22–6: The Biblical Significance Of The Number 12

I think we all tend to relegate certain portions of the Scripture to the “NOT IMPORTANT” box in our brains.

Maybe it’s the chapters containing the loooooong genealogies.

Or all of the details concerning the construction of the wilderness tabernacle.

Or how about the countless purity laws outlined for us in Leviticus?

The modern church is guilty of this.

They have adopted a “NOT IMPORTANT” attitude towards the Torah.

They have disregarded this section of the Bible as old and irrelevant.

And if it contains any relevance whatsoever, they would argue that it only applies to the Jewish people.

I think it’s important to remind ourselves that the only Bible Yeshua and His apostles had to work with was the Tanakh (the Old Testament).

For them, there were no other Scriptures.

It’s also important to remind ourselves that every Word in our Bibles is there for a reason.

Some parts may seem unimportant, and we may sometimes have difficulty understanding the relevance of what we’re reading.

However, through prayer and earnest seeking, HASHEM will reveal to us certain patterns and powerful truths embedded in the Scriptures.

The last verses of Genesis chapter 22 are a good illustration of this.

For some reason, we are given the names of the 12 sons of Abraham’s brother Nahor.

I say “for some reason” because we are never going to see these sons anywhere throughout the rest of Scripture.

So why did God see fit to include this information?

I can’t say for sure.

But I do see a pattern.

Ishmael had 12 sons.

Jacob had 12 sons who would become the nation of Israel.

So, Nahor also had 12 sons.

In the Bible, the number 12 symbolizes God’s authority and a perfect governmental foundation.

Yeshua chose 12 apostles to bear witness and spread the gospel to the entire world.

And let’s not forget that in the coming kingdom, the 12 tribes of Israel will be restored.

© Richoka