Saturday, January 22: You’ll never walk alone again!

Unlike Three Dog Night’s interpretation that “one is the loneliest number,” one represents unity. There is one God in three, unified persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Many weak analogies attempt to give our limited, human brains an inkling into the triune nature of God. One of those tells us that there are three parts of an egg: the shell, the egg white and the egg yolk. Yet that analogy is very limited as we cannot separate God like an egg. The best interpretation seems to be mathematical. While 1 + 1 + 1 = 3, we also know that 1 X 1 X 1 = 1! When God gave the commandments to Moses, the first was “you shall have no other gods before Me!” (Exodus 20:3). There is only one God, yet we know from the first verse of the Bible that God is more complicated than that. Elohim, the Hebrew word for God, refers to plurality.


Lucifer was at one time God’s most powerful angel, yet his pride pushed him to lead a mutiny against the Lord, including one-third of the heavenly host. Isaiah writes about that event:


13 For you have said in your heart:
I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the lowest depths of the Pit.
Isaiah 14:13-15


Satan’s pride is exemplified in the fact that his goal was to exalt his throne above the stars of God, yet he also said, “I will be like the Most High,” demonstrating that even in his most prideful boast, Satan realized that it was impossible to be greater than God! While there are many religions, there is only one God. That is not to say that the God of Judaism and Christianity is also the God of Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism. Sadly, without even knowing it, those people worship Satan, as he attempts to copy God in that desire to “be like the Most High.” God is incapable of changing and the god of those other religions is capricious. With seven significant as the number of spiritual perfection, we can see unity through God and all He touches:


4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Ephesians 4:4-6


The church, the body of Christ, has been united by God for His purposes. Heaven will not be segregated with Baptists on one street, Presbyterians on another and Episcopalians on a different street. Our God of unity desires for all of us to walk in that unity.


Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 14:6


There are not multiple paths to God, as Jesus reminded us that He is the one way. Additionally, Jesus is the only truth and the only life. Yet as Christians, we are united by Him. The walk of a Christian is not on a lonely road. Though there are times when God may call us to walk in desolate areas, because we are united in Him, He always will walk with us. Writing these devotionals has been a challenging road, but there have been far more blessings than hardships. With the one-year goal having been satisfied, the more important goal remains – to draw closer to the Lord on a daily basis. That race continues until the Lord calls us home to be with Him.


24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27


In the Broadway musical Carousel, one of the most poignant moments occurs at the singing of the song, “You’ll Never Walk Alone, Again.” That is the promise God makes to each of us as Christians. No matter how difficult the road you are on, He is there with you. When we need direction, He leads us, on the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. When we choose to walk in sin, He walks closely behind us, waiting for us to turn around and run into His loving arms again. But most of the time, He walks beside us as our best friend. What a miracle that the Creator of all calls us His friends! Walk with Him to the end of your race!


I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the race, I
have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:7


In closing this 365th devotional, I wanted to personally thank each and every one who has shared in the journey. With the amount of study time applied to completing this task, certainly, my biblical knowledge has increased this year. Yet without allowing that knowledge to impart wisdom to my heart, the journey was a waste of time. That has not been the case. It has been an enormous blessing to accomplish the goal of drawing closer to God. He has told us that if we seek Him, we will find Him, and if we draw close to Him, He will draw close to us. Those promises are ones He fills in an on-going way. While I did draw closer to the Lord through this process, I still have many more areas of my life that I can lay down at the foot of the cross. I desire this for myself, and for each of you. Though our walks with the Lord are unique and personal, our paths intersect often with fellow believers. We can encourage others when those journeys appear too difficult to manage. Once again, thanks for reading the devotionals, encouraging me and sharing in the love of Jesus Christ, who deserves all praise and adoration. To God be the glory!

Friday, January 21: Two, the number of division

When riding upon a bicycle built for two, both aboard better have the same direction of travel in mind. In God’s design of the human body, He gave us two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, two arms, two legs, two hands and two feet. If any of those pairs work against each other, no work gets done. Can we inhale through one nostril while exhaling through the other? What happens when one foot steps forward and the other backward? Without the agility of a cheerleader, who can do the splits, something is going to break!


24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.
Mark 3:24-26


As two is the first number that can be divided, it points to division. Even the second day of creation demonstrates division:


6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
Genesis 1:6-8


The second book of the Bible also demonstrates division. With Egypt emblematic of the world, God separated the children of Israel from the world when He removed them from Egypt. The word “separated” denotes that Christians are set apart, which is the meaning of the word “holy.” We are holy because He is holy (1 Peter 1:16)!


Additionally, the second of God’s 10 Commandments deals with division, as in Exodus 20:4, the Lord spoke of His own jealousy, requiring His followers to follow Him instead of idols created by their own hands. Certainly, Jesus echoed those same sentiments when He said in Matthew 12:30 that anyone who is not for Him is against Him. Somehow, we forget that not following God is just as much of a choice as following Him! Along those lines, the choice to follow God is to pursue good and the choice not to follow God is to pursue evil. That sounds like a pretty expansive division! The eternal destinies of heaven or hell accompany that decision, with quite a division between the two.


By studying biblical pairs, we can see that two is the number of division. Obviously, Cain and Abel suffered so ostensibly from division that the first murder occurred. Because the Lord respected Abel’s sacrifice of a firstborn lamb, and did not respect Cain’s sacrifice of the fruit of the ground, Cain became jealous of his brother. Rather than trying to figure out how to better please the Lord, Cain chose to perform an act that could not have displeased the Lord any more, when he killed his brother. Brotherly jealousy also occurred between Esau and Jacob, the sons of Isaac. For a taste of lentil stew, the older Esau sold his birthright to Jacob. Yet those two fought for superiority when still in Rebekah’s womb:


24 So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
Genesis 25:24-26


God chose the younger brother, Jacob, who became Israel, and through his offspring came the 12 tribes of the Jewish people. Similarly, God chose Isaac, rather than Ishmael, Abraham’s oldest son. We still can see the ramifications of that division today, with the Jewish bloodline of Isaac and the Arab bloodline of Ishmael. Enmity exists between those two just as strongly as it did in biblical times. The division that occurred between all of these siblings offers a representative sample of what can occur between any two people, regardless of blood, friendship or commitment. When two people walk individually, they carry their own history, perception and desire.


Two only can be unified by God’s hand. Though Adam walked with God in fellowship through the Garden of Eden, surrounded by all the animals he had named, God still understood Adam’s need for a helper. The Lord created Eve by taking a rib from Adam’s own body:


21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
23 And Adam said:
“This is now bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Genesis 2:21-24

With the covenant of marriage, God demonstrated that by making the two into one, there would be no division. Sadly, half of Christian marriages end in divorce, mostly due to the fact that God and God’s law do not retain primary importance in the life of the believer. Even Christians can forget that they lost their rights when purchased by the blood of Jesus! As the brides of Christ, we follow that same example in our relationship with Jesus. We are one in the Spirit, as He lives in us and we are in Him! That oneness demonstrates a lack of division, as Christ removed the dividing line with His life, death and resurrection. To walk in that oneness is to follow His laws, for He chose us! Divisiveness in the body of Christ is far-reaching. Why should any of us be against someone the Lord has chosen for His kingdom? Put it to rest by handing it to the Prince of Peace! Lay that divisiveness at the foot of the cross.


12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body— whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.
1 Corinthians 12:12-14

Thursday, January 20: Three, the number of the Trinity

While three may be associated with the number of little piggies, the world that God created consists of many attributes separated in three parts. In the dimension of time, all exist in either past, present or future, with even the smallest increments of our lives broken down into yesterday, today and tomorrow. Every action will fall into the categories of thought, word and deed, while matter can be separated into mineral, vegetable and animal. Three is geometrically, the number of a cube, expressing length, width and height. Yet we never should limit God or His power to those three dimensions. While man plays on a three-dimensional chessboard, God plays on a chessboard with many more dimensions. When our problems seem too big for us to handle, God’s solutions make our problems look inconsequential. Even that power of God can be summarized in His omniscience (God knows everything); His omnipresence (God is everywhere); and His omnipotence (God is all powerful).


There are four numbers standing for perfection in the Bible. While three is significant in terms of Divine perfection, seven points to spiritual perfection. Additionally, 10 relates to ordinal perfection, while 12 signifies governmental perfection. God is perfect in every way, unlike His creation. All of creation changed when Adam sinned, and groans for the return of the Son of God, who will perfect all vanity (Romans 8:22-23).


I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.
Ecclesiastes 1:14


Obviously, the greatest example of God’s perfect divinity involves His existence as One God in three persons. While it is difficult for our human brains to completely grasp the ramifications of that fact, we first must understand that Father, Son and Holy Spirit operate in a completely unified way. That in itself is hard for us to comprehend, as whenever three people get together, even when formed in love, we lose sight of purposes, plans and goals. On the other hand, God’s omnipotence ensures that there are no mistakes along the way.


Notice in the Scriptures that Jesus always accomplished the will of the Father. It was not because the Son was less powerful or less knowledgeable, yet He willingly submitted Himself to the Father, just as a wife is called to submit herself to her husband in Ephesians 5:22. Submission is not a master-slave relationship, but instead, is best understood in the military in terms of rank, involving order and chain of command. At the same time, the Holy Spirit always testifies of Jesus! Instead of calling attention to Himself, He remains the unnamed servant modeled in the Old Testament when Abraham’s servant journeyed to find a bride for Isaac (Genesis 24:4).


We can see that God exists in plural form in the first verse of the Bible, as the Hebrew word for God, Elohim, designates plurality. When reading Psalm 2, an interesting exercise is to identify the pronouns. Who does the psalmist refer to in each verse, Father, Son or Holy Spirit? By spending time in this psalm, what becomes apparent is the conversation among the Trinity:

1 Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
4He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The LORD shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
6 “Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”
7 “I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
Psalm 2


Certainly, that significance of three as divine perfection can be seen throughout the Bible. In the tabernacle, the Holy of Holies was basically a cube, with specific length, width and height. Not surprisingly, the third book of the Bible, Leviticus, deals with true worship of God, with the Holy of Holies being the highest place of worship. Worship is not repeating the words to memorized songs. Instead, the best description of worship is to love God in return. He loved us first, and demonstrated that love in the most powerful way. Nails did not hold Jesus to the cross; it was His love for us, and the Father’s love for us, as Jesus accomplished the Father’s will. That accomplishment, though it was brutal for Jesus and the Father (Isaiah 53:10), brought us near to God and removed the separation.


23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
John 4:23-24

While walking as a Christian certainly has its difficulties, that life change is as easy as 1-2-3. When we come to the Lord, and surrender our lives to Him, He opens the doors and closes them. Any trial that comes our way, He helps us to endure. Every step of our journeys as Christians is a part of His plan, to instruct us in His ways and draw us closer to Him. We have an intimate relationship with the Father, who wants us to call Him Daddy in our childlike adoration (Romans 8:15). At the same time, we have an intimacy with Jesus, our Savior, who carried each of our sins upon His shoulders, punished with death instead of us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Lastly, how could God be any more intimate with us, as He has given us the Holy Spirit to dwell inside of us all the days of our lives? Divine perfection carries us through each aspect of our lives, if we are willing to hand those lives to Him!


21 When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. 22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
Luke 3:21-22

Wednesday, January 19: Four and the world

With the number three pointing directly to the trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the fourth number is what the Trinity added, when “in beginning, God created!” He created the world, and all that is in it. We can see that significance of four in the Bible, yet it is also apparent by looking at the world God created.


The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.
Psalm 24:1


On the fourth day, God finished creating the world, while on the next two days He furnished it! This would be similar to building a house, which has to occur before filling it with curtains, furniture and people. We can see four throughout God’s creation. There are four directions or regions: north, south, east and west. Similarly, there are four elements: earth, wind, fire and water. Additionally, there are four seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter. Most animals are four-legged. Mathematically, four is the first number that is not a prime, the first number that can be divided and the first square. Biblically, there are too many occurrences of four to mention in a devotional, but here are a few:


2 Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.
Daniel 7:2-3


Noted preacher J. Vernon McGee said that, “The ‘winds’ speak of agitation, propaganda, public opinion, and disturbance. The ‘sea’ suggests the masses, the mob, and the peoples of the Gentiles.” God granted Satan dominion over this earth for a time and in this dream, we can see what exists in Satan’s world, strife and division. In this prophetic dream, the Lord gave Daniel a picture of all of the kingdoms of the world to come, including a more powerful version of the Roman Empire just before this world ends.


In references to heaven, the perfect number of seven applies. In Revelation, when speaking of Jesus, 10 million voices speak loudly together:


“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
Revelation 5:12


Notice seven different aspects of that praise: power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing. Yet in the next verse of Revelation, when the earth creatures praise Him, it involves only four aspects: blessing, honor, glory and power.


And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Revelation 5:13


Once again, four points to the world. When God pours out His wrath upon a sinful earth, the judgments of Revelation will begin with another four: the four horsemen of the apocalypse (Revelation 6). Additionally, there are many other fours throughout the Bible. Here are a few of those:


In the tabernacle, there are four rings of gold on the ark of the covenant, one on each corner (Exodus 25:12); there are four ornamental bowls on the lampstand (Exodus 25:33); there are four pillars in the gate of the court of the tabernacle (Exodus 27:16); when Nehemiah is rebuilding the wall surrounding Jerusalem, the enemies of Israel send him four messages concerning the wall, and Nehemiah responds four times that he will not meet with them, which would cause the work to cease (Nehemiah 6:3-4); and finally, there are four, strange beasts mentioned in both Ezekiel 1:5 and Revelation 4:5.

By adding one, pointing to God, to the number four, pointing to the world, we see the number for grace. By taking one away from the number of the world, all that remains is three, significant of the Trinity! If the significance of all these numbers shows us anything it is that our God is a God or order. He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit living inside of us; He speaks to us through the words of the Bible; and He even speaks to us through all of creation. How can people not believe in Him, or more importantly, how can people not trust in Him? He is so big that He breathed all that we can see and all that we cannot see into being. By looking at the immensity of that creation in the stars, planets and galaxies, we see His enormous power. Yet by looking through a microscope, we can see the attention to detail. Just by studying a strand of DNA boggles the minds of the earth’s greatest scientists. When we see the world, we should know above all else that He is above all else. He is worthy of all praise in power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing!


18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
Romans 1:18-23

Tuesday, January 18: Five, the number of grace

Of all the significant numbers in the Bible, five appears to be the most special in relation to man, standing for grace. Grace is unmerited favor, or receiving a gift that was not earned. The gift given by God was not earned, but additionally, could not be earned in any way, shape or form. Interestingly, if six is the number of man, if we take one away we are left with five, the number of grace. What is the one thing being taken away? Our sin! God’s removal of that sin should give each believer the greatest joy, relief and need to praise the One who accomplished that feat.


The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet also reveals much to us. It is the letter “hey,” which looks like this, . In Hebrew, letters are also pictographs, as each letter also has a word that it stands for. Interestingly, “hey” means “behold,” which is the Old Testament rendering of revelation. In that letter, God announces to us all, “Look at the gift I have given you!” The pictograph of this letter has a man standing with arms raised! Additionally, Jewish mystics of ancient times assigned this letter to represent the breath or Spirit of God.


God chose Abraham and told him that He would bless the families of all nations through Abraham. Abraham did not earn that blessing by his own perfection. Instead, God showed favor through His grace. In Genesis 15:9, God requests a five-fold sacrifice from Abraham: a 3-year-old heifer, a 3-year-old female goat, a 3-year-old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon. Once again, five points to the grace of God!


1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. 2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.
Genesis 17:1-8


Abraham was not the only one to receive a name change, as his wife, Sarai, became Sarah. In our culture, the most significant time for a name change is in marriage, and in the same manner, Abraham and Sarah took the name of God. The Lord placed that Hebrew “hey” into the midst of their names, filling them with His grace, His Spirit!


Certainly, it is no accident that Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Bible, with one of the most important themes of the book being the grace of God. Is it any wonder that this is the book quoted most often by Jesus while on this earth? Even the title in Hebrew, “Devarim,” means “words.” God gifted us with His words, and through those words, with the ability to know Him! That is grace, for even though He created us, God could have retained that separation from His creation!


being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Romans 3:24


The same Greek word used for “freely,” dorean, applies to a gift given “without a cause.” It is the same word used by Jesus when He said, “They hated me without a cause,” in John 15:25. Just as there was no cause for people to hate Jesus, there is no cause in us that God would love us! We are justified without a cause by His grace!


David, when only a lad, picked up five, smooth stones to face the giant Goliath in battle, yet he needed only one of those stones. With One Rock pointing to the Rock of our salvation and five pointing to the grace of God, the Lord delivered David and all of Israel that day!


Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you.
Leviticus 26:8


Notice that the verse above does not say “five shall chase a hundred,” but “five of you shall chase a hundred,” referring to five people being filled with the grace and Spirit of God. Our power is from God, not from ourselves! When Jesus was speaking at length to the multitudes, and desired to feed them, the disciples brought five fish and two loaves. Through His grace, 5,000 men ate that day, a gift from the Bread of life (Matthew 14:17).

Throughout the Bible, five points to the grace of God, who gave the greatest gift to each willing to receive it. To walk in His grace is to understand the immensity of His gift. Though He gave it freely, without cause, it did not come cheaply, costing Jesus death on the cross and a temporary separation from His Father because of our sins. When we continue to walk in sin, we act as if His gift means nothing! Just as the Hebrew pictograph of the fifth Hebrew letter reveals a man with arms raised, the revelation of grace should have each of us behold the Lord, who has gone to great lengths to save us. With the fifth commandment pointing to honoring our parents, we should first honor the Father who gave us life and relationship in Him. He is worthy of all of our praises and we are so unworthy of His grace!


14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.
Matthew 25:14-17

Sunday, January 16: Seven

Seven might be the most frequent combination on a roll of two dice, but it is not just a crap shoot that the same number is the one most frequently seen in the Bible, standing for spiritual perfection. Since only God is perfect, we can see His perfection in each occurrence! Entire books have been written about the usage of seven in the Bible, so it is certain that the explanation of seven in a devotional will be far from complete. One of the greatest oddities of seven in the Bible is that in the Old Testament, different forms of the word all occur in multiples of seven: “seven” occurs 287 times, which is 7 X 41; “seventh” occurs 98 times, or 7 X 14; “sevenfold” occurs 7 times, obviously, 7 X 1; “seventy” occurs 56 times, or 7 X 8; “seventy” in combination with other numbers occurs 35 times, or 7 X 5; “seven” in combination with other numbers (like one hundred and seven) occurs 112 times, which is 7 X 16. God gives us a clue into the significance of seven in the word’s first usage:


And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
Genesis 2:2-3


In six days, God completed His work of perfection, preparing a place for man before creating man. On the seventh day, God rested, not because He was tired, but to give us an example of a Sabbath day in our lives. After completing our week of work, God desires for His creation to rest their tired bodies and restore their souls by worshipping Him. Looking at other “seven’s” will reveal that perfection:


There are seven promises in God’s covenant to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3:


1. “I will make you a great nation.”
2. “And I will bless you.”
3. “And make your name great.”
4. “And you shall be a blessing.”
5. “I will bless those who bless you,”
6. “And curse those who curse you.”
7. “And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”


In Exodus 6:6-8, God gives us seven “I will” statements concerning His covenant with Israel:


1. “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
2. “I will rescue you from their bondage.”
3. “And I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.”
4. “I will take you as my people.”
5. “And I will be your God.”
6. “I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
7. “I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.”


In the Gospel according to John, there are seven “I am” statements by Jesus:


1. “I am the bread of life.” John 6:35 and John 6:48
2. “I am the light of the world.” John 8:12 and John 9:5
3. “I am the door.” John 10:7
4. “I am the good shepherd.” John 10:11-14
5. “I am the resurrection and the life.” John 11:25
6. “I am the way, the truth and the life.” John 14:6
7. “I am the true vine.” John 15:1 and John 15:5


Jesus made seven statements from the cross:


1. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34
2. “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43
3. “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:46
4. “Woman, behold your son.” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother.” John 19:26-27
5. “I thirst.” John 19:28
6. “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Luke 23:46
7. “It is finished.” John 19:30


Those sevens culminate in Revelation, a book concerning events yet to come in the earth’s existence. The title of the book means “unveiling,” as it is the unveiling of Jesus Christ, who returns in judgment to a sinful world. Many people misunderstand the wrath and judgment of God, thinking that it somehow conflicts His love. Yet even in judgment, He is loves perfectly, offering His grace to a dead and dying world, which refuses to believe and follow Him. Three different waves of seven judgments increasing in severity mark that time. In Revelation, there are seven churches, seven letters, seven Spirits, seven golden lampstands, seven stars, seven seals, seven horns, seven eyes, seven angels, seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven thousand people, seven heads, seven crowns, seven plagues, seven golden bowls, seven hills, seven kings and seven last visions. There are 55 “sevens” and 5 “sevenths” in Revelation alone. Is it ironic that in the book that discusses the end of this world and the beginning of the one that will never pass away that God uses seven so frequently, with seven standing for spiritual perfection?


We can find sevens everywhere in the Bible. A favorite occurs in Isaiah, referring to the Holy Spirit:

1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
Isaiah 11:1-2


Did you notice seven, perfect attributes of the Holy Spirit?


1. The Spirit of the Lord
2. The Spirit of wisdom
3. The Spirit of understanding
4. The Spirit of counsel
5. The Spirit of might
6. The Spirit of knowledge
7. The Spirit of the fear of the Lord

Those attributes should be a part of each of our walks, as the Holy Spirit dwells inside of us, giving us His attributes. Do you feel like you are not walking in God’s power or wisdom? If that is the case, it is not because you are not strong enough or wise enough. Instead, it is because you are walking in the flesh, rather than in the Spirit. When we rely on our own power, we are certain to bog down, but when we rely on God, we always will proceed, “full steam ahead.” It is the difference between riding in a toy powered by rubber bands and riding in a rocket! Let God power your walk! Just because God is in us does not mean that we always are in God! Sometimes, we choose to walk away from His love, His grace and His power! Look to Him, the author and finisher of our faith, who has shared so many sevens to demonstrate His perfection. Those sevens demonstrate to us the perfection of God’s Word, for with 40 different authors writing the 66 different books over thousands of years, how did they all know to follow that same theme? It is because the Holy Spirit led them and in the same manner, He will perfect His followers!


The LORD will perfect that which concerns me;
Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever;
Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
Psalm 138:8

Monday, January 17: Six

When God created the heavens and the earth, it was on the final day that He created Adam. Consequently, that sixth day carries the significance of man, and throughout the Bible, the symbolism of six being the number of man continues. Whether or not we are six feet under or one beer short of a six-pack, man has demonstrated that without God, all of us are incomplete and have no chance of perfection.


Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Genesis 1:31


Even with our lack of perfection, God is not disappointed in His creation. God commented on all of His other creative days saying that they were good, but after creating man, His comment was that it was “very good.” God created us without sin, but Adam brought imperfection upon us all with his choice to disobey the Lord. After Adam, sin is pervasive in all mankind, but there is none that highlights man’s hatred against his brother more than murder. As God gives life to us all, when one man takes that gift away from another, it demonstrates a complete disregard for God, God’s laws and others. When God gave His laws to Moses on Mount Sinai, it was not accidental that the law against murder was number six on the list.


8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
Genesis 4:8-11


That first murder was so heinous that Abel’s blood cried out to the Lord. Even though Cain was aware of God’s omniscience, he lied in a weak attempt to cover his sin. Perhaps the most interesting representation of six being the number of man occurs in reference to the man indwelt by Satan in the tribulation:


Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
Revelation 13:18

Many Bible prophecy aficionados have attempted to apply this numerical equivalent to world leaders with different political views than their own. Hence Ronald Wilson Reagan was thought by some to be the coming world leader representative of Satan based on six letters in each of his three names. Hollywood attempted to solve this in its own way, by giving a child a birthmark with three sixes in the movie, “The Omen.” Presently, how this number might apply does not make much sense to us, but for Christians alive in the tribulation, it could make perfect sense. Mathematicians have tried to “solve this equation,” and some have pointed out that Roman numerals carry an interesting property along these lines. Where I=1, V=5, X=10, L=50, C=100 and D=500, totaling those numbers comes to 666.


Just as God operates in the triunity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the beast is associated with Satan, the antichrist and the false prophet. All Biblical representations of the antichrist, whether historical or prophetic, follow with the symbolism of six standing for man. Goliath, an avowed enemy of God and God’s people, was six cubits in height, carried six pieces of armor including an iron spear that was 600 shekels in weight (1 Samuel 17:4-7). Revelation 19:17-18 speaks of the “supper of the great God,” when the carnivorous birds of the air eat the flesh of those killed in Armageddon. We see a similar occurrence after David slays Goliath:


46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
1 Samuel 17:46-47


In Revelation, the antichrist creates an image of himself and places it in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. In the same manner, Nebuchadnezzar created a statue of himself that was 60 cubits high and 6 cubits wide, in Daniel 3:1.


Man is a sinner and with God, is capable of having that sin removed. There is only one God, and mathematically speaking, 6 + 1 = 7. Take man’s sin and add God and perfection occurs. God will perfect us. Sadly, many people seem to grade their own behavior on an abacus, with good deeds counted in the black and sins counted in the red. On that grading scale, a good person is one who has more good deeds than bad deeds. Unfortunately, God is the one doing the judging, and He has told us that one sin makes a man a sinner. Without a Savior, punished for our sins, it does not matter how many good deeds are on your abacus! If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, that event could remedy your great sin debt. If you have accepted Him, the removal and atonement of your sin should bring great joy!


For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

Saturday, January 15: Eight

Eight is an interesting number. It appears the same whether it is backwards or upside down. While there may be eight maids a’milking in the “12 Days of Christmas,” the number eight is very significant in the life of a baby, particularly in the Old Testament. That was the day that an infant boy was to be circumcised in the Hebrew custom (Genesis 17:12). Circumcision was a symbolic event pointing to the cutting away of the flesh, as the greatest challenge to each child of God is to walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh. Customarily, eight seems to stand for new beginnings in the Bible. In addition to the rite of circumcision occurring on that eighth day, children were dedicated to the Lord at that time, including the baby girls. Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day (Luke 2:21) and taken to the temple in Jerusalem in dedication to the Lord. John the Baptist also was circumcised on the eighth day (Luke 1:59).


Many of the Levitical rites dealing with impurity also occurred upon the eighth day, including a sacrifice of two turtledoves by women after their monthly cycle (Leviticus 15:29). Though Leviticus can be a very difficult book to understand, so many rites occur on that all-important eighth day that significance is obvious. Remember, God gave these Laws to the Jews as a tutor. Covering sins and impurities with sacrifices took much time and energy. When Jesus died, and earned for us forgiveness of sins through His selfless act, His grace radiated throughout, especially with the reminder that because sin must be covered by the spilling of innocent blood, He had taken away the difficult rituals.


One of the earliest references to the importance of new beginning occurs in Genesis. When God destroyed the earth with the Great Flood, He spared only eight people upon the ark. Those eight people gave a new beginning to the world we know today and our blood runs from the bloodlines of Noah’s family, just as it does from Adam and Eve:


4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;
2 Peter 2:4-6


who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.
1 Peter 3:20


While it is simple to search for the numeral eight with Bible software, the most interesting aspects of that number in the Bible occur in regard to repetitive actions. One of the most unusual of that variety is the fact that eight people miraculously were brought back to life in the Bible. Of course, that number does not pertain to Jesus, for the eight resurrected people tasted of death twice in their lives. Jesus only died once! Those eight resurrected people are the widow’s son by Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-25), the son of the Shunammite woman by Elisha (2 Kings 4:32-37), the man placed in the tomb of Elisha (2 Kings 13:20), The widow of Nain’s son by Jesus (Luke 7:11-18), the daughter of Jairus by Jesus (Luke 8:41-56), Lazarus by Jesus (John 11), Dorcas by Peter (Acts 9), and Eutychus by Paul (Acts 20). Talk about a new beginning! The words of Jesus to Lazarus should resonate with us all, “Lazarus, come forth!” If Jesus had not used his friend’s name, it is easy to assume that all the dead would have emerged from their tombs by the power of Christ! Someday, we should all hope to hear those same words when He calls us home!

Interestingly, there are eight miracles of Elijah mentioned in the Bible: the shutting up of the heavens, multiplying the widow’s meal, raising the widow’s son, causing rain to come down from heaven, causing fire to come down from heaven, causing fire to come down from heaven again and lastly, dividing the Jordan River. When Elijah’s mantle passed to Elisha, Elisha asked for the following in 2 Kings 2:9: And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” Then in the life of Elisha, he performed 16 miracles, exactly double the amount done by Elijah!


There are times when each of us yearns for a new beginning, especially those who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior. When playing backyard baseball, when a batter hit the ball into a tree in the playing field, and it did not come down, it was a “do-over.” We can have a “do-over” by God’s gift whenever we are willing to come to Him in repentance, willing to lay our sin at the foot of the cross and willing to allow Jesus to remove and carry that sin away from our slumping shoulders. Resurrection gives us a new beginning in Christ. Even as a Christian, there are times when we fall back into the sin God has removed from us. Our Lord always is willing to give us another chance, another new beginning. If your legs are buckling due to the heavy burden that you are carrying, you can walk free, fresh and new whenever you are ready. Do you want a new beginning? Jesus is willing to walk beside you anywhere you go!


33 There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. 34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately. 35 So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
Acts 9:33-35

Friday, January 14: The amazing race

One of the greatest gifts that God has given to believers is the church. In the church, hearing the Word of God can be the most special aspect; we also get the opportunity to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth; fellowship with other like-minded individuals is another incredible blessing. Churches should be hospitals rather than battlefields, but anytime opinionated humans gather together, there will be disagreements. With the human condition, if there are two people, there are three opinions. With so many different interpretations and philosophies, choosing the correct church is instrumental in the growth of a Christian. All Christians need food and it does not matter if you are a little lamb or a fat sheep, God desires to give you daily bread. Fat sheep still can die from starvation, though they might be able to stay healthy longer than the skinny sheep when there is a shortage of food.


God desires to feed His children. Sadly, there are not enough Christians willing to open the Bible and put in time studying alone. Because God has promised that He will teach us all things, we all should spend time in His Word. Would you rather have a pastor tell you what is in God’s Word, or would you rather hear from the One who wrote it? That does not mean that pastors cannot help us learn. Yet that never should be the only spiritual food that we eat, as all men make mistakes; all pastors misinterpret occasionally, based on their own life experiences, weaknesses and stumbling blocks; all of us have blind spots!


Certainly, one of the greatest points of emphasis to every believer is not to major in the minors. By choosing our battles wisely, a difference in opinion on a verse’s interpretation does not have to be discussed at length, especially with a person who does not like to be questioned. Does it really matter if we believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, a mid-tribulation rapture or a post-tribulation rapture? Will that belief affect our salvation? As Christians, we all believe that Jesus is coming back for us. Whenever that occurs will be in His perfect timing. God’s decision should be sufficient for all of us. When we finally get to heaven, surely each of us will find a doctrine we did not understand correctly.


10 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
1 Corinthians 1:10-13


Through the unity of the Holy Spirit, we will become like-minded. Yet because each of us has a different path, we can see things very diversely. What if a group of individuals all were traveling to Chicago, Illinois, from different locations? One person might begin the journey to Chicago from the top of Mt. Everest; another, from Paris, France; another from Antarctica; and still another from St. Louis, Missouri. All four would have dissimilar ideas of what that journey entailed. In fact, each aspect of that journey would be different until arriving at the final destination.


Our Christian walks are much like that scenario, as the Holy Spirit speaks to us individually. He pulls us out of incredibly diverse walks of life and starts us on the path that leads to God. Our different life experiences, ministries, relationships and churches become a part of that diversity, but God already has promised to complete His work in us. If He will complete the work, then we must be incomplete! The unity in the body of Christ comes from the similar love that God has given us, in the midst of diverse people. An ex-Mormon who became a Christian wrote this in one of her books:

“It is useless to pour water into a cup that's already full. In the same way, it is useless to teach a person another perspective when they are absolutely sure that they are right and don't want to learn anything else. One way that Satan can deceive us is to make us so positive we have to be right that our minds become closed and we are no longer teachable. -- Ex-Mormon Carma Naylor

 
One of the greatest attributes of those seeking knowledge and understanding is an open mind. Along with that, each of us needs a humble heart, esteeming others above self. Both of those will help us to walk with love for those whose paths intersect ours on the journey that leads to God. Yes, those people will let us down and yes, we will let those people down, too. Yet our trust should remain steadfast in the Lord. When we approach any battle, we should attempt to be a part of the solution, rather than a part of the problem. Would you rather be right or be happy? Appreciate the differences in others and hand any issue over to the Lord in prayer. There is nothing too big for Him to handle.


My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.
Psalm 62:5

Thursday, January 13: Ten

Ten is an amazing number that carries much weight in our daily lives. As our whole system of mathematics operates on a base of 10, we not only emphasize decades, but centuries and millennia. When a person reaches the age of 49, it is really no big deal, but “50” crosses that half-century line into oblivion! Ten begins the most important part of the countdown before a rocket launch and also is the number of perfection given by judges who are grading competitions in sports, like gymnastics and ice skating. In a similar manner, “Ten” is the name given to a popular movie in 1979, based on a rating of the beauty of its star, Bo Derek.


In biblical occurrences, 10 is a perfect number demonstrating a Divine order. Though there are frequent occurrences of that number, the most important reference would be to the commandments of God. When Moses went to the top of Mt. Sinai to receive them, God wrote the commandments on two tablets of stone. While the first four commandments highlight man’s relationship with God, the final six commandments emphasize man’s relationship with man. There is no law in all of human history that matches the righteous law of God.


And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?
Deuteronomy 4:8


The commandments, reflecting the perfect number of 10, are also perfect! If atheists followed the final six commandments dealing with man’s relationship with other men, their lives would be easier, though they would miss entirely the blessing of that perfect life in God, with God and through God. The 10 Commandments do not need an assist!


You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
Deuteronomy 4:2


Another interesting 10 that occurs in the Bible is the number of generations before the Great Flood, offering a countdown of sorts before God destroyed all but eight people. Those generations were Adam, Seth, Enosh, Cainan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech and Noah. At the time of Noah, Satan attempted to pull a fast one on the Lord. Satan’s demonic angels had taken earthly wives (Genesis 6:1-4), contaminating the bloodlines and creating a race of giants. God spared Noah and his family from destruction, as Noah’s bloodline was secure, ensuring that the bloodline of Jesus also remained perfect:


This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.
Genesis 6:9


How interesting that the 10th generation was the final one before the Flood! Ten generations point to completeness of the whole existence of a nation or family in another verse, as well.


3 “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever, 4 because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.
Deuteronomy 23:3-4


Additionally, fire came down from heaven 10 times in the Old Testament, with six of those occurring in judgment: In Genesis 19:24, fire falls on Sodom and Gomorrah; in Leviticus 9:24, fire falls on the first offerings; in Leviticus 10:2, fire falls on Nadab and Abihu; in Numbers 11:1, fire falls on the murmurers at Taberah; in Numbers 16:35, fire falls on Korah and his company; in 1 Kings 18:38, fire falls on Elijah's offering at Mt. Carmel; in 2 Kings 1:10, fire falls on Elijah's enemies; in 2 Kings 1:12, fire falls again on Elijah's enemies; in 1 Chronicles 21:26, fire falls on David's sacrifice; and in 2 Chronicles 7:1, fire falls on Solomon's sacrifice.

In the New Testament, there are 10 kingdom parables in the Gospel according to Matthew, seven in Matthew 13 and three in Matthew 22 and 25. The tenth kingdom parable is about 10 virgins. Five of those virgins kept oil in their lamps and were prepared when a call went out that their bridegroom was ready for them. In the Bible, oil is emblematic of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus is the bridegroom, stressing to us all that we should walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh, if we want to be prepared for the return of our Savior! Also symbolic is the number of virgins ready for the Bridegroom: five, which is the number of grace!


While there are many more 10’s in the Bible, we always should remember that it is one of God’s perfect numbers. This is another great day of self-reflection. How do you rate on a scale of 1-10, where walking in the flesh is a 1 and walking in the Spirit is a 10? God is the perfect judge, unlike the Russian judge in the Olympics, who always rated the athletes from other countries much lower than deserved. God certainly rates us higher than deserved. If God gives you a 10, then you are like the five virgins, prepared for the return of Jesus! Check your lamp for oil!


6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
Matthew 25:6-10

Wednesday, January 12: Eleven

Eleven is another significant number in the Bible. Though certainly not as prevalent as either 10 or 12, “11” seems to be related to both. While 12 is a perfect number in government, 10 appears to be perfection in Divine order (an example would be the 10 Commandments). With that in mind, “11” seems to be missing the mark on both of those. Either it is one more than the perfect number of Divine order or one less than the perfect number of government.


Once again, as God has chosen every word in the Bible, we know He is a God of order. There is no such thing as a coincidence with Him, and walking with Him reminds us of His powerful hand in each of our lives. When writing the first daily devotional on January 23, 2010, I had no idea that I would have 11 devotionals left to write to complete the first year on the date of 1-11-11, January 11, 2011! That sure is a lot of 11’s!


While 10 and 12 seem to be complete numbers, 11 is incomplete! It is a number which points to disorder, disorganization, imperfection, and disintegration. In the family of Joseph, the 11 that comes to mind is the number of brothers remaining after selling Joseph into slavery. Certainly, without Joseph, those brothers were incomplete, even though they suffered with jealousy when he was with them.


Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”
Genesis 37:9

Another 11 appears in the life of Joseph, but not so overtly. He was sold into slavery at the age of 17 and appeared before Pharaoh at the age of 30. Additionally, he spent two years in prison. By subtracting two and 17 from 30, we find that Joseph spent 11 years in Potiphar’s house. It certainly was not a perfect place for Joseph, with Potiphar’s wife lusting for him. Yet God’s perfect plan was fulfilled when Joseph became second in command in all of Egypt. What a great reminder the life of Joseph is to every believer who does not feel they are exactly where God wants them to be! Trials are a part of the preparation.


The most significant occurrence of 11 seems to be the number of apostles of Jesus after Judas committed suicide. Jesus handpicked the 12, and as soon as one was gone, they cast lots to select the 12th. Many biblical scholars believe that the apostles acted before praying, thinking that God had intended Saul of Tarsus to convert to Christianity and become the 12th apostle. Though Paul was an apostle, Matthias was not a mistake. God does not make mistakes. In Acts 2:14, Matthias stood up with the other 11 as an apostle, one set apart by God as the foundation of the church. The group was incomplete with only 11.


When the Jews departed from Egypt, they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Yet we also know that the journey only should have taken 11 days. If they were following the Lord in heart, soul, mind and strength, what would have occurred on that 12th day? The children of Israel would have entered the Promised Land and received complete administration of the laws God had given them!


Interestingly, Jehoiakim reigned 11 years when Nebuchadnezzar came up and began his disintegrating work on Jerusalem (2 Kings 23:36, 2 Kings 34:1):


5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God. 6 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon.
2 Chronicles 36:5-6


Additionally, Zedekiah reigned 11 years before Nebuchadnezzar completed the task, putting a temporary end to Jerusalem’s rule in Israel (2 Chronicles 36:11, Jeremiah 39:2 and Jeremiah 52:1). Another interesting usage of 11 in the Bible occurs in the parable of the laborers, where the workers hired in the 11th hour receive the same blessings as those hired earlier:


“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’
Matthew 20:1-7

With the Hebrew day beginning at 6 a.m., this refers to 5 p.m., typically the end of our work days! Are we in the 11th hour on this earth? Only God knows. When Israel became a nation again in 1948 and the Jews re-inhabited Jerusalem in 1967, all the events leading to the Lord’s return have taken place. That being said, God does not desire for us to wait for His arrival, but to go into the fields and help with the harvest. Just as the number 11, we are incomplete without God! Our hearts should be distraught for those who do not know Him. On this day filled with 11’s, let God use you to bring others into His kingdom!


Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
Luke 10:2

Tuesday, January 11: Twelve

Just as God breathed the world into existence during creation, He also breathed the Bible into existence.


16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17


The Greek word for “inspiration” is theopneustos, a combination of the root words for God (theo) and breathe (pneo). If each word was specifically chosen by God, then each word carries weight and significance. Some people are mathematically-minded, while others seem to see numbers and begin a brain freeze. Yet the numbers in the Bible carry power. Simply by looking at individual numbers can give us great insight into their meaning. Never forget, it was not man who invented math, but God, the great mathematician!


Twelve is an interesting number in the Bible, which we also can see in many aspects of our lives. There are 12 months in a year (Daniel 4:29). Additionally, historians give us an accurate representation of the Hebrew calendar consisting of 12 months of 30 days, which is based upon the lunar cycle. Also, God mentions many of those months in the Old Testament.


In Genesis, God gives us one of the most significant 12’s in the Bible with the number of Jacob’s sons. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad and Asher each became the leader of a tribe of Israel. Occasionally in biblical lists of the tribes, one or more fall into disfavor, being replaced by the sons of Joseph (Manasseh and Ephraim), but there always are 12 tribes. With that representation comes many other aspects. For instance, there are 12 spies who enter the Promised Land, one from each tribe. When the children of Israel officially enter that land, they are instructed to each place a memorial stone at the Jordan River. Consequently, there are 12 stones. There also are 12 precious stones on the ephod of the high priest. Those tribes remain in the future, as a remnant of Jews preaches to the world under judgment. That remnant includes 12,000 in each tribe for a total of 144,000. On the other side of the coin, Ishmael also had 12 sons, which down the road, became the Arab nation that continues to attempt to eradicate the Jews from the earth.


Interestingly, 12 men are specifically mentioned as anointed by God. They are Aaron (Exodus 29:7), Nadab (Exodus 29:7), Abihu (Exodus 29:7), Eleazar (Exodus 29:7), Ithamar (Exodus 29:7), Saul (1 Samuel 10:1), David (1 Samuel 16:13), Absalom (2 Samuel 19:10), Solomon (1 Kings 1:39), Jehu (2 Kings 9:6), Joash (2 Kings 11:12) and Jehoahaz (2 Kings 23:30). Even their places in order are significant, with Saul in the sixth spot and David in the seventh. Six is the number of man and seven the number of completeness.


Jesus chose 12 apostles, and after Judas killed himself, the others cast lots to replace him with Matthias, rather than just existing with 11. In Revelation, we see that the New Jerusalem will have many 12’s:


14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. 18 The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
Revelation 21:14-21

Even the foundations of the wall have 12 different precious stones! Jesus first spoke publicly when He was 12, and a Jewish boy becomes a man after completing 12 years! So what is the significance of 12? It is a perfect number pointing to governmental rule. Though we might be more familiar with purchasing a dozen eggs or a dozen doughnuts, God’s representation of this number has to do with rulers. Though there are 12 inches on a ruler, that is not the kind of ruler to understand here. When reading the Bible, understand that every word is meaningful, pointing to the power of an omnipotent and omniscient God! He does not do anything haphazardly or accidentally. When reading His Word, go deeper! There is much more below the surface, like an iceberg!

6 For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:6-7