God is a numbers person. He has arranged for us in His word
some very specific numbers to stress eternal principles or doctrinal messages.
You will be aware of such numbers as one, two, three, seven, ten and twelve and
don’t forget forty. There is one number I find biblically significant from a
personal point of view. It is most apparent in the King James translation more
so than some others. That number is, eight. how many people were on Noah's ark? Noah, wife, 3 sons and their wives =8. God was about to drown the old world in an act of holy judgement. The people had 120 to accept Noah's invitation to 'come on board'. They refused due too arrogant, unbelief and by imagining God would not be so tough in judgement. They were wrong. now, the eight on the ark began a new era - the one we are in now.
Leviticus 17:12 spells out the day on which a male baby was to be circumcised. It was the eighth day. That marked the entrance into the covenant of God with the Nation. Jesus was eight days old when He was circumcised. Luke 2:21).
When the Aaronic Priesthood was established, they had to
remain within the tent of meeting seven days after their ordination. In
Leviticus 9:1 they emerge to serve the Nation on the eighth day.
When a man or woman with a skin disease was cured seven days
were required for confirmation. On the eight day he or she was welcomed back
into the community via a prescribed sacrifice.
Remember the Apostle Thomas’ eighth day experience. He
wasn’t in the upper room that first Sunday of the Resurrection morning. It was the following Sunday, eight days later
that the Lord met Thomas, with the other disciples, in the upper room (John
20.). How thankful we should be to Thomas for being absent that first Sunday.
His testimony about Jesus is succinct and awesome, “My Lord and My God”!
There are other references but that should suffice.
How then does the number apply to us? You will have picked
up the concept. The eighth day points to a new beginning! Sunday is the first
day of the week, Saturday the seventh which completes the cycle, the eighth day
speaks of a new start.
I like to think that we live continually in the eighth day.
2 Corinthians 5:17: ‘If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation,
everything old has passed away, see, everything has become new’. (NSRV). When
you and I gave our lives to Christ Jesus we entered a new realm with a new
relationship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We have a new song and a
new destiny. Our worship is in spirit and truth and we live not by the letter
but by the Spirit and when we fail, we have the atoning sacrifice of Jesus
Christ ever fresh in our eighth day ‘world’.
A new year by the World’s reckoning is about to begin.
Unfortunately, it will be filled with the moral and spiritual junk of past years,
and probably worse. However, we who are in the ‘eighth day’ experience are to
enter the coming year with a sense of mission. That is to live out the wonder
of our ‘day’ and pray, share through word, writing and witnessing to encourage
others to have their own personal eighth day encounter with Jesus.
Ray (enjoying the day)
Hawkins.
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