I must admit to being "into" typology. God is rich in His revelation.But admittedly there is much abuse and bogus use of types. Where it is edifying is when illumined by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of showing the majesty of God and His ways. Where it is bogus, it is usually because the writer/speaker is trying to sound erudite, explain away a sin, etc., drift from sound doctrine, etc.
Thus, typology is not that difficult to discern.
Jesus was often irritated by his friends when they did not see the typological meaning.
Mat 16:11 (NIV) "How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread?"...Perhaps this is why he loved John so? Everyone else was so pig-headedly literal.
John 2:20 (NIV) The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?"And so on. Often, it is not a case of literal versus figurative, but both. Where there is a distinction, my technique is to side with the view that my flesh is recoiling against.Thus, I cannot go along with the liberals when they explain away the rugged literal truth of scripture by explaining the "spiritual meaning". Even if so, it still really happened here in our mundane little world.
And neither can I go with the literalists when they take the meaning so externally, so "earth only" based, so easily. God is Spirit, and those who know Him will not try to hold His Spirit down here in the mud, but will hold His hand as He lifts us up to a higher vantage point.
Gen 6:3 (KJV) And the Lord said, "My spirit shall not always strive with man..."
