The Power of Three

One of my children came to an unusual conclusion during homeschool the other day.  We were talking about numbers and how they work.  We also talked about favorite numbers.  My oldest boy announced to the rest of us that God's favorite number has to be 3.  When I asked him why he said because God uses three all the time, so since He chooses it the most it must be his favorite.  Who can argue with a 6 year old on that?

A picture I took at the zoo a few years ago. Look at what God can do. Surely He can have a favorite number!

Here are some things that support his saying that God's favorite number is 3(we talked about most of these during school).  Our math class became a Bible class, but that is the joy of homeschooling!!

1) The Holy Trinity:  Yeap this was the first thing he could think of to defend this argument.  God could have chosen to make Himself four in one or two in one, but He didn't.  For some reason(maybe He does like the number 3), He chose to be a Trinity.  The three in one, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

2) There were three crosses on the hill the day that Jesus died.  Jesus could have been on that hill and died by Himself, but instead God chose to allow Him to have the company of two others making it three wooden crosses placed on the hill.

3) To go along with the crosses, they used three nails to nail Christ to the cross.  My kids were very curious about this one.  They thought it should have been four nails because we have two hands and two feet, but they only used 3.  So, my son says that is because God likes the number 3 and wants us to know that He controls everything so He controlled how many nails the men used.

4) Christ was in the grave for 3 days before He arose.  It was foretold of in the Bible and then it was seen to come true.  Again we see the number 3.  It could have been two or even four but instead He was dead for 3 days and then dead no more.  Are you agreeing with Patrick yet?  Is there some symbolism in the number 3?

5) Jonah spent 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the whale.  Now, my kids love the story of Jonah.  They love how he had to come out all stinky and smelly but didn't care about that.  He was just ready to do what he was told.  But he did spend 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of that whale.  Why only 3 of each?  What is the significance behind that number?

There are many other occurrences in the Bible that use the number 3, but these were the ones that my children gave to me while we were having our discussion.  I think they are wise beyond their years and I loved hearing their reasoning.  I loved the way they tell the Bible stories and how for the most part they get them correct.  Maybe they combine two together sometimes, but it is the fact that they are learning, they are understanding, and now they are asking questions and seeking answers on their own.

This made me a very proud Mommy and I wanted to share with you how my children are helping me to have a better appreciation and knowledge of the scriptures in a way and viewpoint that I may have never seen before.  Do you listen to your children and let them teach you about the Bible?

Shared on:  Modest Mondays, Wisdom Wednesdays, Proverbs 31 Thursdays,