The Meaning of the Number Three in Scripture—Part 19

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Introduction and Review

This is the nineteenth part of a series that examines the number three and how it categorizes themes in Scripture. The previous lesson studied the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel and how their life events are associated with this number. (Links to all articles in this series are listed at the end of this installment.)

This lesson will explore Daniel and other minor prophets and how the number three highlights certain elements of their lives.

Darius the Great, king of Persia

Daniel Chapter Six Revisited

Daniel, chapter six, was referenced earlier as it concerned the hours of prayer. In this section, I would like to address all the other threes related to this theme and the resurrection language included in this chapter. The scene opens with Darius the Mede, who had just taken over the kingdom from Belshazzar, appointing 120 (3 x 2³ x 5) satraps to be in charge of the kingdom. Over them were three ministers, one of them Daniel. The three-in-one rulership indicates a spiritual battle.

The account resembles a New Testament scene of death, burial, and resurrection. In verse five, the ministers and satraps seek to eliminate Daniel because of their jealousy of his virtue and extraordinary spirit that impressed the king so much. This type of favor with the king gained Daniel's lordship over them all.

So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him.

— Daniel 6:4

When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.

— John 19:6

The ministers, prefects, and satraps sought to entrap Daniel with his own faithfulness by inventing a law they knew he would break. They got the king to issue and sign a decree allowing prayer and petition for only 30 days (3 x 10). Daniel chooses to remain faithful to his God.

Now, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.

— Daniel 6:10

The New Testament scene.

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people.
Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them. And they were glad and agreed to give him money. So he promised and sought an opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude.
Then came the Day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed. And He sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat."
So they said to Him, "Where do You want us to prepare?"
And He said to them, "Behold, when you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters. Then you shall say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says to you, "Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?"' Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready."
— Luke 22: 1-12

The satraps and ministers gleefully capture Daniel for disobeying the latest edict. At this point, they rush off to make it known to the king, making a second mention of "thirty days."

Then these men assembled and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king’s decree: “Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?
— Daniel 6:11-12

And then their accusation with the second mention of "three times a day."

“That Daniel, who is one of the captives from Judah, does not show due regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.”
— Daniel 6:13

It is official. Daniel is sent to the lion's den, as was prescribed.

Then a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed.
— Daniel 6:17

The New Testament scene is the following.

... and laid it in his new tomb, which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.

— Matthew 27:60

So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.
— Matthew 27:66

Next in the Daniel account

Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions
— Daniel 6:19

The New Testament scene is the following,

Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
— Mark 16:2

Daniel is then resurrected from the tomb of the lion's den.

Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.”
Now the king was exceedingly glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God.
— Daniel 6:21-23

Christ was able to be resurrected on our behalf because He was innocent. His blood had no death in it. We also see that, by faith, we partake of this gracious gift of resurrection, made possible by Christ's innocent shed blood on our behalf.

... giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
— Colossians 1:12-14

I will end this section, as Daniel 6 does, with three "and" statements that depict spiritual and eternal themes.

1. For He is the living God
And steadfast forever;

2. His kingdom is the one that shall not be destroyed
And His dominion shall endure to the end

3. He delivers and rescues,
And He works signs and wonders.

In heaven and on earth

— Daniel 6:26-27

The GE building entrance. |

Daniel Chapter Seven

Daniel 7 records the events of Daniel's vision of beasts, which connects us to the language of resurrection.

And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’

— Daniel 7:5

Another beast with horns is then described.

I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

— Daniel 7:8

A Messiah type next enters the stage as the Ancient of Days.

1. "I watched till thrones were put in place,
And the Ancient of Days was seated;

2. His garment was white as snow,
And the hair of His head was like pure wool.

3. His throne was a fiery flame,
Its wheels are a burning fire;

The heavenly courtroom scene continues.

"I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
Then to Him was given

Dominion
and glory
and a kingdom,

That all

peoples,
nations,
and languages

should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom
Which shall not be destroyed.

— Daniel 7:9-14

The final three "threes" in this section depict an eternal dominion/kingdom. Next is one more scene in this chapter of end-time kingdoms.

The ten horns are ten kings
Who shall arise from this kingdom?
And another shall rise after them;
He shall be different from the first ones,
And shall subdue three kings.

— Daniel 7:24

The chapter ends beautifully, summing up the eternal kingdom.

Then the kingdom and dominion,
And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.

— Daniel 7:27

Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of a large fish.

Jonah—Three Days and Three Nights

Jonah was a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel. God instructed him to preach a message of repentance to the inhabitants of Nineveh. He runs from God's directive because he fears that God will forgive their wickedness and not visit them with the punishment that Jonah thinks they deserve.

The narrative opens with the language of descending and resurrecting. Going up, going down, and arising are all central themes of this account. The phrase " The presence of the Lord" is also repeated three times.

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me." But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord (Tarshish is mentioned three times).

The Lord sent a storm that was breaking up the ship and terrifying those on it.

But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.
— Jonah 1:1-5

This scene is reminiscent of a New Testament one.

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He (Jesus) was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing.
— Mark 4:37-38

Back to Jonah

So the captain came to him and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish (this is the third and final use of the word arise in Jonah 1).
— Jonah 1:6

Another verse quotes from the New and matches the language with the Old.

"Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.”

— Ephesians 5:14

The mariners understand now that this event was because

... he (Jonah) fled from the presence of the Lord.
— Jonah 1:10

Jonah suggests they throw him overboard, since he is responsible for the problem. They are initially reluctant, but it gets so bad that they pray to God, asking him not to hold it against them, and toss him into the sea.

Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
— Jonah 1:17

Reminiscent once again of a New Testament connection.

An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
— Matthew 12:39-41

As Jonah is in the belly, he prays a prayer that carries, once again, the language of being resurrected from a pit of death.

I went down to the moorings of the mountains;
The earth with its bars closed behind me forever;
Yet You have brought up my life from the pit,
O Lord, my God ... my prayer went up to You,
Into Your holy temple.

— Jonah 2:6,7

The Lord causes the fish to vomit Jonah out onto dry land. Watch what happens next.

... the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,
"Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you."
So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord.
Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey.

— Jonah 3:1-3

He preaches the message, and the people respond in three ways.

... they

believed God,
proclaimed a fast, and
put on sackcloth.

— Jonah 3:5

... the king of Nineveh; and he

arose from his throne and
laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth
and sat in ashes.

— Jonah 3:6

God's mercy prevailed.

Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
— Jonah 3:10

Jonah preaching at Nineveh by Salvator Rosa (1615- 1673)
Statens Museum for Kunst

Additional Commentary on Jonah

"There is a lot of going up/going down, standing up/sitting down, picking up/casting down in the first half of Jonah. The wickedness of the Ninevites has "risen" up to God, so Jonah is told to "get up" and go there (Jonah 1:2). Instead, he "goes down" to Joppa, then further down into the ship (Jonah 1:3), and further still into the ship's hold (Jonah 1:5). Each time, the author uses the verb ירד)yarad) to connect the three actions into a single act. Even the word used for Jonah's deep sleep in Jonah 1:5 (וירדם, vayeradam), though derived from a completely different word, sounds like yarad. It connects Jonah's slumber to his overall descent into disobedience. Later, he's cast into the depths of the sea. The point is: Things ascend toward

God and descend away from Him"

— From an article titled "Word Play in Jonah" at Bible Study Tools

James Tissot's depiction of Haggai the prophet

Haggai

Haggai was a prophet sent to tell the people who had returned from the Babylonian captivity to resume building the temple. They had grown weak in their resolve and settled into building their own homes while the temple lay in shambles. The temple wasn't just about the building itself. It was about the presence and glory of God. To neglect this, as the prophet points out, is the cause of their lack and dryness.

The next portion of this study will be the end of chapter one and the beginning of chapter two. Three people are mentioned three times, along with three mentions of the word "spirit" and three mentions of the word "strong."

So the Lord stirred up

The spirit of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and
the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and
the spirit of all the remnant of the people;

and they came and worked on the house of the Lord of hosts, their God
— Haggai 1:14

The word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying: “Speak now

To Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and
to Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and
to the remnant of the people,

saying: 'Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? In comparison with it, is this not in your eyes as nothing? Yet now

Be strong, Zerubbabel,' says the Lord, and
Be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest; and
Be strong, all you people of the land,'

says the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!'

— Haggai 2:1

This portion ends with the running themes discussed: God's Spirit, who is with us and strengthens us.

The book of Zechariah furthers this Revelation with the same caution to Zerubbabel.

This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:
'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,'
Says the Lord of hosts.

— Zechariah 4:6

Paul prays in Ephesians for the church.

... to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.
— Ephesians 3:16

James Tissot's depiction of Habakkuk.

Habakkuk

We will end this study with a lesson from the prophet Habakkuk.

The Book of Habakkuk is a short three-chapter prophetic book. Chapter three records Habakkuk's prayer, which discusses three things.

A call for Mercy (3:1,2)
Power in nature (3:3-11)
Power over nations (3:12-16)

Chapter three also uses resurrection-type language in the discourse.

O Lord, revive Your work
— Habakkuk 3:2

This presentation began by comparing Biblical numbers four and three. The commentary from the Spirit-Filled Life Study Bible, in its introductory commentary on the book of Habakkuk, shows this contrast.

In the first four verses, Habakkuk is overwhelmed by the circumstances around him. He can think of nothing except the iniquity and violence he sees among the people.

We see four connected with the transitory disintegration and decomposition of the culture around him, including ever-changing circumstances.

How different is the scene in the last three verses of the book (3:17-19)! All has changed. The prophet is no longer controlled by or even anxious over his circumstances, for his sights have been raised. Temporal affairs no longer fill his thoughts, but his thoughts are on things above. Instead of being ruled by worldly considerations, Habakkuk has fixed his hopes on God ... Habakkuk has discovered that his is made for higher ground.

The last three verses represent three consistent themes: raised sights, permanent solutions, things above, and higher ground. The last three lines of this book sum this up nicely and fittingly end this discussion.