Numbers in the Word of God
Lesson #1
In this series we are going to studies numbers in the word of God and what they are connected with. God is a God of numbers and he uses numbers in connection with things all throughout the word of God. If God takes the time to record the numbers for us then we should not view it as insignificant or meaningless.
Therefore in this study we will look at the numbers 1-13 plus a few extra and see if we can learn some of the things they are connected with. In this study if we say that a number is connected with something, like for instance the number 2 being connected with division, that does not mean that every time a two shows up it can only be connected with division. These connections are not 100 percent but are found enough times that you can say that there is a definite connection between the number and what it is being connected to. There may also be some numbers that we will give a guess for what they are connected with because there may not be very clear evidence as to its connection. Remember if we say it is a guess it is only a guess.
We stated above that God is a God of numbers. This is true because not only did he create numbers and every thing that we see that involves numerical values, but there are some bible verses that show us how God is concerned with numbers.
Psalms 147:4-5 (Here he knows the numbers and names of the stars, plus his understanding is said to be infinite)
Isaiah 40:25-26 (Here God is said to have created everything and to bring out the host by number)
Matthew 10:30 (Here the word of God says that even the hairs of you head are even numbered)
So plainly we see that God is concerned about numbers. There are two other things that this study should do for you.
1) It should help you to see that God is the author of his word and that man could not have been.
- As we go through this study and show how God constructed his word and put all the different parts of his word together and made these numbers fit, you will see that God authored his word and preserved it in the King James Bible and there is no way it was done only by man.
2) It should increase your faith in the words of God.
- The more faith you have in believing that the words in a King James Bible are the words of the living God the easier it will be for you to live the Christian life that God would have you to live.
The Number One :
The number one is connected with unity. Note that it comes from the word unit. The first time we see the number in the word of God is in Genesis 1:9 “And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and the let the dry land appear; and it was so.”
This connection is fairly easy to see with the number one. There are many applications of this in the word of God and we will list a few of these below.
In Deuteronomy 6:4 we see that our God is one Lord. In Ephesians 4:4-6 we find there are seven things that are said to be one and this is a passage on unity. Note also how the people are said to be of one speech in Gen 11:1 (all ones by the way) which speaks of unity. We will not take up much time with this number but as you read through the scripture note the other places where this occurs.
The Number Two :
The number two is connected with division. Whenever you divide something you will always get a minimum of two parts. The first time we see it in the word of God is in Genesis 1:16 “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.”
In Genesis chapter 2 we see that God divided Adam’s side and he got his bride. When the 12 tribes of Israel are divided in the word of God it is usually in to 1 group of 10 and another group of 2. In Numbers 13 the spies sent into the land of Canaan were divided into 2 groups. 10 did not want to go in and 2 did. When the tribes of Israel were divided after the reign of Solomon there were the 10 northern tribe and the 2 southern tribes. Even the twelve disciples were divided into two groups one time, James and John separated themselves from the other 10 when they wanted to set on the right and left hand of Jesus (Mark 10:35-37).
Now many will say that the number 2 is connected with witness because there have to be two witnesses according to the Old Testament Law, and also Jesus sent the disciples out 2 by 2 (Mark 6:7). But one could say that he divided up the disciples in groups of two once again connecting it with division. And remember that these connections are not going to be 100 percent.
The Number Three :
The number three is going to be connected with the trinity. The first time we see the number three is in Genesis 5:22 “And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:” Note that 5+2+2=9 which is 3+3+3. The number three will also point to the God Head.
God is a trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit and they are all separate but they are also all one (1 John 5:7). Jesus Christ is the 2nd member of the Trinity and he is called the Word of God in the King James Bible 7 times. The word of God is in two parts the Old Testament and the New Testament and with Jesus Christ as the Word of God he brings the both Testaments together.
Have you ever noticed how many different things can be broken into groups of three? Remember that God created everything and therefore it would seem reasonable that this would be so. Below are some of the examples of things that can be broken into 3’s.
- Man has 3 parts a Body, Soul, and Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
- There are 3 Heavens (2 Corinthians 12:1-4)
- There are 3 types of temptations Lust of the Eyes, Lust of the Flesh, Pride of Life (1 John 2:15-17)
- A Family has 3 basic parts Man, Woman, and Child.
- Space has Length, Width, and Height.
- Matter can be broken into 3 stages Liquid, Solid, and Gas.
- Electricity has 3 parts Positive, Negative, and Neutral.
- Your physical location on earth is either on land, in the air, or in the water.
- There are 3 places for your Soul to be Heaven, Hell, on Earth.
There are many others you could name these are just a few. Therefore it is easy to see that the number 3 represents the trinity and points toward God and how he created everything.
The Number Four :
The first time we see the number four in the word of God is in Genesis 2:10 “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.” There is very little evidence that would seem to be conclusive as to what the number 4 represents but a good guess would be that it is connected with the earth or the world.
Some of the things that may point to this guess are the fact that the earth has four basic directions; north, south, east, and west. The earth has 4 basic elements; earth, wind, fire, and water. The world has 4 basic seasons; winter, spring, summer, and fall. As we saw above the river that watered the Garden of Eden parted into 4 heads. There are 4 world powers spoken of directly in Daniel; Babylon, Assyria, Media Persia, and Rome.
But even with these things being said there are still many times where we see the number 4 and it has connections with other things. So we are giving a guess but you may find something else that fits the number four better if you continue to study the word of God.
Numbers in the Word of God
Lesson #1 : Handout
1) List some verse showing that God is a God of Numbers.
2) What are the two things that we hope this study will do for us?
3) What do we know about the number 1? Give examples and verses.
4) What do we know about the number 2? Give examples and verses.
5) What do we know about the number 3? Give examples and verses.
6) What do we know about the number 4? Give examples and verses.