All of us know that shadows don’t exist on their own; you can’t have a shadow without a light source and without an object blocking that light source. In much the same way, Scripture teaches that the Bible is filled with people, places, and things that don’t exist for their own sake but instead exist to point to a reality far greater than themselves.
When God gave Moses instructions to build the tabernacle, the plans were meticulous and detailed. Why? Does God enjoy being difficult and demanding for its own sake? Certainly not, and the author of Hebrews tell us exactly why—because the earthly tabernacle was “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things” (Hebrews 8:5). Later in the same book we read that Christ, in his work as high priest, “entered into greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)” (Hebrews 9:11). In other words, the true tabernacle is not of this creation—the true tabernacle already exists in heaven. The earthly tabernacle, while it was important and served a necessary purpose for God’s people, was a shadow cast by the real thing. And when you start looking for shadows in the Old Testament, it won’t take you long to start seeing them everywhere.
In the book of Colossians, the apostle Paul speaks of the special festivals and celebrations of the Hebrew calendar. He says, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:16–17). Without a doubt, these were necessary in their own right and served an important purpose, but they too pointed to a greater reality—to Christ.
Characters and objects in the biblical narrative can be shadows as well. When Moses stood between God and the people of Israel and pleaded for them for mercy and forgiveness (Numbers 14:13–19), his mediating work was a shadow of the mediating work of Christ. When Moses later lifted up a bronze statue of a snake in the wilderness so that anyone who looked at it would not die from God’s punishment of the people (Numbers 21:4–9), that statue was a shadow of Christ being lifted up and bringing restoration to a broken and sinful world. Similarly, the great kings of Israel (insofar as they ruled righteously and faithfully) served as shadows of the ultimate authority and power that belongs to Christ eternally.
The great work of Christ in the New Testament casts a long shadow over the Old. And although some stories in the Old Testament may seem culturally distant and difficult to understand, if you attune your biblical senses to the shadows that are woven into every narrative, you will quickly find that—just as Jesus Himself taught His disciples—every one of them bears witness about Him.
All the best,
Luke