorical story.

Also - if these type of things just make you frustrated and prone to putting aside the Bible because you keep thinking you have to understand every picture in every story, stop trying to see them. It is better to just stay in God's word. Remember, the Holy Spirit is the best teacher, and when you're ready to see more, He'll show you more. Be patient. Keep reading! Don't expect to understand everything. That's what we have all eternity (literally, ladies!) for. Personally, I can hardly wait to sit at Jesus' feet and have Him show me all the things I missed.

OK, with that in mind, let's review what we went through when we were together.

Let's be honest. There are parts of the Bible that seem long and pretty pointless. The description of the making of the Tabernacle is one of those places. It goes on and on, and we find ourselves just skimming. Yet, there was a reason for all that, because God gave Moses specific instructions and told him "Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you." Why? What was the big deal?

The first thing he tells Moses is how to make the Ark of the Covenant. This was that very special box that the Ten Commandments would be kept in. Everything about the Ark is a picture of Jesus.

Exodus 25
Offerings for the Tabernacle

¹ The LORD said to Moses, ² "Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give. ³ These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; ⁴ blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; ⁵ ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows ^[1] ; acacia wood; ⁶ olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; ⁷ and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece.
⁸ "Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. ⁹ Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.

The Ark
¹⁰ "Have them make a chest of acacia wood-two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. ^{[2] 11} The Ark is made of wood. Why? Why would something so special, so precious, be made of wood? They had plenty of gold - why not make it of pure gold? The wood represents Jesus' humanity. Wood has a tendency to perish - the "ability" to perish. In order to pay for our sins, God had to be capable of dying. He had to become a man, a kinsman of Adam. Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. The box would be encased in pure gold, representing Jesus' divinity. ¹² Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. ¹³ Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the chest to carry it. ¹⁵ The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed. ¹⁶ Then put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you. Inside the Ark was to be the tablets containing the Ten Commandments. The law of God was in the heart of the box - and in the heart of Jesus. It also contained two other things - a jar of manna, which the New Testament tells us also represented Jesus as the bread of life, and Aaron's rod that flowered and bore fruit, a symbol of resurrection.

17 "Make an atonement cover ^[3] of pure gold-two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. ^{[4] 18} And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. ¹⁹ Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. ²⁰ The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. ²¹ Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you. ²² There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.

Footnotes

1. 25:5 That is, dugongs
2. 25:10 That is, about 3 3/4 feet (about 1.1 meters) long and 2 1/4 feet (about 0.7 meter) wide and high
3. 25:17 Traditionally a mercy seat
4. 25:17 That is, about 3 3/4 feet (about 1.1 meters) long and 2 1/4 feet (about 0.7 meter) wide

 

(For some reason, I don't seem to be able to get rid of the indent on the following. It's making me crazy, but I've spent enough time on it. Grrr.)

There is so much here. I can see already that there is much I haven't seen and have yet to learn. The NIV calls this lid for the ark the "atonement cover." The King James calls it the "mercy seat." Without this covering, the ark would be open. The ark, along with this separate cover was placed in the Holy of Holies. This is the place where once each year, the High Priest sprinkled blood on the cover for the sins of himself and the sins of the people. The two cherubim, (the highest level of angels), spread their wings upward and looked toward the cover. In the original tabernacle, this is where the shining glory of God resided - between the cherubim. There is no reason not to accept this at face value:

Psalm 99:1 The LORD reigns, let the nations tremble; he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake.

Other "enthroned between the cherubim" passages here.

While we were together, I just kind of skimmed through this quickly - but I'd like to take you through more thoroughly here. The point is that the ark itself pointed to Jesus - but the mercy seat, the atonement cover, in a spiritual sense IS Jesus. The New Testament points this out specifically.

Here's the picture: The ark contains the law of God - the Ten Commandments. That law is broken. Israel could not keep them. We cannot keep them. The earthly tabernacle was a copy of the heavenly one. The "Glory of the Lord" was present in the earthly tabernacle, between the cherubim.

Exd 40:34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

Exodus 25:22 There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.

Leviticus 16:2 The LORD said to Moses: "Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.

Just a little aside here - Aaron could not come in whenever he wanted - but Moses met with God face to face all the time. Aaron represented the people, but Moses was taking the part of a type of Christ. Now, IN CHRIST, we also have access to God whenever we want.

God Himself is enthroned in the heavenly tabernacle - surrounded by the real cherubim. Ezekiel saw the throne of God with the cherubim:

Ezekiel 10:1 I looked, and I saw the likeness of a throne of sapphire ^[a] above the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim.

Ezekiel 10:14 Each of the cherubim had four faces: One face was that of a cherub, the second the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. 15 Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures I had seen by the Kebar River.

The book of Revelation calls the cherubim "living creatures," but you can see that they are the same as what Ezekiel saw:

Revelation 4:6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.

They proclaim the holiness of God. Later in Revelation, it is the living creatures, the cherubim, that call forth the judgments as the lamb opens the seals of the book. So, the earthly copies of the cherubim, looking down at the mercy seat (remember that under the mercy seat are the stones with the Ten Commandments) represent the holiness of God and judgment. When the high priest sprinkled blood on the mercy seat, he was putting blood between the (broken) law and the holiness (and judgment) of God.

Now, the New Testament also talks about this:

Hebrews 9

Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle

1Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. 2A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. 3Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, 4which had the golden altar of incense and the goldcovered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. The word translated "atonement cover" or "mercy seat" in the King James, is hilasterion {hil-as-tay'-ree-on}. That very same word, hilasterion, is also used here:

 Romans 3:25 (NIV) God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.

Romans 3:25 (KJV) Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

So, in other words, the New Testament is literally calling Jesus our atonement cover, our mercy seat. So, this idea of the mercy seat picturing Jesus is no conjecture, but specifically told us. In fact, in the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, this same word " hilasterion" is used every place that the mercy seat is mentioned.

So, we see a bigger picture of what that mercy seat was supposed to show in the earthly tabernacle. It represented the coming "propitiation" of Jesus. That's a big word. It means "The act of atoning for sin or wrongdoing." Here's how the old Webster's Dictionary defines it:

Webster's 1913 Definition:

1. The act of appeasing the wrath and conciliating the favor of an offended person
2. (Theological) That which propitiates; atonement or atoning sacrifice; specifically, the influence or effects of the death of Christ in appeasing the divine justice, and conciliating the divine favor.
He (Jesus Christ) is the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 2:2

1Jo 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world.

1Jo 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.

You can read more about it here:

Easton Bible Dictionary, Definition of Propitiation

Or here: Propitiation

So, the mercy seat pointed to the fact that the coming Messiah would "cover" the law. The blood showed that Messiah would have to shed his own blood to cover the broken law. This was perfectly fulfilled when Jesus said "It is finished" on the cross. We even see the picture perfectly fulfilled at the tomb:

John 20:11 but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

God leaves absolutely nothing to chance. What did Mary see? She saw the fulfillment of the mercy seat - with the blood of Jesus "sprinkled" between the two angels.

The rest of Hebrews 9 is also beneficial to read, as commentary on this whole idea:


Hebrews 9 (continued)

6When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing. 9This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings-external regulations applying until the time of the new order.

The Blood of Christ

11When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here,^[b] he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not manmade, that is to say, not a part of this creation. 12He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,^[c] so that we may serve the living God!

15For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

16In the case of a will,^[d] it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood. 19When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20He said, "This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep."^[e] 21In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

23It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24For Christ did not enter a manmade sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. 25Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Footnotes:

1. Hebrews 9:5 Traditionally the mercy seat
0. Hebrews 9:11 Some early manuscripts are to come
0. Hebrews 9:14 Or from useless rituals
0. Hebrews 9:16 Same Greek word as covenant; also in verse 17
0. Hebrews 9:20 Exodus 24:8

OK, that covers the ark and the mercy seat. What about the tabernacle itself?

So, let's put this together. The outside layer was probably, in all honesty, pretty ugly. It wasn't colorful. In some versions, the word is translated badger skins, and in others, porpoise skins. Whatever it was, it wasn't intended to be beautiful. Yet, it was strong and would bear up under weather and sun. It reminds us of this verse:

The painted pictures we have of Jesus make him quite beautiful and gentle in appearance. That's not the way the Bible describes him, though. He would have been very strong - both from his early life as a carpenter, and from his later life of constant walking and being outside. He was impervious to the "lightning bolts" of the Jewish leaders and he was never "blown about" by the temptation to sin. Why wasn't he attractive, though? Perhaps because that's not how we're supposed to judge:

The next layer inside the sea cow layer was red ramskin, which speaks of blood and sacrifice. It reminds us of the ram with Abraham. The next inner layer is goat hair, which reminds us of the scapegoat - which took sin for the people outside the camp. The innermost layer was beautiful, and represented the glory of God. Around the whole tabernacle there was a courtyard, made of a curtain. There was only one entrance to the courtyard.

From the outside, the only thing you can see when you look into the entrance was the huge brazen altar, where the sacrifices were made. You could see nothing else. Now, put this in terms of Jesus. From the outside - the standpoint of an unbeliever, the only thing you can see is the sacrifice of Jesus - the gospel. Everything else is veiled to you. You won't see, you won't understand, anything else until you get past that altar: the cross. Once you get past the brazen altar, which was the cross in picture, the next thing you come to is the laver, that place where the priests were washed. Until they were washed, they couldn't proceed any further. Until we are washed with the water of the Word, we won't see any further either. We may have gotten past the brazen altar, (saved in other words) but we'll be stuck in the outer courtyard unless we are washed. When we look at the Holy Place, the tabernacle - JESUS! - we won't see anything that attracts us, really. Only when we ENTER IN do we see the wonder - the beauty and holiness of God. We need to be washed with the Word of God before our eyes are truly opened.

How many people do you know that are still in the outer courtyard? They've come past the brazen altar, but they never really enter in to the Holy Place that Jesus made accessible to them. Because of His sacrifice, they are welcome! But they seem happy to remain at a distance, looking at the skins of sea cows.

One more thing, just for fun. The entrance to the tabernacle was on the east end, toward the sunrise:

Who camped on the east end? The camp of Judah. In order to enter the tabernacle courtyard, you had to go through the camp of Judah.:

In order to enter into God's presence now, you must also pass through the camp of Judah - specifically, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. 

Here are some additional articles for you, if you are interested:

The Tabernacle, a type of Jesus Christ and his church

The mercy seat

THE TABERNACLE

Christ in the Tabernacle

Numbers 2
The Arrangement of the Tribal Camps

¹ The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: ² "The Israelites are to camp around the Tent of Meeting some distance from it, each man under his standard with the banners of his family."

³ On the east, toward the sunrise, the divisions of the camp of Judah are to encamp under their standard. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab. ⁴ His division numbers 74,600.
⁵ The tribe of Issachar will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar. ⁶ His division numbers 54,400.
⁷ The tribe of Zebulun will be next. The leader of the people of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon. ⁸ His division numbers 57,400.
⁹ All the men assigned to the camp of Judah, according to their divisions, number 186,400. They will set out first.

¹⁰ On the south will be the divisions of the camp of Reuben under their standard. The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur. ¹¹ His division numbers 46,500.
¹² The tribe of Simeon will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. ¹³ His division numbers 59,300.
¹⁴ The tribe of Gad will be next. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel. ^{[1] 15} His division numbers 45,650.
¹⁶ All the men assigned to the camp of Reuben, according to their divisions, number 151,450. They will set out second.

¹⁷ Then the Tent of Meeting and the camp of the Levites will set out in the middle of the camps. They will set out in the same order as they encamp, each in his own place under his standard.

¹⁸ On the west will be the divisions of the camp of Ephraim under their standard. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud. ¹⁹ His division numbers 40,500.
²⁰ The tribe of Manasseh will be next to them. The leader of the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. ²¹ His division numbers 32,200.
²² The tribe of Benjamin will be next. The leader of the people of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni. ²³ His division numbers 35,400.
²⁴ All the men assigned to the camp of Ephraim, according to their divisions, number 108,100. They will set out third.

²⁵ On the north will be the divisions of the camp of Dan, under their standard. The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. ²⁶ His division numbers 62,700.
²⁷ The tribe of Asher will camp next to them. The leader of the people of Asher is Pagiel son of Ocran. ²⁸ His division numbers 41,500.
²⁹ The tribe of Naphtali will be next. The leader of the people of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan. ³⁰ His division numbers 53,400.
³¹ All the men assigned to the camp of Dan number 157,600. They will set out last, under their standards.

³² These are the Israelites, counted according to their families. All those in the camps, by their divisions, number 603,550. ³³ The Levites, however, were not counted along with the other Israelites, as the LORD commanded Moses.

³⁴ So the Israelites did everything the LORD commanded Moses; that is the way they encamped under their standards, and that is the way they set out, each with his clan and family.

Lots of numbers - another of those places where we normally just skim. Let's take it one piece at a time. First, the Levites were to camp around the tabernacle. Then, to the east, three tribes were to camp, all under the standard or banner of Judah. As we mentioned before, they were camped on the side of the tabernacle that had the entrance. All together, there were 186,400 in that camp.

Now, skipping the NE quadrant (because God didn't say NE), on the north side there were three more tribes camped, under the banner of Dan. All together, there were 157,600 in that camp.

OK, now you've got to picture this graphically. God didn't say spread into the NE. He said, camp to the east, camp to the north, etc. So, as wide as the Levites are around the tabernacle - that's how wide each group can camp. Then, they just spread out in that direction - east or north or whatever - as far as they need to go. This leaves some open space in between the camps, which would be necessary for a group this size. There were lots of things they were required to do outside the camp, like going to the bathroom, for example (Deut. 23:12-13). If they were all just one huge sprawling group, you might have to travel miles to get outside the camp.

So, skipping the NW quadrant, you have three more tribes camped under the banner of Ephraim. They would be directly ACROSS the tabernacle from Judah. They numbered 108,100 all together, which was only about 3/5 the size of Judah's camp. (So Judah's camp would stretch out almost twice as far)

Finally, to the west of the tabernacle were three tribes under the banner of Reuben, with a total of 151,450. They were directly across from the camp of Dan, which had 157,600. So, both of those camps stretched about the same distance away from the tabernacle, but not as far as Judah's camp did. When you put it together, it comes out like a cross. (I haven't figured out how to add a picture here, so hopefully you saw the picture I brought).

So, Israel camped in the shape of a cross with tabernacle at its center. The tabernacle was where they met with God - so this is a picture of God on the cross. Also, remember that they entered the courtyard from the east, which was where Judah camped. As you an see, that is the foot of the cross. The only way to God for them then and for us today is approach the foot of the cross.

There is much, much more here that I won't take the time to go into. Here are some additional articles so that you can read more (with pictures of this):

The ark of Noah also points to Jesus. I won't go through every little nuance. There are a couple articles at the end for you to study it further if you want.

Genesis 6
The Flood
¹¹ Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. ¹² God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. ¹³ So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. ¹⁴ So make yourself an ark of cypress ^[3] wood; As in the ark of the covenant, the wood may point to Jesus' humanity. It's not as obvious here, though, so who knows? make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. Why both inside and out? Again, I'm not sure. However, it is kind of the same idea as the ark of the covenant being covered inside and out with gold. Pitch as a symbol for divinity? I don't know about that one. There was a reason that God had Noah coat it on both sides. It wasn't necessary to make it sea worthy. Maybe we'll find out someday. ¹⁵ This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. ^{[4] 16} Make a roof for it and finish ^[5] the ark to within 18 inches ^[6] of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark (only one door!) and make lower, middle and upper decks. ¹⁷ I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. ¹⁸ But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark-you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you. ¹⁹ You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. ²⁰ Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. ²¹ You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them."
²² Noah did everything just as God commanded him. Everything was going to perish in God's judgment on the world except those that were IN the ark. None escape God's wrath to come except those that are IN Jesus:

Genesis 7

1 The LORD then said to Noah, "Go into the ark, The word translated "Go" here ("Come" in the KJV) is the Hebrew word bow'. The verb tense is imperative, so it is an order, but it also implies that someone is leading the way, bringing the person, object or animal along, as here:

you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2 Take with you seven ^[a] of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, 3 and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. 4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made."

13 On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. When Noah and his family entered the ark, they went in through the ONE door. There was no other way in.

14 They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings. 15 Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. 16 The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in. Noah didn't shut the door to keep himself and his family safe. God shut the door. As long as they remained in the ark, they were safe. As long as we remain in Jesus, we are safe. (Remember our Cities of Refuge discussion?)

17 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18 The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet. ^[b] , ^[c] 21 Every living thing that moved on the earth perished-birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

Genesis 8
¹ But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. ² Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. ³ The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, ⁴ and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

In Numbers chapter 26, there is a big list of names, because inheritance in the promised land is being determined. It is straight-forward, and then you come to this verse:

Num 26:33 And Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters: and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

Nothing more is said about it until the next chapter:

Num 27:1-8 Then came the daughters of Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of Manasseh the son of Joseph: and these are the names of his daughters; Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah. And they stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and all the congregation, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the LORD in the company of Korah; but died in his own sin, and had no sons. Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son? Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father. And Moses brought their cause before the LORD. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father's brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them. And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter.

Later in the Bible there is one more stipulation - that the daughter must marry within her tribe. However, if she does, the inheritance can pass through her. In practicality, what they did was that the husband of the woman was considered a son - sort of adopted by the woman's family. Normally, when a woman marries, she becomes part of her husband's family. In this case, the husband was considered part of hers, so that the inheritance of land, house, whatever, would stay in her family.

So, what in the world does that have to do with Jesus? It's just an odd little incident, right? Well, file that away in your mind for a moment.

Let's jump to the New Testament:

Matthew 1

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife,
7Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
8Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
11and Josiah the father of Jeconiah^[a] (Jehoiachin - see below) and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13Zerubbabel the father of Abiud,
Abiud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
14Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Eliud,
15Eliud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
16and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Matthew 1:11 That is, Jehoiachin; also in verse 12 Matthew 1:17 Or Messiah. "The Christ" (Greek) and "the Messiah" (Hebrew) both mean "the Anointed One." Matthew 1:21 Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the LORD saves. Matthew 1:23 Isaiah 7:14

Matthew was a tax collector - a legal official. He was also a Jew and throughout his gospel, he's very concerned with showing how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the coming Messiah. All good Jews knew that the coming Messiah would not only come through the line of David, but would come through the line of kings, since he would be a king himself - so Matthew presents the legal genealogy of Jesus down to Joseph, the husband of Mary. Joseph was descended from the line of the kings. However, there's a problem:

24 "As surely as I live," declares the LORD , "even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off. 25 I will hand you over to those who seek your life, those you fear-to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to the Babylonians. ^[d] 26 I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. 27 You will never come back to the land you long to return to."

Whoa - that's a big problem. It says that none of Jehoiachin's offspring will ever sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah. Yet, Messiah must take David's throne, must rule, in order to fulfill the prophecy. Remember, though - that Joseph wasn't really Jesus' father - so this "blood curse" doesn't apply. Legally, Jesus was descended from the line of kings.

There's still a problem, though. Messiah must be an offspring of David. Of course, that's where Mary comes in:

Luke 3

23Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,
the son of Heli, 24the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, the son of Melki,
the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
25the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos,
the son of Nahum, the son of Esli,
the son of Naggai, 26the son of Maath,
the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein,
the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
27the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa,
the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel,
the son of Neri, 28the son of Melki,
the son of Addi, the son of Cosam,
the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
29the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer,
the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, 30the son of Simeon,
the son of Judah, the son of Joseph,
the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
31the son of Melea, the son of Menna,
the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan,
the son of David, 32the son of Jesse,
the son of Obed, the son of Boaz,
the son of Salmon,^[d] the son of Nahshon,
33the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram,^[e]
the son of Hezron, the son of Perez,
the son of Judah, 34the son of Jacob,
the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham,
the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35the son of Serug, the son of Reu,
the son of Peleg, the son of Eber,
the son of Shelah, 36the son of Cainan,
the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem,
the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
37the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch,
the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel,
the son of Kenan, 38the son of Enosh,
the son of Seth, the son of Adam,
the son of God.

Footnotes:

Luke 3:6 Isaiah 40:35

Luke 3:15 Or Messiah

Luke 3:16 Or in

Luke 3:32 Some early manuscripts Sala

Luke 3:33 Some manuscripts Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni; other manuscripts vary widely.

But, still a problem. Legally, descending from a woman doesn't carry the inheritance - in this case, the inheritance is to carry the line of Messiah. UNLESS - Unless Mary's father had no sons. Then the rule of the Daughters of Zelophehad would apply. If you look at Luke 3:23: Now Jesus. . .was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli, you can see that's exactly what happened. Heli was actually Mary's father, but apparently had no sons and "adopted" Joseph to carry on the family line.

Now, all the problems are solved. Legally, Jesus was descended through the line of kings through Joseph, but since Joseph wasn't really Jesus' father, the blood curse doesn't apply. Physically, he was descended from King David through Mary (by way of Bathsheba's second living son, Nathan), and that was also legally acceptable because of the rule of the Daughter's of Zelophehad.

See? Every single thing is in the Bible for a reason. We're not going to learn all those reasons in this life, but those discoveries we do make are wonderfully fun.

An article with more information:

 Why a Virgin Birth?

Some additional articles on "types" of Christ in the Bible:

The Sufferings and Death of Christ in Types

Types of Prophecy and Prophecy in Type

Every book in the Bible is about Jesus

The Bible (is about Jesus)

I have one more coming that I am writing myself, but I'm not done with it yet. I'll e-mail you the link when I'm finished.

Christmas: Celebrating the First Advent of Christ (Very nice Bible Study page)

The Twelve Voices of Christmas

Christmas Is Coming

Who Were the Magi?

Christmas Links on Lambert Dolphin's Site (He always has such good articles)

The Symbols and Traditions of Christmas (Just for fun)

CHRISTMAS: Somebody Cooked Your Goose! by Tricia Tillin (Not because I agree with it, but Tricia Tillin always gives you something to think about)