Comment on Number 38

by Tsadeh90 - 6/19/16 9:04 PM

Although the meaning for the number three may not be as easily discerned by reading the Book of Genesis, additional study of the scripture reveals the meaning of three as "conform". In the third day God caused the dry land (ashamed land, Heb.) to appear by dividing the waters (see Gen. 1:9). The dry, ashamed land corresponds to our repentance and confession as we come out of sin into conformity to God's image. Paul said that we are "Predestin[ed] to be conformed to the express "image of the invisible God" (Col 1:15). So we should be conformed in all three areas of our being- spirit, soul, and body. A few more words conveying this same concept are "obey" "imitate", and "copy". Thirity ( three times ten) means "acceptably conformed", or if one is conformed to this world, "unacceptably conformed", but "conformed", nontheless ( Rom 12:2). The best example of god's use of this number is Jesus' age when He began His ministry-thirty. In the old testament, a Levite had to be thirty years old before he could become a priest or serve in the tabernacle. And to legitimately serve Christ, we must be conformed to His image (Num4:4; Rom 8:29). Joseph is another minister who was thirty before he took office( Gen 41:46). If he failed God's rest and conformed to the wishes of Potiphar's wife, the story would have ended entirely before he was promoted: "David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years" (2 Sam 5:4). And while we're discussing David, notice the length of his reign-forty years. Eight-Put Off. Genesis 17:12 probably reveals the correct meining for eight better than any other verse in the Bible. In it God tells Abraham, "He that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you... Paul explains the meaning of circumcision of Christ (Col 2:11, emphasis added). In other words, the symbolic meaning for circumcision and the meaning for number eight are the same. On the eitght day we are to "put off" our "old man." Therefore, we see that the inference here is put off. Now, it's commonly belived that eight means "new beginnings," and indeed, when we put off our old man, we are born again and we start anew. But the correct root meaning for this number is "put off," and therefore, the implied meaning, "new beginning" won't always properly fit. When circumcising a baby on his eighth day, one can hardly say the baby is having a new beginning, but the covering of his flesh is certanily being put off just as god commanded.

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