Three is the
number of the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In Genesis 1:13, “And the evening and the morning
were the third day.” The third
day of creation was a day of double blessing. The third day was the day that
Abraham saw the area he was to sacrifice his son Isaac. Genesis 22:4, “When on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes,
and saw the place afar off.” Prophetic of the crucifixion of Jesus and the
resurrection on the third day.
There were
occasions when the third day was not a day of double blessings. Genesis 34:25, “And it came to pass on the
third day, when they were sore,
that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man
his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.” Here some of
Jacob’s sons did not honor the agreement made by their father, nevertheless if
it had not happened Jacob and his family may have remained in the city and not
keep themselves separate as commanded by God.
Exodus 19:16, “And it came to pass on the
third day in the morning, that
there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the
voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp
trembled.” The people were too terrified to be in the presence God and lost a
wonderful opportunity.
The book of
Leviticus details much richer while in the third day appears to be of major
importance. As one example, Leviticus 7:18, “And if any of the flesh of the
sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted,
neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an
abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his
iniquity.
As with
Leviticus, the third day is called out in the rituals detailed in the Book in
Numbers as well.
Numbers 19:19,
“And the
clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the seventh day: and
on the seventh day he shall purify himself, and wash his clothes, and bathe
himself in water, and shall be clean at even.”
These are just a few of the 50+ references in the Bible to the third
day.
With the
crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus’s three days later, the third day
place major importance in the New Testament writings.
1 Corinthians
15:4,
“And that
he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the
scriptures:”
So much was
written in the New Testament about the third day dealing with the resurrection
of Jesus.
Matthew
16:21, “From that
time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto
Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes,
and be killed, and be raised again the third
day.”
Matthew
17:23, “And they shall
kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding
sorry."
Matthew
20:19,
“And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge,
and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise
again.”
Mark
9:31,
“For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of
man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that
he is killed, he shall rise the third day.”
Mark
10:34,
“And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit
upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise
again.”
Luke
9:22,
“Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be
rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be
raised the third day.”
And we read of the
insecurity of the temple leaders. Matthew
27:64,
“Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the
third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto
the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the
first.”
No comments:
Post a Comment