That Third Day

“Be ready for the third day, because on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai for all the people to see.”  Exodus 19:11 (CEB)

Reading this made me think about the third day a little more deeply.  I hope I am not alone when I say that I generally think immediately of the third day after the crucifixion of Christ.  On the third day He arose from the dead!  Well, this verse got me to wondering how many times such reference is found in scripture. 

I have chosen several scriptures to share:

·         Genesis 2:4, 12 – “On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place at a distance. The messenger said, ‘Don’t stretch out your hand against the young man and don’t do anything to him.’”

·         Esther 5:1 – “Three days later Esther put on royal clothes and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace, facing the palace itself.  At that moment the king was inside sitting on his royal throne and facing the palace doorway.”

·         Hosea 6:2 – “After two days he will revive us, on the third day he will raise us up, so that we may live before him.”

·         Jonah 1:17 – “Meanwhile, the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah.  Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.”

In each of these selections, I see salvation.  (1) Isaac was saved from sacrifice, (2) Queen Esther saved the Hebrew people from a murderous plot, (3) Israel is saved, and finally (4) God saved Jonah, and he went on to Nineveh to bring the word of God to them, saving the people from the wrath of God.

The Old Testament prepares us for the Third Day.  We see God doing big things in big ways on day three in several accounts including those I’ve listed.  Although these Old Testament predictions don’t necessarily or explicitly say “this is about Christ”; I found this statement from www.thegospelcoalition.org helpful:

But the Old Testament also points to Christ through typological patterns, such as the slaying of the Passover lamb and the building of the tabernacle (1 Cor. 5:7; John 1:14). These are also things that Jesus fulfills.

Maybe this will cause you to see more into the third day references as it did for me.  Salvation full and free for the third day was meant for me!  Meditate on these words by Matt Maher’s song The Third Day.

For everything must die to rise again. On the third day, behold the King, On the third day, death has no sting, On the third day, we're forgiven and reconciled.