The number three when it is altogether with other threes catches the eye! Maybe it’s because of the numbers curved nature! This is the time that I saw recently when I woke up.
Are you saying anything through this Lord? By the way this is the way I address God usually. It is not the only way we can do that. Many times this is the title that is used in the Bible and especially in the Old Testament it is used by translators when the Hebrew Yhwh is present.
Before I looked up to see whether there were any Bible books that had three chapters and three verses I had been praying and thinking. There is a woman I know who has a troubled past through domestic violence and she needs to know the Love of the Father. As I considered this a scripture came to me. Before I state what that is a comment. Some people don’t have miraculous testimonies of instant change when they decide to follow Jesus yet they become part of God’s family. The scripture that came to me – bear one another’s burdens in this way fulfil the law of Christ. – it’s our role as church to intercede for these dear ones carrying their burdens to Christ and to come alongside them and help them in whatever way we can.
The scripture I was lead to fits in very nicely here as it’s the first Biblical 3.33 that wasn’t about two sets of different specific biblical characters. (There are only 2 other 3.33s in the Old Testament, 1 and 2)
For the Lord will not reject us forever. Even if he causes suffering, He will show compassion according to the abundance of his faithful love. For he does not enjoy bringing affliction Or suffering on mankind.
Some of us may not like to think that God causes suffering. This is likely to be a translation issue. In the NET version there is a lovely note which helps with this.This version firstly says:
For he is not predisposed to afflict(a) or to grieve people.
The NET note (a) [In case you missed the link above:
tn Heb “he does not afflict from his heart.” The term לֵבָב (levav, “heart”) preceded by the preposition מִן (min) most often describes one’s initiative or motivation, e.g. “of one’s own accord” (Num 16:28; 24:13; Deut 4:9; 1 Kings 12:33; Neh 6:8; Job 8:10; Isa 59:13; Ezek 13:2, 17). It is not God’s internal motivation to bring calamity and trouble upon people.
There are three more biblical 3.33s. These are in the Gospel of Mark, Luke and John respectively. Mark 3.33 is in the context of Jesus’ earthly relationships and his kingdom relationships:
And his (Jesus’) mother and his brothers arrived, and standing outside, they sent word to him to summon him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Behold, your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you.” And he answered them and said, “Who is my mother or my brothers?” And looking around at those who were sitting around him in a circle, he said, “Behold, my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, this person is my brother and sister and mother.”
The second 3.33 is part of Jesus’ earthly genealogy. One of the things this demonstrates is that Jesus is of the tribe of Judah. As an interesting aside it would be good to check out in the Bible the other characters to see who they were. It is helpful to go back and see the lineage of Jesus. Digging around in a biblical genealogy often unearths a little gem or nougat.
As I thought about this I realised this lineage is quite simply Jesus’ earthly family. That sounds obvious I know but bear with me the trinity has always been about family. You could say this started when Yahweh made humanity in his image. There was a heavenly family which some scholars say are reflected – no pun intended, in the lights of Genesis 1.14 which are in view here (See document from a Google search on the matter here). Some believe this happened before humanity was created, others that it occurred simultaneously. This is known as the divine council worldview and can be read about on this pdf.
This idea and concept then became a further reality in the family of Israel. This family was meant to be inclusive. You can see signs of that throughout the Biblical text. There are those who were prostitutes and concubines in Jesus’ family for instance and those from other nations who have been brought in to the fold:
and Salmon became the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz became the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed became the father of Jesse, and Jesse became the father of David the king.
Matthew 1:5–6 LEB
Even some Egyptians came over to Israel when Pharaoh kept hardening his heart.
Exodus 12:38 a mixed multitude The Hebrew phrase used here, erev rav, refers to a mixed group of non-Israelites who joined them in their departure. Others who wanted to leave Egypt—probably also slaves—took the opportunity to join the Israelites. Elsewhere, the word erev refers to foreigners in the midst of the Israelite population (Jer 50:37; Neh 13:3). The incident recorded in Lev 24:10–16 indicates that some Egyptians had joined with the Israelites.
Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Jesus was both from a priestly line as well as a kingly line as we can see from Biblical genealogies.
On another look at the genealogy in Luke 3, I noticed something I’d not realised before which made me think. There are two Levi’s and a Nathan within the line. The Levites were a special group linked with looking after sacred things within the temple. Then there’s Nathan who was a prophet to David. Was that David’s son who prophesied to David when he sinned over Bathsheba? The Nathan in the genealogy is the son of David by a concubine! I haven’t done the research to be sure whether it is the same Nathan. The Lexham Bible Dictionary does state that the identity of Nathan the prophet is unknown. If he was a family member it would have been unwise to state that it was the case.
David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to him. 14 These are the names of the ones born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua and Shobab and Nathan and Solomon;
And finally the last 3.33 is a speech made by John the Baptiser who is attesting to the truth about who Jesus is:
The one who comes from above is superior to all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is superior to all. He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. The one who has accepted his testimony has confirmed clearly that God is truthful. The one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he does not give the Spirit sparingly. The Father loves the Son and has placed all things under his authority. The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life, but God’s wrath remains on him.
Let the above scripture speak for it self!
To conclude. By paying attention to the time you may receive something from the Lord. At times the numbers you see may occur at other times throughout your day or week. If any number repeats or catches your attention be prepared to ask what the Lord is saying.