He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel,and he used the stones to rebuild the LORD's altar. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about three gallons.(I Kings 18:31-32)
Let's be honest, we live in a world on high speed . . . there is more intensity in the average person's life than ever before . . . so much for technology making life easier. While the continual new hi tech devices have made an incredible positive impact in education, health, communication . . . it seems to me that we spend a lot of time with all sizes of computers, cell phones, handheld calendars, and whatever else is out there. The point is that instead of managing the details of our day . . . they often manage us. Scary . . . but true. We need to make a point of refocusing on what matters and what technology can do for us rather than let it manage our life. . . as with most details in life . . . there is a bigger picture.
Humanity has a history of missing the point. Take the number twelve . . . while it seems to be a really big deal number . . . the number twelve is a small detail compared to the bigger picture. Elijah rebuilt the altar with twelve stones . . . but that detail fits into a bigger picture:
Twelve pillars were built by Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex 24:4)
Twelve spies went to . . well . . . spy . . . as all spies do . . . in the Promised Land (Num 13:1–16; Deut 1:23)
Twelve individuals from each tribe gathered twelve stones to remember Israel crossing the Jordan (Josh 3–4).
Twelve stones were attached to the priest's breast piece (Ex 39:8–14)
Twelve was a common measurement in building the temple and other various building projects, including the temple, involved numbers and measurements of twelve
Twelve district governors (1 Kings 4:7)
Twelve thousand horses (1 Kings 4:26)
Twelve disciples (Mk 3:14)
Twelve baskets of leftovers were collected after feeding five thousand people (Mk 6:43; 8:19)
Twelve individuals were to sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Mt 19:28; Lk 22:30)
Twelve tribes of the Dispersion were mentioned in James(Jas 1:1)
Twelve thousand people from each of the twelve tribes of Israel are sealed(Rev 7:5–8)
Twelve stars will crown the woman who gave birth to the child (Rev 12:1–2)
The last book of the New Testament records:
Twelve gates, twelve angels as gatekeepers, the names of the twelve tribes written on the gates(Rev 21:12); twelve pearls (Rev 21:21); twelve foundations with twelve apostles names(Rev 21:14); twelve thousand stadia square (Rev 21:16); and finally the tree of life will bear twelve kinds of fruit every month(Rev 22:2)
While twelve is a symbol of the tribes of Israel the bigger picture is restoration. The last reference of the number twelve says . . . "And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations."
Sometimes we focus on details like the number, twelve . . . and we miss the point. The symbolism for twelve is so rich and has endured throughout history . . . as a promise of restoration . . . healing . . . the fulfillment of the promises to be fully restored in relationship with God.
Are you focused on the details today?
Refuse to let the little details control you.
Look beyond and see the bigger picture.
Seek to see what God would have you see.
Learning with you to refocus and see the bigger picture,
Shalom,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2008 All Rights Reserved)
