The Meaning of 10

As we begin the new year 2010, this particular year is especially meaningful for me for several personal reasons. Last Sunday in church we were discussing the meaning of the number 10. I never really spend much time reflecting on the meaning of numbers as they are relevant to the Bible, but was especially taken by the meaning of 10. (I have the scriptures of anything I did not list if you are interested. Also, the list below is not a complete list but I included things that were interesting to me or that I thought were particularly significant.)

• Ten is one of the perfect numbers and signifies the perfection of Divine order, commencing an altogether new series of numbers. Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything is, therefore, the ever-present signification of the number ten. It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.
• Noah completed the antediluvian age in the tenth generation from God
• The Ten Commandments contain all that is necessary, and no more than is necessary, both as to their number and their order, while the Lord's prayer is complete in ten clauses.
• Tithes represent the whole of what was due from man to God, as marking and recognizing God's claim on the whole. (10%)
• The ten plagues were representative of the complete circle of God's judgement on Egypt.
• Antichrist's world power is comprised in the ten kingdoms, symbolized by the ten toes on the feet of the image of Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 2:41) and by the ten horns on the fourth beast of Daniel's vision (Daniel 7:7, 20, 24; Revelation 12:3, 13:1, 17:3, 7, 12)
• Ten nations imply the whole of the nations which are to be the scene of Abraham's covenant possessions (Genesis 15:19).
• Abraham's faith was proved by a complete cycle of ten trials.
• The ten rebellions of Israel in the wilderness (Numbers 14:22) mark the complete series of Israel's perversities.
• Fire came down from heaven ten times, six of which were in judgement.
• There were ten instances in the bible where people shouted for joy.
• God's righteous curses are complete in a series of ten.
• Ten persons complete the series of those who uttered the confession "I have sinned" and acknowledged their desert of divine judgement.
• The tabernacle is spoken of ten times.
• The ten words of Psalm 119 complete the cycle of the Divine description of His word. One or other of these ten words occurs in every verse (except 122); Way, Testimony, Precepts, Commandments, Laying, Law, Judgement, Righteousness, Statutes, Word. These correspond to the ten commandments.
• The tenth generation completed and represented the whole existence of the family or nation.
• The ten I AM's of Jesus in John. (John 6:35, 41, 51, 8:12, 18, 10:7, 9, 14, 14:6, 15:1, 5)

Over the last ten years I have graduated college, moved to a new city, met and married my wonderful husband, had and gave up a career, had a beautiful little girl, and am on the verge of another beautiful child. It has been a wonderful decade, not without its own sadness, however. I am looking forward to 2010 and the next decade altogether! 2010 is a particularly poignant year for our family for several reasons. We are celebrating our 5 year anniversary in January, I am turning 30 in February, we will be welcoming a baby boy into the family in the same month (most likely), and March will mark 20 years since the death of my mother (while I normally reflect on her life on her birthday, in this particular year 20 years since her passing is hard to ignore). I am encouraged by my faith that this coming year, 2010, is going to be a wonderful one! Since ten signifies the perfection of Divine order, I am looking toward a new year with new challenges and new joys, but also the completion of a cycle to start anew.