12-12-12

I like numbers. I like finding discrepancies. I like finding transposition errors. My love for numbers is a good thing, seeing how numbers is my job! Numbers are getting a lot of attention right now. This year, in particular, we've had a couple of fun dates. We had October 11, 2012. Or 10/11/12. Today, there's lots of hype around 12/12/12. It was fun dating documents today. I know. I find joy in some strange things.

Today, for fun, I searched on the number twelve in the Bible. Twelve is a really important number in the Bible. Jacob had twelve sons. Naturally, this directly correlates with the twelve tribes of Israel. Offerings in the Old Testament frequently consisted of groupings of twelves. Twelve each of bulls, rams, lambs and goats. Move to the New Testament and Jesus was twelve years old when he preached in the temple. When he began his ministry, he chose twelve disciples. After feeding five thousand, the disciples gathered up twelve basketfuls of broken bread. Read Revelations, and you'll find references to twelve all over the place: stars, gates, angels, pearls, foundations and crops.

Jump out of the Bible and into our daily life and twelve is important in the order of our lives. Think about it. We have two twelve hour sections in each day. Look on the clock dial and there are twelve five-minute sections in each hour. We have twelve months in a year. We have twelve inches in a foot. A search on the internet reminded me that twelve is a dozen and there are twelve days of Christmas.

While December 12, 2012 is really just another twenty four day in the many days of our lives, I can't help but marvel at the fun-ness of the day. For some strange reason, it helps me feel closer to God. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because he obviously has an affection for the number twelve. And today is about as twelve-ish as we can get.

"Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven." Job 25:1-3