A.W. Pink and Breaking Down Numbers About 100 Years Ago

One of the more faithful men of the past was the noted reformed theologian named A.W. Pink. He was born in 1886 and died in 1952. During his lifetime, which was during the time of the Church Age, Pink often pointed out the sins of the corporate church and how hard it was to find truly faithful congregations. He also was blessed by God with much understanding regarding the sovereignty of God.

As you read the quote below you might think that the commentary was written by Mr. Camping---but it was not him. It was written by A.W. Pink (sometime in the 1920's) in his commentary, "Gleanings in Exodus". Notice in particular how he breaks down the number 30 to either 3 x 10 or 5 x 6, and provides his thoughts on the spiritual meaning of those numbers (the meaning of the numbers is different than we have learned because in our day we have corrected understanding of the spiritual meaning of the numbers as well as many other things).

I'm sure that Pink was not the first one to develop this type of spiritual interpretation. After all, numbers in the Bible are words and part of Christ's speech to us and we know that Christ always spoke in parables. And it has always been given to God's elect people to hear Christ's voice. Pink shows us that God's people have been interpreting the spiritual meaning of the numbers of the Bible for quite some time now.

"Their Dimensions.

The length of one curtain shall be thirty cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: and the eleven curtains shall be all of one measure" (The width of the Curtains was the same as those which formed the innermost Covering, namely, four cubits—the number which speaks of the earth. But the length of the goats’ hair Curtains exceeded those of the white ones: these were thirty cubits, they but twenty-eight.

The significance of these larger numbers is always ascertained by the spiritual meaning of their factors. The factors of thirty are either three and ten, or five and six.

Three is the number of full manifestation, ten of responsibility. But in view of the fact that the Curtains were divided into two groups of five and six, we probably have there the key to the interpretation of their length. This will come before us more fully when we take up their meaning."