In Moses 6:63 the Lord tells us that “All things are created and made to bear record of me; things temporal, things spiritual, things in the heavens and things in the earth.” (Certain Hebrew numbers have significant symbolic meaning) When I was a young person I used to believe that the number three was my lucky number. I reasoned that if this number was associated with what I was doing, I was surely going to do well at it. I have since realized it has a greater meaning.
Throughout the scriptures the number four has important symbolic values, as well. Four is the number of days that it took to create the earth; the fourth day saw the material creation of the earth completed. In the fifth and sixth days the Lord furnished the earth with living things, including people, and on the seventh, He rested. Four is also the number of the primary elements: earth, air, fire and water. Four represents the regions of the earth: north, south, east and west. Four represents the seasons: spring, sum- mer, autumn and winter. Mathematically it represents the first square number; it signifies a kind of completeness according to Alonzo L. Gaskill, who wrote a book called “The Lost Language of Symbolism.” We have to be reminded often of our purpose in life which is also represented by four; we are here to learn, grow, develop, and to prove ourselves.
However, if we are left with only that general information, as to what we ought to do, we will falter for sure.
I’ll attempt to present my view of what learning we ought to acquire using the symbolic number four. Since four represents completeness, I believe we, too, are only complete when we develop in the four primary human values: physical, mental, social and spiritual. I remember reading a small book, I believe, entitled, “Four Square,” written by Andrew Carnegie. I haven’t read or even seen the book for twenty or thirty years but I was impressed enough to remember at least parts of it. He made the premise that we must develop ourselves in such a way that we can withstand all trials that might befall us. We were likened to a tower (water or windmill) on the prairie that must stand against all winds that blow. Each of the tower’s four legs represented the balanced strength that those four human values (mentioned above) would provide. If even one leg of the tower were weak, or absent, the tower might not be able to withstand some of the mighty winds that sweep through the prairie. If we, too, are incomplete or weak in any one of these four human values—physical, social, intellectual and spiritual—will we be able to withstand the trials and tribulations that may inevitably befall us during the course of our lives on earth?
I remember reading how Jesus developed as a child: (Luke 2:40), “And the child grew (physically), and waxed strong in spirit (spiritually), filled with wisdom (intellectually) and the grace of God was upon him (socially).” That verse represents the only clue that we have of Christ’s childhood development. That clue also gives us the knowledge that Christ was prepared to withstand trials.
Christ is our exemplar. I believe that if we can develop ourselves in those four human values, as he did, we will have the necessary strength to meet the challenges of life because we will have grown, learned, developed, and hopefully proven ourselves so that one day we may present ourselves before the Lord as complete—maybe not yet perfect, but complete.