Remez throughout the Bible 529-1 - 12 - 1

Often with God there is a hint of something hidden in plain sight, something of a Remez. Remez hints at the deep (allegoric: hidden or symbolic) meaning beyond just the literal sense. CM often mentions the layout of the camp of Israel forming a near perfect cross. A remez?

[http://www.ldolphin.org/camp.html]

Melchizedek is a remez in my opinion. After rescuing his nephew Lot, Abram was returning home and was met by Melchizedek who was both a king (of Sodom) and a priest. Scripture provides no record of father or mother or genealogy for Melchizedek. Genesis 14:18, “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.” Bread and wine, a foretelling of the Last Supper?

Confirmation of Melchizedek being a king and a priest is found in Psalm 110:4, “The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. “And echoed again in Hebrews 5:6, “As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” There are only three occurrences of being both King and priest in the Bible, Melchizedek, Jesus and the Church.

Melchizedek may have been a theophany of Christ as suggested in Psalm 110:1, “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” Supported by Luke 22:69, “Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.”

The Red Heifer and Jesus turning water into wine is another remez. In Numbers 19 we read that a female red heifer without spot, etc., would be ceremoniously slain, blood sprinkled, and the ashes stored for use either at the temple or in more remote areas of worship. The ashes of the red heifer, when mixed ceremoniously with water was considered "Water of purification."

Jesus performed his first miracle during the wedding at Capernaum.  I understand from another commentary that the jars used by Jesus to turn water into wine were meant for the water of purification, i.e. a religious use. Had the temple leaders known of the use Jesus had made of the water purification jars they would have considered it an abomination. Was Jesus simplifying the many laws of the “Old Covenant” into the “New Covenant.”

We are covered by the blood of Jesus, a one-time propitiation that forever negates the requirement for blood sacrifices. There will be animal sacrifices during the millennial kingdom likely due to people born during that period who reject the gift of grace and/ or revert to the law.

Another remez is Joseph interpreting the dreams of a baker and the wine steward. Matthew Fontaine Maury, the “Father of Oceanography,” noticed that in Isaiah 43:16 God spoke of “a path in the mighty waters” and in Psalm 8:8 “the paths of the seas.” He produced charts of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, a profile of the Atlantic seabed, and the first modern oceanographic text.

Indeed, there are many remez found throughout the Bible.