Meaning Of Biblical Numbers

But when viewed in the positive sense, we see Jesus Christ as the Serpent on the pole in the wilderness, picturing Jesus
Christ on the Cross, as Jesus in John 12:32, 33,
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself. 33 But He was saying this to indicate
the kind of death by which He was to die.
The number 19 in Hebrew was meant to illustrate the fact that one must have faith in Christ and His cross, where He
died as the Serpent on the pole. Those who listen to Moses and look upon Him (Num. 21:9) are those who hear and who
have faith.
The number 19 includes two things: faith and hearing. Though we have said little up to now about the Hebrew letters
themselves, it would be helpful to do so now. The 19 th letter of the Hebrew alphabet is the kof, which literally means “the
back of the head.” The word picture has to do with hearing God’s voice in “the back of your head (mind).” The Hebrew
word for “voice” is kol, which begins with the kof. When God spoke to Elijah, it was not through the tempest, the
earthquake, or the fire, but the “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11, 12). Jewish author, Lawrence Kushner, says in his Book
of Letters, p. 68, 69,
“Kof is one of the letters made by two marks. Hay is the other. The lower mark of the kof is man calling G-d. But
G-d also calls man. With the upper mark of the kof He whispers very softly to see if you are really listening. kol
d’mama daka. A voice which is still and small. A little girl. The daughter of a voice, God’s voice, bat kol. Like an
echo. Always listen.
“Such is kof. The voice by which man allows G-d to be present by calling: Holy (Kadosh).”
It is significant that this Hebrew letter is in two parts. The first pictures God reaching down to man by speaking to
him; the second pictures man responding to God by faith. This is the force behind the number 19. It has two parts to it:
God’s voice and faith. Hence, it requires God to make a declaration before man can respond to His voice.
There are 19 people of faith in the great faith chapter, Hebrews 11. It begins in verse 3 with “By faith we…” Verse 4
says, “By faith Abel…” Verse 5 says, “By faith Enoch…” The 19 th one listed is in verse 32, “By faith the prophets…” All
of them heard the voice of God, and this produced faith in them, by which they preached the Word and even suffered for it
at the hands of those who could not hear.
In Paul’s great discussion of justification by faith from Romans 3:21 to 5:2, he uses the word “faith” nineteen times,
and then the word is not used again until Romans 9:30. Paul also says in Eph. 2:8,
8 For by grace [5] you have been saved [14] through faith [19]; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of
God.
Five plus fourteen equals nineteen. Faith is a gift from God, because it depends totally upon God speaking first. One
cannot hear God until God speaks and He opens our ears to hear. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). In
Jer. 31:18 (KJV) the prophet prays, “Turn Thou me, and I shall be turned, for Thou art the Lord my God.” We can only
respond to God when He takes the first step.
The salvation of Noah and his family came by faith as well, after they had heard. They believed what they heard. That
is why they entered the ark and were saved through the flood. Thus, the 19 th time Noah is mentioned is in Gen. 7:13,
13 On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the
three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark.
The 19 th time Abram is mentioned is in Gen. 13:1, where he leaves Egypt and returns to Canaan. This is a prophetic
picture of salvation after learning a lesson in faith. He went into Egypt having very little faith, and for this reason he
allowed Sarah to be taken by Pharaoh, being too afraid to tell people that she was his wife. He left Egypt with a lot more
faith in God’s ability to protect him than when he went to Egypt earlier.
The 19 th time Isaac is mentioned is in Gen. 24:66,
66 And the servant [Eliezer] told Isaac all the things that he had done.
As we said earlier, Eliezer means “God of help,” and he pictures the Holy Spirit, the Helper, or Comforter, an
advocate or helper in a court of law. Faith comes by hearing the Spirit of God. So this is a picture of the Holy Spirit
speaking to Isaac, giving him understanding concerning the Bride that he has found for him.
The 19 th time that Paul is mentioned is in Acts 15:36,
14