Is ‘6’ Really Such a Bad Number?
Lately I have been learning some about numbers – and the more I dig into it the more I discover that numbers are significant to God and he’s very much into them. I’m also discovering that different numbers have different themes that speak of God’s nature as well as many other things. It has been like learning a whole new language, and I know I am only just beginning to scratch the surface of it!
Before we continue, I want to be clear about something. I am not talking about numerology. I have found that some Christians are afraid of numbers because they think it is some sort of new age mystical practice. Numerology is real, and if you Google the meaning and significance of numbers, you will certainly find page after page of ‘angel numbers’, which is numerology. BUT one thing I have learned is that Satan is always trying to create copies, or counterfeit versions of what is real according to God’s ways. Numbers, and the significance of numbers originally comes from God, and there is a whole world to discover in terms of them. He created them and speaks through them. We just need to understand and follow God’s ways and plans, and not get caught up in the ‘counterfeit’ versions.
So, as I have said, I have been enjoying learning about numbers and what they mean. However, one number that has had me stumped is the number 6. I had heard in the past the number ‘6’ is an evil number, it’s the mark of the beast, it’s the number of Satan, the number of man etc and it’s all to do with judgment, sin and gloom. But as I have studied other numbers, I have found there to be good things that they represent. So my question was, surely there is something good to the number 6 as well!
As I have continued to learn, I have discovered that numbers have both a positive and a negative meaning to them, and the number 6 is no exception. Much is spoken on the negative meaning of number 6, so in our time together today, I would love to unpack some of the positive meanings of this number.
The number ‘6’ is the number for man. On the 6th day, humanity was created in the image of God. Before Adam and Eve ate from the wrong tree, 6 – man, was perfect and whole. It wasn’t until after the fall that this changed.
When you look at the Hebrew letters of the alphabet, they are more than just letters. They also have a numeric value given to them, as well as a picture (the technical name for this is the gematria and a pictograph). The letter that has the numerical value of ‘6’ is the letter ‘Vav’. The meaning of this letter ‘Vav’ is hook, and the picture associated with it is a tent peg.
In Exodus 27:9-10, the letter ‘vav’ is used to refer to the hooks of silver fastened to the posts used to hold the curtain that enclosed the tabernacle. In other words, they held the curtains in place that housed the very presence of God. As I reflected on this, I realised that this is a picture pointing to something very significant today. Man (6) is like a hook that houses the presence of God. When we are in Christ, we have the very presence of God dwelling in us. Each man (and woman) is like a curtain that is containing the presence of God. What a beautiful representation of the Holy Spirit living in each and every one of us!
Another amazing picture can be found in Numbers 25. In verse 12, the letter ‘vav’ is used in the word peace, or ‘shalom’:
“Now tell him that I am making my special covenant of peace with him.”
There is a rule for this letter that when being used in this word, it must be written in a broken way. In other words, the letter is split in 2. What is the significance of this broken ‘vav’? The story in Numbers 25 is about Phineas (the grandson of Aaron the priest) who, in his zeal for removing evil from Israel, drove a spear through a man who was having sex with a Moabite woman (something that also involved the worship of the Moabite idols). When Phineas did this, God stopped a plague that was going to destroy the Israelites due to this act of evil that some of them were engaging in.
From a New Testament, Messianic point of view, Phineas (a man – 6), represents a form of Jesus, since in Numbers 25:13 it says that in his love for God, he did something that purified his people. What a beautiful picture of Jesus and what he did for humanity!
Going even further, the broken ‘vav’ written in the word shalom (peace) also paints a picture of our Jesus, a man (6) who was broken for our deliverance. Isaiah 53:5 says that the ‘punishment that brought us peace was upon him’…him being the man Jesus.
Another significance of this letter ‘vav’, is that when God first created the generations of the earth, the Hebrew word ‘toldot’ is used in Genesis 2:4. This refers to how thing were intended to be in creation before Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However, after Adam and Eve ate from this tree, this word is spelled differently in the Hebrew text, and is missing the letter ‘vav’ from the word. The ‘vav’ – man, 6, was lost. However, when we get to Ruth 4:18, which says, “these are the generations of Perez”, the word is spelled with the letter ‘vav’ being restored. In all of Scripture, the only places where we see this word spelled with the restored ‘vav’ is in these 2 places (Genesis 2:4 and Ruth 4:18).
So what is the significance between the creation of the heavens and the earth, the fall of mankind, and the creation of the family line of Perez? The name Perez means ‘to break through’. God was going to ‘break through’ the families of mankind in order to restore creation back to its original intent. The letter ‘vav’ (with the numeric value 6) represents man. The restored ‘vav’ is a picture of the Messiah (Jesus), who would descend through the generations of Perez to defeat the power of sin and death on our behalf. Just as the original ‘vav’ was lost through Adam and sin, so the ‘vav’ is restored through the obedience of another man, Jesus.
Finally, in my experience, God often gives me corresponding Scriptures that match the numbers I see. It’s like little love notes or reminders to me of what He’s saying. When I started seeing 666 a lot, and I still am, I felt the Holy Spirit tell me to look up Psalm 66:6:
“He made a highway going right through the Red Sea as the Hebrews passed through on dry ground, exploding with joyous excitement over the miracles of God.” (Psalm 66:6 TPT)
I have been in a season of believing God for some things that seem impossible. The Israelites definitely faced something impossible - being trapped between an advancing Egyptian army and an ocean. But God did the impossible - He made a way where there seemed to be no way, split the sea and allowed millions of captives to walk to freedom on dry ground. Incredible! When God makes a promise to you and I, no physical circumstance can get in the way. We have a God that will break every rule of nature if necessary to achieve what He says He will achieve. Every time I see this number - I feel the Father winking at me, reminding me to trust Him.
What amazing pictures are associated with this number 6! It has given me personally a whole new appreciation for it. I’m sure there is much still to learn and discover from this, but my hope for you is that this can give you a new appreciation for this number, what it represents, and the many ways the Father is speaking to us and pointing all things (including the number 6) to His Son!