Our lives cannot exist without numbers. They are apart of everything we do. God created them and embedded them into all things. We need them for everything; music, cooking, building, traveling, keeping time, planting and harvesting…living life! God loves numbers, and I believe He has some favorite ones too.
Some people have “a math brain” and I’m not one of them! They see things numerically and can easily calculate and solve mathematical equations in their head. To me these people are geniuses! I need more than paper and pencil…I need a calculator and directions to go with it! However it is easy to spot patterns, and patterns are all about numbers.
When you read and re-read the Bible you soon begin to recognize some of God’s favorite numbers. One that stands out is the number 40. Moses has this number attached to him. He had three segments of forty in his life, as well as it is the number of years they wandered in the desert after leaving Egypt. Forty is used 158 times in scripture, and it generally symbolizes a period of testing, trial or probation. Jonah also had this number in his life when he was sent to Nineveh. He spent forty days there preaching the message of repentance to the Ninevites.
The number three is also a very prominent number in the Bible. It appears 467 times. It represents harmony, wholeness, and new life. The Hebrew meaning for three is shelosh; and it reflects the triune nature of God, and we are created in His image, spirit, soul, and body. Sometimes three is used as an emphatic Semitic triplet to describe the intensity of something. It is not just holy. It’s holy, holy, holy!
These patterns will jump out at you when you begin to realize their significance. You will notice how often “and on the third day” is mentioned and why it matters. God never does things randomly. His timing and His patterns are both deliberate and divine. Once our attention is drawn to these patterns we begin to see His purpose and plans in a new light.
He draws our attention to the power of three in Ecclesiastes 4 when He tells us the value of a friend. There is wisdom and common sense that two are better than one when it comes to accomplishing a task. Two people that work together for a common goal will always finish stronger. Also, when you have a true friend, they will be there to pick you up, pray for you, and encourage you. You will not be alone when you fall…they are also there to keep you warm.
What about when evil seeks to prevail in our lives? When someone or something tries to overpower, and overwhelm us, “Two shall withstand him” Our friend aids us in coming against, going beyond, and enduring through it all. And better “A threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Who is the third? Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 18:20? “For where two or three are gathered in My name, I’am there in the midst of them.”
Threefold is three parts. It is the word “Salas” To do a third time, to put into three parts, stay three days. It is adding the third leg on our two legged stool! We will not wobble…we will have the divine stability that binds us together….and it cannot be “quickly broken.” What exactly does this mean? Quickly means- hastily, swiftly, at once. Broken means- to be lured away, be shattered, dragged off, plucked off. A faithful friend will be there to warn and protect us.
This is a picture of what Jesus said in John 10:10 The thief comes not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” The wolves are always seeking to pluck and drag away the sheep from the fold…but He is our Good Shepherd, and He gives His life for the sheep!
The gift of a true friend is priceless! No amount of money can buy one. We are truly blessed when they come into our lives. Never take them for granted. Invest your time and prayers in their lives. The dividends will be bountiful, and far outweigh your bank account. Yes we get to make new friends frequently….but the old ones are a rare vintage that cannot be replaced. It reminds me of a song I was taught years ago; “make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold.”
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17