300
In the Old Testament of the Bible, 300 appears to be quite a celebrated number…
Background image was created using DALL·E, OpenAI’s legacy image generation model.
In the Old Testament of the Bible, 300 appears to be quite a celebrated number…
Starting in Genesis, we hear that Enoch “walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters” after he fathered Methuselah at age 52. (Genesis 5:22). In 2 Chronicles 9:16 and repeated in 1 Kings 10:17, we learn that King Solomon “made three hundred small shields of hammered gold, with three hundred shekels of gold in each shield” (see the image at the top of this post).
Esther 9:15 recalls that “The Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder”. You might remember that in Judges, the Lord thought Gideon had too many men to take on the Midianites, so He had Gideon send home those who were married or afraid. Out of that remainder, He told Gideon to bring his men down to the water and “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” (Judges 7:5). How many men were left after that test? Let’s see…
“The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others. (Judges 7:7-8)
Zerah the Cushite marched out against King Asa’s army with a huge army and “three hundred chariots” (2 Chronicles 14:9). King Solomon shows up again in the Jeopardy category of “Famous Old Testament 300s”, with “seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines” (1 Kings 11:3), and in 2 Samuel 23:18, we read that ”Abishai the brother of Joab” … “raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three.”
This list could go on and on, but by now you’re probably asking yourself “Steve, why are you highlighting the number 300?” Here’s the answer:
Today we reached a new goal at Heaven On Wheels, with 300 subscribers! God has truly blessed Barb and me with a wonderful group of people who join us every day to study God’s Word. Thank you, Lord!
300 isn’t a huge number of readers, but take a look at this chart that shows how Heaven On Wheels has grown since we began writing in 2022:
If you’re reading this, you’re one of the 300. We humbly thank you for coming on this journey with us, and pray that you not only continue learning more about God’s Word, but share Heaven On Wheels with friends and relatives as well.
For our newest readers, I’d like to remind you that Barb and I are not trained pastors or theologians — far from it. During a long period of our lives, we both turned away from God. But He is infinitely patient, and He waited for us to come to the realization that we needed His grace, mercy, and forgiveness of our sins. We have found that the best way for us to learn the Word is to not just read it or look at someone else’s commentary, but to actually research and write these devotionals. We try our hardest to avoid theological errors, and ask for your forgiveness if we occasionally slip.
I’ll finish today’s devotional with the words of the Aaronic Blessing (Numbers 6:24-26):
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Word, a light to our path and a wellspring of truth. Stir our hearts to read the Bible daily, to study it deeply, and to understand the richness of its history and truth. Help us not only to be readers, but doers — sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with others in love and boldness. May Your Spirit guide us as we grow in knowledge and lead others to the hope we have in You. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN.
Heaven on whales rocks, you guys are awesome. Praise God, and thank you.
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