“God said, Do not come near; put your shoes off your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground.” Exodus 3:5
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry…” Mt 3:11
“Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was a confirmation in Israel.” Ruth 4:7
“And Moses lifted up his hand and with his rod he smote the rock twice. And water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” Nu 20:11-12
“Let us rejoice and shout for joy! Let us celebrate and ascribe to Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has prepared herself.” Rev 19:7
Not understanding covenant, we fail to process types and shadows
It can be dangerous to stand in the way of what God is seeking to convey, and the way He is making…
Looking at the Scriptures above, we must understand what they have in common. They are presenting types and shadows of covenant understanding.
Moses had to put off his sandals…
John the Baptist wasn’t worthy to unloose the sandal strap of the Lord, our Kinsman Redeemer…
Moses was disqualified to lead the people into the Promised Land because he had misrepresented the Lord at a critical time, thus compromising their understanding of the Lord and His nature…Moses then was not aligned with the “type and shadow” of the Deliverer so could not conclude their deliverance…
Now, all this has bearing on a point I want to make: an insight that was only recently opened to me…
Which is: “Why, when we get to heaven, will we no longer be married (may seem inconsequential to some but becomes important in what underlies the truth).”
First, you understand there is the issue that we have died before entering heaven, thus we have died to the law of being linked in marriage.
But more important than that, to arrive in heaven with marriage ties in tact would fly in the very face of, and contest the marriage supper of the Lamb. The Covenant reality of the marriage of the Lamb would be blocked.
Let us revisit some of the above quotes so this can be seen more clearly.
Specifically, John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11. He describes himself as unworthy to loose the covenant sandal. Meaning, if he should try to remove the sandal that only Jesus Christ could obtain as our Kinsman Redeemer, He would break the type and its significance. Only Jesus stands worthy to Redeem the Bride.
In the Book of Ruth, this is further clarified as Boaz (as the stand in for Christ the Redeemer) redeems Ruth. However, the closer relative had to first refuse to redeem Ruth and then put off his sandal and extend it to Boaz as a sign that he relinquished all claim to Ruth and Naomi’s estate lands. Only the True Redeemer can take the sandal and fill it or occupy it/possess it.
This is the real reason Moses had to put off his sandals – to not do so would contest the right of the One holding the property – in this case the burning bush. It wasn’t that Moses’ shoes were dirty. He would have broken the covenant type so that understanding would have been broken.
Another example is in Revelation 5, where the angel cries Who is worthy to open the scroll? Only Christ is worthy to do this and so He does.
In the same way, He is the only One worthy to occupy the Burning Bush. Only He is worthy to occupy the Covenant Sandal of Redemption. And Only He is worthy to have the Bride in Heaven Whom He has redeemed…
So as we ponder and set our hearts and minds on heavenly things… and even when we ponder our heavenly mansion perhaps conflicted that we will not share it with our spouse…
Be comforted! Your will share with the Bride in Christ a reality of full redemption! And we (corporately as the Bride- who hopefully your current spouse is a part of) will be united in Christ and in the Father in a way beyond our imagination!
The types and shadows of covenant that Scripture shares are so rich and vital in the form they share. Let the Lord breath them into substance in your understanding from your heart of faith and belief. You will have no room for hesitance or reluctance to walk into the future with the Bridegroom of our heart.
The reality will be you will know as you are known!
Now think back to that passage in Mark where the Sadducees ask Jesus about the wife of seven brothers and whose wife she will be in heaven (Mk 12:19-27).
Now it will make more sense…
Now in the resurrection, whose wife will she be? For the seven were married to her. Jesus said to them, Is not this where you wander out of the way and go wrong, because you know nether the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they arise from among the dead, [men] do not marry nor are [women] given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven. But concerning the dead being raised – have you not read in the book of Moses, [in the passage] about the [burning] bush, how God said to him, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of [the] dead, but of [the] living! You are very wrong.” Mk 12:23-27
May this post awaken you to the stirring of heaven and residence in the very Presence of the One Who is worthy and altogether lovely. The One Who has redeemed us as His own!
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