Fourteen: A double blessing or God's providence

The idea that is expressed by the number fourteen is a double blessing or an expression of God's providence to His people. The Rabbis point out that Jacob worked fourteen years and the outcome of these fourteen years of labor were his two wives, Leah and Rachel. A wife is a helpmate (Genesis 2:18) and the Scripture instructs that he who has found a wife has found a good thing (Proverbs 18:22). Hence, the outcome of these fourteen years of labor was the children of Israel.

Passover is on the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. Here again, according to the Rabbis (Talmud— Rosh HaShana 11a), not only did the first redemption take place on the 14th day of Nissan, so too will the final redemption רבי יהושוע— בניסן נגאלו בניסן עתידין ליגאל. The point is that this date, the 14th day of Nissan, will serve as a double blessing or a second expression of providence to His people. The first blessing was the Exodus from Egypt into the Land of Promise, i.e. Israel; and the second blessing will be the Exodus from sin into the Kingdom by means of our Passover Lamb, Yeshua the Messiah.

In a similar fashion, King Solomon dedicated the Temple during the Festival of Tabernacles. This festival is seven days; however, because Solomon wanted to express what a great blessing this was, he in fact celebrated for an additional seven days, i.e. 14 days in total.

In the New Testament, the number 14 appears in the very first chapter of Matthew's Gospel. The reader is told that in Messiah's genealogy, there are 14 generations between Abraham and David and 14 generations between David and the Exile, and 14 generations from the Exile to Messiah. It is understood that the Messiah is the second Redeemer (Moses being the first) and the establishment of the Kingdom, being the role of Messiah, is the second expression of God's promise to His people of which the Prophets frequently spoke.  Careful attention reveals that there was actually only 13 generations from the Exile to the birth of Messiah.  The fact that the text states 14 is not an error.  It is a subtle reference to not the first coming of Messiah, but to the second, when the Kingdom will be established.  In Judaism, the final generation is often referred to as the next generation, so as to emphasize an expectancy for the Kingdom. 

Loveisrael.org - Baruch Korman, Ph.D. - All Rights Reserved - Used with Permission 2016

One: God

Refers to HaShem (God), Who is One. This number can also refer to unity. The first place the number "one" occurs is in Genesis 1:5. There one reads, "And there was an evening and there was a morning— one day". Later on in this same book of Genesis, it is stated concerning the man and his wife, "And they became one flesh" (Genesis 2:24). It is very significant that in both of these examples there was a multiplicity for the subject. In the first example, the evening and the morning became one day and in the second example, it was Adam and Eve who became one flesh.

One of the most famous passages in the Torah concerning HaShem is Deuteronomy 6:4 which states, "Hear O Israel the Lord your God the Lord is One." The question that a person must ask himself is what is the connection between the use of the Hebrew word אחד "one" which identifies a multiplicity being one and the fact that the Lord God of Israel is One? The answer is that the Hebrew word אחד can relate to the concept for one as in "unification". There is another Hebrew word that would have been possible to be used if the author wanted to refer to an absolute oneness or singleness. This is the Hebrew word יחיד. In fact, there is a well-known prayer in Judaism which states, "אחד ואין יחיד כיחודו". This phrase should be translated as, "(God is) One and there is no singularity as His singularity." The idea that is being expressed in this prayer is that the Lord God of Israel is One; but not an absolute One; rather there is a uniqueness and a complexity to His Oneness.

The number one is frequently employed to express in the Scriptures one object, such as one man or one tabernacle. This usage would be the simple or common purpose that the number one or for that matter any number, would appear in a Biblical text. Often the appearance of a number does not contain any of the significance that Hebrew numerology might offer. Therefore, the reader must always consider when coming across a verse which contains a number, that the number only expresses an amount and no additional significance. 

Because the number one is often associated with God, there is a unique phenomenon in the Scriptures concerning this number. Sometimes the number one is employed to express a unique relationship that the object has to HaShem. For example,

"And it will be one day, it will be known to HaShem..." Zechariah 14:7

In the text above, Zechariah could have stated simply, "And it will be a day…" The fact that the prophet said "one day" is to convey that this day is uniquely related to God. Similarly, it is stated by the prophet Ezekiel in chapter 37, "one King", "one nation" and "one Shepherd" (see Ezekiel 37:22, 24). Each of these objects—King, nation and Shepherd—has a connection to HaShem. The King and Shepherd is Messiah Yeshua, the Son of God and the one nation is Israel, the people of God.

Loveisrael.org - Baruch Korman, Ph.D. - All Rights Reserved - Used with Permission 2016