Holy Hormones Bible Study: Teaching — not Entertainment
PATTERNS IN THE BIBLE: THIRD DAY #2
Third day: Signature for Christ
THIS IS PART OF AN UNDECIDED NUMBER OF ARTICLES ON PATTERNS IN THE BIBLE AND THEIR IMPORTANCE.
Spoiler Alert! The patterns are a record of God keeping His Promises.
There are many patterns so only a few will be presented including; three days, bread & wine, communion, 70 times 7, Genealogy of Christ.
Already published is:-
WHO WROTE THE BIBLE? Someone with a different logic to you. (Pattern: Out of Egypt I called my son)
PATTERNS IN THE BIBLE: THIRD DAY #1 The Good Samaritan — shades of mercy
Brace yourself! This is more of a teaching blog than an entertaining one. It may not be an easy read because there is more here than a normal, well adjusted person would generally want to know. But the time will be well spent. The detail which makes me a boring person brings the Bible alive for me. If, however, you happen to like what you read, there’s more to be found here.
[NOTE: Important words analysed below are identified with Hebrew/Greek transliterations into English and Strong’s Numbers so that whoever wants to can check them out — the recommendation is that you do. I use the Blue Letter Bible (https://www.blueletterbible.org/ BLB)]
Preamble
The 3-Day pattern concept is briefly discussed in the PATTERNS IN THE BIBLE: THIRD DAY #1 article.
The challenge of translating
This morning I saw on Medium a number of examples which highlight two of the topics I mention regularly.
The use of Greek logic to interpret Hebrew thinking patterns. There is a similarity between the two which generally is acceptable but not all the time. Like the reality that America and Australia are two nations separated by a common language (quip stolen from Winston Churchill). I’m sure I left a wake of offended Americans as I travelled around that great nation.
The multiple meanings of words. My Greek coach, Dr. John Bechtle, Ezraproject.com, reminds us ad infinitim that there are two important things about words. (1) Words can have more than one meaning. (2) There is only one correct meaning in any context. The trick is to select the correct one.
An extra facet of potential confusion is that my personal experience in dealing with words within the text convinces me that the Holy Spirit is the Inspiration behind the words and it is our task to find out why a particular word was chosen over another word. There are Men of Letters who reject this. So be it, but let them explain these two articles.
I’m not trying to be belligerent, just informing any potential reader where I’m coming from. It may be better if you didn’t continue. That would be sad.
A random selection
There are so many examples that not all could be included. It is hoped that, once you see a few, the process will become clear.
Rahab at Jericho
It is written in Joshua 2:15–16
Then she[Rahab] let them down by a rope [H2256 — chebel] through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall. And she said to them, “Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. There hide three days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way.”
So the men said to her: “We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear, unless, when we come into the land, you bind this cord [H8615 — tiqvah] of scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you bring your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household to your own home.
Both ‘rope’ and ‘cord’ have duel meanings.
rope H2256 — chebel: a cord, rope; pains, pangs, sorrows
cord H8615 — tiqvah: cord; hope, expectation, things hoped for (The National Anthem of the modern State of Israel is called, “The Tiqvah”.)
The natural meaning is dangling a twine. The Spiritual meaning is that between pains/sorrow (the Cross) and hope (the Empty Tomb) is three days.
The executioners of God’s Wrath were hidden from Satan’s eyes (They were on Allah’s turf before Allah became famous) for three days. Then they went home. After a while they came back with a bang.
The ninth plague — darkness
It is written in Exodus 10:21–23
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
Jesus is the Light.
Jesus child at Passover Luke 2:46
His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
Messiah was lost to His earthly mother’s eyes for three days.
The offering up of Isaac
It is written in Genesis 22:3–5
So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”
This doesn’t mean much until the New Testament. It is written in Hebrews 11:17–19 that Abraham inferred Isaac to be dead from the instant Elohim told him to take his ONLY son to be an offering.
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
Abraham’s Faith was that he believed Elohim about the children coming from Isaac. The problem was God’s not his. Did he expect Isaac to be resurrected? I don’t know. But he expected God to somehow keep His Word. Another definition of faith is, “Do it scared.”
Noah and the Resurrection
This is discussed in
Methodology of word search
One way to begin to track down the patterns is by conducting a word search. Using English may let things slip through because of the choice of potential words for translation. If you find an example that you want in the Bible of your choice, go to that verse in Blue Letter Bible, invoke “tools,” then “interlinear.” Click on your word and BLB will conduct a word-search on the root word in the relevant language. It will include all the inflections so you will find all of them in KJV. You can work back from there. It sounds complicated but is not and will save you hours.
The forgoing evidence has not been presented to convince any reader but to allow a personal decision to be made. There is much more to know about this subject. Perhaps you’ll pay another visit, sometime.
All Glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
(We all have a plank in our eye. It’s bigger than we think.)
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