“David was thirty years old when he began his rule, and he ruled forty years.”-2 Samuel 5:4
Lemme kick things off today with a couple of quiz questions.
QUESTION ONE:
In Judaism, what is the earliest age allowable for a Jew to become a Rabbi?
QUESTION TWO:
At what age did Yeshua begin his ministry?
QUESTION THREE:
Finally, how old was David when he assumed the throne over all twelve tribes of Israel?
The answer to all three of these questions is thirty.
This makes sense because thirty is considered the prime of life when one’s mental and physical capabilities are at their peak, and when one possesses enough wisdom to properly utilize one’s talents.
Next, consider that David ruled for 40 years.
We’ve studied this before, but 40 is also an idealized number.
What do I mean when I say “idealized”?
Take a look at the next verse.
It says…
“In Hevron he ruled over Y’hudah seven years and six months; then in Yerushalayim he ruled thirty-three years over all Isra’el and Y’hudah.”
Now you don’t have to be some math genius to realize David’s rulership totaled 40 and one-half years.
The number 40 is often used to represent a generation, but not in the way we usually think about it, like parents, kids, and grandkids.
Instead, it’s more about an era or a period of time.
The number 40 can also mean the “perfect amount of time” for God’s plans to come to fruition, or a special number for times of testing and challenges.
Remember Yeshua was tempted by the devil in the wilderness for 40 days and nights.
The takeaway here is that David’s age of 30 and his reign of 40 years weren’t meant to be exact.
They’re probably very close, but probably not perfect down to the very month or day.
It’s the spiritual significance of the numbers 30 and 40 that’s important.
Ya feeling me here?!
So that’s the lesson for today.
Understand that numbers in the Bible are more spiritual than they are factual.
Let me close with some more examples.
For instance, the number three biblically represents divine wholeness, completeness, and perfection.
Similarily, the number 7 symbolizes completion or perfection.
For instance, God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th.
Interestingly, just as the number 7 signifies completion or divine perfection, the number 6 is one shy of that.
In other words, 6 signifies imperfection or the fleshly weakness of humankind.
That’s why the number of the anti-Christ is said to be 666.
It is man, as represented by the number 6, trying to achieve divine status, as defined by 3.
In other words, man is trying to make himself out to be God.
I leave you with this reminder from the Book of Numbers.
“God is not a man,
that he should lie;
neither the son of man,
that he should repent:
hath he said,
and shall he not do it?
or hath he spoken,
and shall he not make it good?”
-Numbers 23:19
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