A Full Day

Some people will tell you that bad things happen in threes. Other people will tell you that good things happen in threes. I guess it depends on whether you tend to be an optimist or a pessimist. The belief that things happen in threes is normally categorized as superstition or ‘luck’. But that might not be the whole story all of the time. As we consider the world we live in, it is amazing how significant the number three is.

We live in a three dimensional world. There are three primary colours. Three propositions are necessary to complete the simplest form of argument - the major premise, the minor premise and the conclusion (this is called a syllogism and is the old - all men are mortal, I am a man, I am going to die some day – form of logic). Or, if you are into probability theory, the simplest proposition requires three things to complete it - the subject, the predicate, and the copula. “In probability theory and statistics, a copula can be used to describe the dependence between random variables.” Thank you Wikipedia!

Also, from the world of writing comes ‘The Rule of Three’. That is the principle suggesting “that things that come in threes are inherently funnier, more satisfying, or more effective than other numbers of things. The reader/audience of this form of text is also more likely to consume information if it is written in groups of threes.” Thank you again Wikipedia. Can you imagine the story of the two little pigs! How about two blind mice? I hardly think so. And do you think for one moment that either the two stooges or the four stooges would have been nearly as funny as the three? (I hear they’re doing a remake. That will be funny.)

There is an old Latin phrase ‘omne trium perfectum’ which means that everything that comes in threes is perfect. To quote Wikipedia one more time, because to just quote the source twice would not have nearly the same effect… “A series of three is often used to create a progression in which the tension is created, then built up, and finally released. Similarly, adjectives are often grouped together in threes in order to emphasize an idea.”

Of course there is the most significant fact that God exists in three Persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It should not be surprising then that the number three takes on great significance in the Scriptures where it has the idea of completeness or perfection. It is pretty hard to miss this or to deny the intentionality of it. There are literally hundreds of examples but here are some of the more striking ones:

Abraham obeyed the Lord and prepared to offer his only son Isaac on the third day of his journey to Moriah. (Gen 22:4)

The Ark of the Covenant contained three sacred objects. (Heb. 9:4)

Israelite men were required to appear before the Lord three times in a year. (Deut 16:16)

David “bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground.” (1 Sam 20:41)

Elijah had the sacrifice doused with water three times on Mount Carmel to demonstrate that there was no human chance that the sacrifice could be consumed. (1Kgs 18:38) and he also stretched himself over the dead body of the widow’s son three times while praying for his life to return. (1Kgs 17:21)

“A cord of three strands is not easily broken.” (Eccles 4:12)

Daniel regularly prayed three times a day giving thanks to God. (Dan 6:10, 13)

Esther asked the people to fast and pray for 3 days before she went in to see the king. (Esther 4:15,16)

Jesus answered Satan’s threefold temptation by citing three scriptural passages. (Matt 4:1-11)

Peter received the same vision three times to eat animals previously declared to be unclean. (Acts 10:9-16)

Paul experienced three shipwrecks (2Cor 11:28) and prayed three times to the Lord for the removal of his “thorn in the flesh.” (2Cor 12:7-8)..

Peter denied Jesus three times. (Luke 22:54-62)

Jesus restored Peter using a three-fold restoration. (John 21:15-17)

Jesus rose from the dead on the third day; something He actually stressed over and over whenever He spoke of His coming resurrection.

The list really does go on… very interesting … very significant… very profound … And as I said earlier, it is pretty hard to miss this or to deny the intentionality of it all.

Last Tuesday, we put our screen door on (definitely one of my favourite days of the year!). And Geoff and Lynsay’s Maddy learned to ride her bike without trainer wheels! And wouldn’t you know it, that same evening the girl guides showed up at our door selling cookies. It was a good day. It was a full day. I’m not trying to be trite. Good things often do come in threes.