Six then Seven

For years, I have been observing biblical patterns that occur over and over again, from Genesis to Revelation.  God's patterns are woven so deeply into the very tapestry of the scriptures that it would be impossible for the 40+ authors, writing over a period of 1500+ years, to have come up with them on their own. 

 I woke up this morning with an insight that is so obvious that I wonder how it never occurred to me before.  As the title of this post suggests, it has to do with the pattern of six and then seven, which is probably my favorite biblical pattern.

This pattern is established right off the bat in Genesis with the account of creation.  God did the work of creation in six days, and then He rested, instituting the Sabbath day.  Six then seven.

The observance of the Sabbath was written into the Sinai Covenant.  To this day, the Jewish people (and many non-Jews) work six days and then observe a day of rest.  Six then seven.

Biblically speaking, human history can be traced back just about six thousand years to Adam and Chava (Eve).  The bible also speaks of a coming millennium of rest (see Revelation 20:1-7).  Six then seven.

The Israelites marched around the walls of Jericho for six days, and on the seventh day, they circled the wall seven times and then God took the walls down when they sounded the shofars.  Six then seven.

Six is the number of man. Man was created on the sixth day.  Man is incomplete without God.

Seven is the number of perfection, or completeness.  The number seven points to Him.  God rested from His work on the seventh day.  I believe that God and man began to fully enjoy their relationship that day, before Adam's sin came along and messed everything up.

The thought that woke me up this morning was this:  Yeshua hung on the cross for six hours.  For six hours, He travailed in order to pay for our sin.  At the end of six hours, He said "It is finished," and took a final breath. As the seventh hour began, He rested from that incredible work that now reconciles us to Himself.  Just as God worked for six days in order to create fellowship with mankind, so too He worked for six hours to restore fellowship with mankind.

In Matthew 11, Yeshua declares, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

The book of Hebrews elaborates on the idea of Yeshua being our ultimate rest. The context begins in chapter 3, speaking of the unbelief of the Israelites, and then chapter 4 says, For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on.  So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

In Leviticus 23, YHVH entrusted the Israelites with His seven appointed times, all of which point to the work of the Messiah and tell the story of human redemption.  These seven appointed times culminate with the Feast of Tabernacles, when Yeshua will once again dwell on earth in peace with His people.

Six then seven.