Christ in the Old Testament

John 10:10

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (NKJV)

Today’s Reading: Genesis 1:20-23 and John 10:7-10

I’ve been looking forward to covering the number five since we began studying the tabernacle. It seems this number keeps showing up and it’s not a number that we as much as others in Scripture.

The number five shows up in the tabernacle is the following places:

• The Brazen Altar was five shekels wide and five shekels long
• The covering made of fine linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn was made of five curtains attached to five curtains
• Each set of five curtains had fifty loops on their opposite edges with fifty clasps to join them together to make them a whole
• The covering of goat hair were made of five curtains coupled together attached to six curtains coupled together
• The curtains of goat hair also had fifty loops on their edges and were attached together by fifty clasps
• The frames on each side of the tabernacle were made with five bars of acacia wood each
• The length of the Court of Tabernacles was 100 cubits, the width was 50 cubits and the height was five cubits

Where else do we see the number five in Scripture?

• The first five books of the Bible are known as the Pentateuch
• There are five types of offerings – Burnt, Meal, Peace, Sin and Trespass
• David chose five smooth stones to slay Goliath
• There are five roles within the church known as the five-fold ministry described in Ephesians – apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers
• Jesus feeds the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish

Where do we find the number five in Creation? Mostly in the human body. We have five fingers, five toes, five senses, and five extremities (head, two arms and two legs).

The number five is used in Scripture to point to the death of man. It also symbolizes God’s grace, kindness, and mercy but in context with death. Becuse we are sinful people deserving of death, any good gift from God is grace. This relationship is best seen in the grace we receive through the atoning death of Jesus Christ.

I found an interesting connection between the number five and Jesus. If you read the Creation account found in Genesis 1, on the fifth day God created all living creatures to fill the water and sky. Reading from the the NKJV, God said “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures” (Gen 1:20). The King James Version says “Let the waters bring forth abundantly.”

If you search for the word abundantly, it shows up in John 10:10 (which is 5 x 2 twice). Jesus says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John‬ ‭10‬:‭10‬ ‭NKJV)‬‬. Jesus is contrasting the death that the thief (Satan) brings to the grace that he is bringing. And this verse happens to come right after the verse where Jesus calls himself The Door which is the meaning of the fourth Hebrew letter.

Today’s Prayer: Thank you Jesus for grace and abundant life!