Six: Grace

SIX: The number “six” relates to the Grace of God. It is not a coincidence that man was created on the sixth day of the week. The fact that man became a living being on the sixth day reveals that only by means of the grace of God will man experience true life, i.e. eternal life, through a relationship with God. In the book of Isaiah, there is a passage which is rich in theological truth. In chapter six, one reads about the death of King Uzziah. It is this statement about Uzziah’s death that sets the context for this passage. Next, the reader is given a vision of heaven with the Lord sitting on His throne. It is said about God that He is; “high and lifted up.” The sages understand that the purpose of this phrase “high and lifted up” is to convey to the reader that there is a large separation between man and God. There is also mentioned in this vision of heaven that there were seraphim (a type of angel) present around the throne. It is revealed to the reader that each of the seraphim had six wings. The seraphim would call to one another saying:

"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts, full is the entire earth of His glory." 
Isaiah 6:3

Because of this proclamation concerning the Holiness of God, the heavens shook and were filled with smoke. To this, the man Isaiah stated:

"Woe is me, for I am undone, for a man of unclean lips am I and in the midst of a people with unclean lips I dwell; for the King— the Lord of Hosts, my eyes have seen." Isaiah 6:5

Isaiah is responding to the fact that he has just heard that the whole world is going to be full of the glory of God. It was this vision of a Holy God, Who was high and lifted up, that revealed to him his own sinfulness and the sinfulness of his people. His statement in verse five shows his hopelessness in and of himself. However, the next occurrence in this vision focuses upon the seraphim, which had six wings. One of the seraphim flew to the altar and removed a burning ember and then touched the lips of Isaiah with it. Because of this act, the reader is informed that the iniquity of Isaiah is removed and his sin has been atoned. The point is that there is a direct connection to the six-winged seraph (seraphim in the plural) and the removal of iniquity and the atoning of sin. Theologically, one knows that the removal of iniquity and the atoning of sin are only the result of the grace of God. 

Another reason that the number six is related to the grace of God is seen in the fact that there were six cities of refuge. A city of refuge was a type of 
safe-haven for one who had killed an individual without direct intent of doing so. It was not seen as an accident; rather the Torah calls the killer a murderer. A family member of the one killed was commanded to slay the murderer; however, the murderer could flee to one of the six cities of refuge and be safe within the walls of this city. In other words, although the murderer should die as the consequence of his action, he finds "grace" in the city of refuge. It is not a coincidence that there are six cities of refuge. 

In the book of Ruth, the concept of redemption is a major theme. When Boaz agrees to act as the kinsman redeemer to Ruth, the reader is told that he gives her six measures of barley (Ruth 3:15). This again is not a chance happening. It is to reveal to the reader the relationship between grace (that which the number six expresses) and redemption. When speaking about the Exodus from Egypt, which also came about through redemption (the Passover sacrifice), one finds that 600,000 men from the Hebrews came out of Egypt, i.e. experienced redemption (see Exodus 12:37). Once again the number six appears (600,000) to emphasize the connection between grace and redemption.

In the New Testament, there are several places where the number six appears and once again the context is grace. In John's Gospel, the writer begins to speak about Passover. It has already been stated that Passover is known as the Festival of Redemption. To remind the reader of the connection between redemption and grace, John writes:

"Therefore Yeshua, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany…." 
John 12:1

Another interesting occurrence of the number six is also found in John's Gospel. Here the context is also Passover. In this section, Yeshua speaks about the destruction of the Temple, which took forty and six years to build. He states that He will raise it up in three days (Here Yeshua is referring to His body). How do these numbers assist the reader to arrive at a proper interpretation of the passage? Although we have yet to study the significance of the number forty, we will learn that forty relates to a transition or change. John chapter two alludes clearly to the destruction of the Temple. Why will the Temple be destroyed? The answer is multifaceted. First, the message which the Temple service was supposed to convey to the people, was so distorted by the corruption that characterized the Temple in Yeshua's day. Second, the time was at hand for the grace of God to be revealed. It is important for the reader to remember that when Yeshua alluded to the Temple, He mentioned the forty and six years that it took for it to be built. Why was this fact necessary to be included in this passage? It is a hermeneutical aid to the reader. Forty and six speaks about a change or transition (the significance of the number forty) to grace (the meaning of the number six) and away from the sacrificial system of the Temple. The number three also appears in this discourse (see John 2:19). As we have already learned, the number three expresses a revealing or documentation.  Hence, Yeshua was revealing (3) this change (40) from the sacrifices at the Temple, to the grace (6) of God, that His resurrection would document (3).

The final example, which we will examine from the New Testament is in Matthew's Gospel. In Matthew chapter 27, the context is once again Passover. In the passage in question, one reads,

"And from the sixth hour darkness was upon all the earth until the ninth hour." Matthew 27:45

Matthew's Gospel was written in a way those from a Jewish background could easily grasp the significance of what he was stating. Jewish sages of old pointed out that because the Exodus from Egypt took place in the night, there was a connection between darkness (the night) and redemption (the Exodus from Egypt). To convey to Israel that this One Who hung upon the Cross was in fact the Redeemer, HaShem caused a miracle to take place. As the verse states, there was darkness upon all the earth until the ninth hour. Although we have yet to study the significance of the number nine, let it suffice to say now that the number nine relates to "outcome" or "deed". Hence, the sixth hour is mentioned to relate to the grace of God and the ninth hour is recorded to reveal what was the outcome of the death of Yeshua, i.e. Redemption. 

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

Seven: Holiness, sanctification, purpose, and being set apart for a purpose (whether good or evil)

Christianity frequently teaches that the meaning of the number seven is completion. This is not correct. The number seven relates to "rest" and "holiness". The best example of this is the many places that the number seven is used in regard to the Shabbat (the Sabbath day). The primary idea of the Shabbat is rest and holiness. Please note that there is also an etymological connection between the concept of holiness and sanctification. In several passages of Scripture, one reads that HaShem has sanctified the seventh day or He has made it holy. In addition to this, work is forbidden on the Shabbat. In fact, both Biblically and traditionally, the Shabbat is seen as a day of rest. 
Finally, the number seven can relate to perfection. Obviously there is an association between holiness and perfection.

What is the Scriptural basis for those who teach that the number seven relates to completion? These scholars also refer to the Shabbat. In the book of Genesis, one reads, 

"The heavens and the earth were finished (completed) and all their hosts. And God completed on the seventh day His work which He did and He ceased on the seventh day from all His work which He did." Genesis 2:1-2

There certainly seems to be a Biblical basis for associating the number seven with completion. However, in the next verse it is stated,

"And God blessed the seventh day and He sanctified it (literally made it Holy) for in it, He ceased (rested) from all His work which God created to do." Genesis 2:3

Now we have two concepts related to seven, completion and holiness. When one examines the number seven in additional passages, the concept of holiness (sanctification) and perfection appear much more frequently. Before looking at a few such passages, let us refer to an additional verse that relates the number to completion. In Revelation 10:7, one reads that in the days of the seventh angel, the mystery of God should be finished (completed). The word which is translated finished or completed is the Greek word τελέω which has great theological significance. There are two well-known passages where this word appears. One is found in Romans chapter 10. Here the word in question is in the form of a noun. Although it is frequently translated as the "end", it is important for the reader to know that within this word there is the idea of "goal", "purpose", or "objective". The verse from Romans reads literally, 

"For an end of Torah (is) Messiah for righteousness, for everyone who believes.” Romans 10:4

It is significant that there is no definite article (the) prior to the word "end". If the proper interpretation is that Yeshua brings an end to the Law, then the verse should state, "For the end of the Torah is Messiah…." Most English translations insert the definite article which the Greek text does not have.  It is awkward to state, "an end". In actuality, Messiah did not bring an end to the Law; the Torah commandments continued to be practiced by the followers of Messiah (see Paul in Acts 21:20-24). The proper translation for this verse when understanding the fuller meaning of the word τελos is,

"For an objective of the Law is Messiah; for righteousness for everyone who believes."

The objective or purpose of the Law is not solely that people would turn to faith in Messiah. Naturally there are many purposes contained in the Torah. However, the Law reveals our unrighteousness and causes us to seek redemption by means of the Messiah. Although the Torah defines what is righteous (and unrighteous), it is only Yeshua Who can bring about righteousness in a person. Of course as the end of the verse states, Messiah only mediates righteousness for the one who believes.   
The other passage that contains the word τελέω is John 19:30. In this verse,Yeshua is on the tree and knowing all things have been accomplished, He said, "It is finished". The emphasis of this statement is not that His work of redemption is complete, although this is true. Rather, this work was done in a perfect manner. Holiness is also related to purpose. It is very important for the Biblical student to understand that Holiness is always related to a purpose. As was briefly mentioned earlier, there is a strong relationship between the terms holiness and sanctification. In fact, both in Greek and in Hebrew the word sanctification is derived from the word holy. Hence, when Yeshua cried out, "It is finished”, He is referring to the work that God the Father had set Him apart (sanctified Him) to do.

When considering another verse which has the number seven, the matter becomes clearer. Yeshua fed a multitude of 4,000 people from the seven loaves and few fishes. This is of course different from the feeding of the five thousand. After the multitude had eaten and were satisfied, the reader is told that seven full baskets were taken up.  What is the meaning of the number seven in this passage? First, the number 4,000 (the number four, a thousand times) relates to the world. In examining the passage, perhaps a case could be made for asserting that Yeshua had come for the whole (complete) world. However, when taking into account the context of this section, another interpretation seems to fit better. Yeshua, in the previous paragraph, had healed the lame, deaf, blind, and the maimed. The emphasis is not simply that He had made them whole, but these are said to have glorified the God of Israel. In other words, these who were incapable of worshiping God, were now able to do so. The point is that Yeshua did not come to simply minister to the entire (complete) world, but to make the world holy, that is to sanctify the world according to His purposes. Likewise, when in the book of Revelation the seven spirits are mentioned or the seven menorahs, the idea is not completion, but holiness and sanctification. 

When the number ten is studied, it will be demonstrated that the concept of completion is much better applied to this number, rather than seven.

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