Clothesline 316 "Count on Forgiveness"

We know that all of the Bible has meaning, but did you know that the use of numbers in Scripture isn’t arbitrary, that every number has a specific meaning? It’s a fascinating study. Here are a few examples:

· Number 1 obviously means the beginning. Genesis reads: ‘in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…and there was morning and evening on the first day.’

· The Number 3 stands for the presence of God in the Trinity. Noah had 3 sons which surely points to a renewal of mankind after the flood. The Israelites wandered in the desert for 3 days without water, a trinity of days where all they needed was the presence of God.

· The Number 7 means perfection, completeness. God created the world in 7 days…perfection.

· The Number 10 signifies government, restoration, the law. How many commandments do we have? Ten.

· The Number 12 means divine government, the apostolic fullness. Jacob had how 12 sons. 12 sons that led the 12 tribes of Israel. There were 12 apostles—apostolic fullness. In the book of Exodus, sacrifices often were noted as 12 lambs or 12 goats.

· The Number 40 is a time of testing. Remember Noah’s ark? It rained for 40 days. Moses and the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years; Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days being tempted by the devil.

And then there’s the Gospel passage using numbers when talking about forgiveness. Peter asks, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my neighbor? As many as 7 times?” And Jesus responds, “No, 70 times 7!” Really? Yes, that’s what Jesus says. Forgiveness must seek to be perfect and complete: that is what’s required of the Christian.

And once again, as Jesus always does, he models what he is asking of us. He did it from the cross. He said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Can we even imagine such a level of forgiveness? If anyone had reason to hate, Jesus did. If anyone had reason to say, ‘This isn’t fair… it’s not my fault, I don’t deserve to be treated like this’, Jesus did. And we’re not talking about money owed; we’re talking about the murder of an innocent man. Yet Jesus says, “Father, forgive them…”

You may not remember the symbolism of the numbers in Scripture, but remember the masterful way God tells His story of love and forgiveness. You may not remember the quotes of the ancient writers, but remember their wisdom and their efforts to retell the story of love and forgiveness. We will never understand why justice isn’t the norm, why people get hurt unnecessarily, but we can count on being forgiven, as long as we forgive others.