God and Numbers

Nowadays nearly anything can be debated.  Boys aren’t always boys and girls aren’t always girls.  We are living in a society that says children should decide for themselves if they are male or female.  Good is not always good and evil is not always considered evil.  White is not always white, nor is black even black.  New boundaries can be defined for anything.  Amendments can be made.  To some people God isn’t god, but you can choose any god you wish.  Anyone can explain away and justify just about anything.  What I love most about numbers is they are indisputable.  No one can debate numbers.  Numbers are constant.  1+1 always equals 2.  3 X 10 is always 30.  I love that predictability and I love that absolute!  

As much as I enjoy numbers, clearly God loves them as well.  After all He created the concept of numbers.  God knows the number of hairs on each head.  He measures the waters in the hollow of His hands.  He weighs the mountains on scales (see Is. 40:12).  Numbers are definitely important to God.  In the Bible any time you see numbers, pay attention because God purposely uses numbers to communicate significant things.  I’ve been studying the significance of numbers in the Bible since our pastor (back in Biloxi, MS) preached a message when we were living there in 1999.  Over the years I have jotted down notes about numbers in my Bible.  Here is a condensed list of numbers and what the numbers represent in the Bible.  

1—Unity, One God.  Duet. 6:4

2—Confirmation; double portion; dividing between.  Ex. 3:18, Ex. 16:5, Job 42:10

3—Deity; Divine Perfection. Rev. 4:8, John 2:13

4—Earth; God’s creative works (It is no mistake there are 4 directions North, South, East & West and 4 seasons)

5—Fullness (David’s 5 stones)

6—The number of man

7—Spiritual perfection; spiritual completeness

8—New beginnings; salvation Jn 20:1-10

10—Completeness; ordinal perfection

11—Disorder; lack of perfection; lack of fulfillment. Duet. 1:2, Acts 1:15-26

12—God’s government number (12 tribes, 12 sons of Jacob, etc)

13—Rebellion; hostility; corruption. Josh 6:2-5, Gen. 17:23

14—Double measure of spiritual perfection

30—Marks the right moment in God’s Divine Plan (Joseph was 30 in Egypt, Gen. 4:6; David was 30 when he began to reign Israel, 2 Sam. 5:4, Aaron and Moses’ deaths were mourned 30 days, Numbers 20:29, 34:8; Jesus was 30 when he began His ministry, Man was eligible for military duty at age 30, Levites began their service at age 30, Numbers 4:3, 23, 30, 35 and 39.  Also note that 3 X 10=30 which means a higher degree of perfection in the divine order.

Two years ago was the worst day of my life.  Our healthy, joyful, blond, wonderful son unexpectedly died.  Today goes down in the books as one of the best because I drove away from the orphanage forever with our newest son, Matthew “Eddik.”  

Since Brandon’s death, Job has been a book of the Bible that has been on my mind.  What is interesting to note is the number TWO in Job chapter 42 where it states, “the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.”  In the midst of incredible pain and grief for my firstborn son, Brandon, somehow I feel today like Matthew is God’s double blessing on our family—We now have two boys, though one is in heaven.  Just like in the Bible where “twice as much” signified a confirmation and a double portion to what was lost to Job, likewise this has happened in our family.  I am SO thankful God has given us two sons, Brandon and Matthew.

Now, look at the number 30.  Brandon died on January 30^th.  I do not believe it was a mistake that God ordained that Matthew was adopted on January 30^th. January is month #1 and #1 is the number of God. We began our adoption on 1/14/13 and through a series of ups and downs and great valleys we are still not completed with our adoption. Usually adoption from Ukraine is done in 5-7 months.  People have been saying all these months “God’s timing is best” and I’ve all but rolled my eyes at them.  It’s easy for someone who is not experiencing the emotional highs and lows of International adoption to say “God’s timing is best.”  But I actually got hit in the head with conviction when I read Psalm 18:31 where it reads, “As for God, His way is perfect.”   In the Bible the number 30 marks the right moment in God’s Divine Plan.  We truly are blessed to know 1/30 is God's divine plan. 

I also think it is interesting that Matthew’s birthday is 6/10.  6 is the number of man and 10 is ordinal perfection.  We now have 5 children in our “quiver” and 5 is the number of fullness.  We have 7 members in our family (completeness).  Need I go on?  Numbers are just awesome.  God speaking in His word is double-awesome.   God speaking through numbers in His word is just awesome-perfection to me!

While the pain is always there regarding losing Brandon, sometimes so bad it takes my breath away,  I can’t help but be joyful today.   God has proved faithful to us these last 2 years in bringing joy out of mourning and in turning mourning into dancing.  He who began a good work in our lives will continue until the day He returns or He calls us all home.   I sit beside Matthew who is laughing and playing his Nintendo game while snuggling as close as he can to me as I type this blog.  He does not sit here now because of chance or by coincidence.  He sits here because a very detailed-about-numbers, Sovereign God orchestrated today to work out exactly has it did.  While it’s true that most things can be debated, changed or revoked, I know 2 things that can never, ever change—God and numbers.