As I have expressed in posts over prior weeks, I sincerely believe that God is dealing with three main groups over time : New Creations in Christ Jesus whose members transcend any ethnicity per Galatians 3:26-28, the Gentiles/nations/70 ethnic groups, and the chosen remnant within Israel/Judah.  Corresponding with these three groups, Hebrews 11:5-10, in revealing the persons of Enoch, Noah and Abraham, offer specific clues with respect to times of judgment for each.  For the New Creations, Enoch is the one we are to focus on.

As I have thought about the Genesis 5:21-25 account of Enoch, I knew that the numbers were meaningful.  To me, 365 points to a full calendar year on the Gregorian calendar.  Most of you are aware of this.  Perhaps that is a stretch but I do not think so.

For quite a while now, I have been fuzzy on the significance of the number 300.  I am thinking that this past week the Spirit pointed out to me an insight from a detail in the scriptures found in John 12:

1Therefore, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2So they made Him a dinner there, and Martha was serving; and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. 3Mary then took a [a]pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, the one who intended to [b]betray Him, *said, 5“Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred [c]denarii and the proceeds given to poor people?” 6Now he said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he kept the money box, he used to [d]steal from what was put into it. 7Therefore Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it [e]for the day of My burial. 8For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”

300 denarii, or 300 days' wages.  Per Numbers 14:34 where God ties together the idea of a day for a year, the 300 days' wages ties together with the 300 years that Enoch walked with God in my thinking.  But, to what significance?

Now prior, because I grew up in what I refer to as a "man-centered christian church culture/religion" verses seeing Jesus as truly worthy of sincere, whole-hearted love, my brain can easily think in terms of lifeless bible details, including the above about 300 days to years.

However, the Holy Spirit recently opened my eyes to something really cool about when Jesus was anointed with the nard, and it happened when I saw a clip of the same event within the current four year "The Chosen" video series of Jesus' life.  Jesus, in His human-ness, needed that expression of extravagance from His Father who Absolutely Loves Him.  Jesus' Heavenly Father let the Son know that He saw Him clearly and that there were indeed going to be sheep personally selected by the Father and given to the Son.  Sheep who embodied what the Creator desired.  Sheep just like Mary who saw Jesus as so very worthy.  It was truly the Father who was ministering to the Son through what Mary did.  Again, Jesus needed that in that moment from the Father.

So, it wasn't just the costliness of the pure nard, but the expression of pure worship in love by Mary while Jesus was constantly dealing with clueless, deceitful, even hard hearted people.  I believe this is why Jesus also proclaimed something, and dare I say, even proclaimed and ordered something to be done henceforth that is often ignored nowadays as people share the gospel.  Jesus wants what Mary did to also be proclaimed because that is what is at the heart of the Father and the Son.  It is not for having more bodies to "minister" and "serve" and "obey".

The 300 denarii was a full year's wages taking into account that folks were not to work on the year's 52 weekly Sabbaths (including the one specified day for the Feast of Shavuot) nor during the seven day Feasts of Unleavened Bread nor of Tabernacles.  

So, in the account of Enoch in Genesis 5, I see a complete "year" referenced in two ways.  One as simple count of 365 days possibly pointing us to Dec 31st.  Yet also a year of extravagance of heart, by the Holy Spirit, but as one within each of us, as a chosen group from the Father to the Son.  A group who sincerely see Jesus as worthy of extravagance.  A group that God may also present to His Son at the end of a year.

Now taking off from the insight of 300 and its tie to extravagance, there is another place in the Old Testament that 300 is clearly revealed, yet by its absence.  An absence so much so it is as if God set apart this group of 300 (extravagantly) unto Himself in such a way it is as if they do not exist for any other purpose, so much so it is truly as if they disappeared from all other humans.  In other words, holy unto God.  Is this idea attractive?

This group is "found" in Numbers 3.

The context is that God is approaching Moses to make sure God is not getting ripped off.  God got the children of Israel out of Egypt, in part, by providing a way for the first born to not be killed at Passover.  Instead of taking each first born out of all of those families, God decided that the Levites would be a substitute.  However, the question in Numbers 3 is, "Did God get the full requirement of Levites per how many "first borns" were saved?"  Moses had to do some counting to figure this out.

Back then there were three main families of Levites.  The Gershons numbered 7,500 males one month old and older to put into the calculation.  The Kohaths had 8,600.  The Merari's provided 6,200 to the total.  All together this group was 22,000 per Numbers 3:39.

When Moses then added up all the first born males one month old and older from the rest of the tribes, the total came to 22,273.  So, God was owed 273 people.  To settle this, God told Moses to provide a ransom/offering of 5 shekels apiece for a total of 1,365 shelkels.  This amount was given to Aaron.  Transaction complete.

However, when I total up the Levites, I do not arrive at a figure of 22,000.  I arrive at a figure of 22,300.  A 300 count discrepancy.

On the surface, there are two options as to what happened.  Either Moses had a major brain fart in that moment (which being a dude is a very reasonable interpretation) and God let him slide (not reasonable at all), or God cheated (also not an option).

You see, if the math had been done accurately, then God owed the children of Israel 27 bodies.  However, God could not just pop 27 people into existence to add to the children of Israel's first born males. God had rested on the 7th day.  The plan was implemented.  It was as if in this calculation, God was in a jamb.

However . . . the Great I AM did something really cool and amazing.  He so set apart the 300 that it was as if they did not exist, so much so that God basically then told Moses that He was owed 273.  The 300 were gone, period.  Can you say, "Holy unto God"?  The 300 were as if they were outside of the old creation.  I am thinking here of us as new creations.  On the basis of what the Son would do in the future, bringing into existence a New Creation reality that for a time was to be nested within the old creation, God acted on the basis of what they would do in Christ.  

So, my point in all of this about the 300?  In part, I believe the 300 points to us.  Also, the 300 represents a love gift of extravagance from the Father to the Son via the Holy Spirit and expressed in Enoch.

At the year's end?

We'll see.

Jesus is worthy!!!