It can't be said for certain, why God chose to highlight the number three, in many of the stories and various activities detailed in scripture, but as we shall see, he did.  Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that, the number three, represented the amount of time Christ would submit himself to death (on our behalf), before his resurrection.  When Christ was asked for a sign to authenticate himself, Christ said his suffering, death and resurrection, AFTER THREE DAYS, would be sufficient enough to turn those who heard this message to God. "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Mt 12:40).   Not only is the 1.Death, 2. Burial and 3. Resurrection of Christ, a testimony to us, about the love of God, but these three things are also a guideline to us.  These three items, DEATH, BURIAL, AND Resurrection, are guidelines, in regards to what must take place in our own lives, if we are to follow Christ.  Perhaps the number three is highlighted so much in scripture, as a reminder to us of the necessity  of our need to die to self.   This much is for certain, it is only as we are willing to die to our own carnal will, plans, and desires, they we are then enabled by God, to bring forth, the fruit He desires in our lives.  Christ tells us, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." , Jn 12:24.  For those who are willing to take up their cross, deny themselves and follow Christ (his example), we will bring forth spiritual fruit. When we began to apply God's word, there are 3 stages in the development of the fruitful seed in our lives: the blade, the head and then the full grain in the head,  28For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. Mk 4:26-29.  As we shall see, the Bible highlights this growth and developmental process, in many places in scripture, by using the number three.

God is very much aware of the fact, that we at times struggle with concerns about our wellbeing and needs being met.  Christ used the story of the three loaves, to encourage our hearts to trust God during our times of need and emergencies.  5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?  7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.  8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.  9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.  Lk 11:5-8. The message from verses 5-8 is this: If our friends will come through for us despite the inconveniences that they face, how much more will God come through for us when we bring our requests to Him. Verses 9-10 convey the thrust of the parable, which is to pray confidently to God. In verse 9 we are commanded to ask, seek, and knock, and when we do we will receive, find, and have the door opened.  God wants those of us who trust him. To be able to trust him in every area of need.  FAITHFUL IS HE THAT HAS PROMISED.

God used the number three to give us hope in the midst of our fiery trails.  He promises by example, that when we strive to obey Him from the heart, and we find ourselves under fiery attacks as a result. We can be sure that He will be with us in the midst of the trail. Such was the case with the three Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  They were commanded to bow down before a pagan image in worship, or be cast into the firery furnace.  Because their number one desire was to honor and obey God, they refused.  The king in his rage commanded that they immediately be cast into the fiery furnace.  ¹⁹Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. ²⁰And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Dan 3:19-20.   Thus the three were cast into the furnace of fire.  After be cast into the fire, all who observed them being cast into the furnace, (including the king), expected to see them burned alive. But to their amazement, nothing happened to them, they simply were walking around in the flames.  24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. 25He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.  Dan 3:24-25. When the king looked into the fire, he did not see three, he saw four.  The fourth person in the fire, was the presence of God himself.  When we have done all that we know to do, in an honest effort to trust and obey God: #3 represents our best effort, #4. represents God's blessed effort to stand with us, He will always show up. God does not promise us that we will not have to face life's trials.  He does promise us, that if we trust and obey him. He will not allow the trials of life to have the victory over us, or to overcome us to the point of us being hopeless and helpless.  His promise to you and I,   ¹But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. ²When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.  Isaiah 43:1-2.  

There are many today who tell us, that with enough faith, we can have anything we want. Thus we are told by faith and a positive confession of faith, anything that we decree will come to pass.  This includes health, wealth, and prosperity.  God used the number three to show us, that he does not always give us what we believe him for.  The reason being he knows our deepest needs, far better than we do.  The apostle Paul was a man of great faith; he was handpicked by God to write much of the New Testament scriptures.  Paul had a very severe condition in his body, which caused him great discomfort.  So much so, that he tells us that he besought God, ON THREE OCCASION, for deliverance.  Yet God would not grant this great man of faith his petition.  God told Paul that the thing he was going through was intended to be a spiritual blessing.  Paul accepted God's word, and continued to trust and praise God, in the midst of his ordeal. SO MUST WE!!  8For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.  9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.  2ND Cor 12:8-10.  What many today who say that every believer should be rich and have perfect health, call "a lack of faith and accepting defeat",  Paul called a learning experience. Once God told Paul that this ordeal was working humility in him, Paul could confidently say the following.  ¹¹Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.  ¹²I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  ¹³I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.  Phil 4:11-13.  We are not telling believers to accept any and every trial without believing God for a way out, but the number three tells us there are going to be some things God is going to allow us to go through, no matter how many times, we try and use our faith, to change the situation.  Trust God is all things, learn what he seeks to teach you, be confident, that he always knows best.

God used the number three to show us that he knows us through and through.  It was said of Christ, while he was on the earth, that no one has to tell him what men we thinking, and planning, he already knew everything. 24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. Jn 2:24-25.  We may think we know ourselves and our capabilities, pretty well.   But Jesus truly knows us.  He even knows when, where, and how we are going to fall short, before we do.  Peter found this out the hard way.   Peter was confident that if everyone else forsook Christ, that he would be with him till the death.  He confidently affirmed this to Christ, along with the other disciples.  Yet Christ, who knows all things, told Peter, that he was going to deny him, that very night, THREE TIMES.   33 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.  34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.  Matt 26:33-34.  Of course Peter said he would never do such a thing, yet that same night 9just as Christ has said), he denied him three times.  After denying Christ for the third time, that night, Peter remembered the words of Christ, and went away and wept.  ⁷⁵And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly. Matt 26:75. It is a humbling thing to realize that God sees everything about us in advance, even our failures. If you have failed in your efforts to stay committed to Christ, even to the point of denying him. DON'T GIVE UP.  He already knew you would fall short even before you did.  Remember the prayer of David after he fell grievously short, pray these words, ¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. ¹¹Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. ¹²Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.  ¹³Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Psalm 51:10-13.

The number three is used to represent our half hearted efforts to trust and acknowledge God, in the face of adversity.   A great hindrance in the lives of many, is a lack of persistence,  Oftentimes, when it comes to obtaining and maintaining the best that God has to offer, We are too easily satisfied, with far less than what God desires to bring forth in us. When Elisha was near death, king Joash came and wept for him.  It was doing this time, that Elisha told the king to take an arrow and shoot it eastward. Thus he got him pointed in the right direction.  He then told the king to take the remainder of the arrows and strike the ground with them.  Josah the king smote the ground only three times and then he stopped.  Elisha told him he should have smote the ground many more times than he did, because each strike on the ground with an arrow represented, how many time God would allow Joash the king to be victorious in battle over his enemies. 14Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. 15And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. 16And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands.  17And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD's deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them.  18And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed.  19And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.  2ND Kgs 13:14-19. Like the king back then, so it is with many of us today.  We often put forth a half hearted effort, (the three times effort) in trusting and praising God.  Because he struck the ground only 3 times and stopped, his limited human response limited God, who was willing to do a whole lot more. We often overlook the fact, that God is a strong place of refuge in the time of trouble (ours).  God also is mighty in battle on our behalf, of those who enthusiastically, trust, obey, and praise Him.  When given the opportunity to trust God, while still in the midst of life's trials, we must not hold back on God, in the areas of , faith, praise, and obedience. 

The Bible used the concept of a three day journey, to show that he understands that our willingness to die to ourselves is a process we must arrive at.  When God told Abraham to offer his son Isaac, instead of God having him doing right then, in the place he was at, God told him he would show, him the place. Thus Abraham set out on a journey to go to the place of God's choosing to offer his son.  As with Christ there was a "3 day period" between death and resurrection, Mat 16:21, so there was a three day Journey on the part of Abraham, to get to the place of sacrifice.   At times for us this "3 day journey" may be quite a struggle to go through.  We can be sure that Abraham went through struggles, in his heart, as he headed toward this place, of sacrifice. 1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.  2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.  3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.  It was on the third day that Abraham looked up and saw the place, where he was to sacrifice his son.  4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. Gen 21:1-4 .  As we know God stopped Him from sacrificing his son, at the very last moment.  Thereby he received his son back from the dead.  Even so when we obey God to the death, we never lose, but always will gain.  On our three day journey, we must not lose our way, the knife, or our purpose, but purposely present ourselves as a living sacrifice.   ¹I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. ²And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.  Rom 12:1-2

When God began the deliverance process for his people he called for them to come out of Egypt.  God told them to take a three day journey away from Egypt.  Thus they said to Pharaoh,  "We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall command us."  Exd 8:37.   The three day journey represents total separation from sin and Satan.  We all need a three day journey in our lives if we are to follow God. God demanded that Pharaoh let all the people go. They were to go three days' journey into the wilderness and there sacrifice to the Lord their God. But in every point Pharaoh ( like SATAN does us today), tried to get God's people to compromise, THREE WAYS.  #1."And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land." (Exodus 8:25). Go ahead, sacrifice but in the land, (STAY RIGHT HERE, YOU DON'T NEED A THREE DAY JOURNEY).  #2.  " go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD; for that ye did desire." (Exodus 10:11).  Ye that are men serve the Lord. But let's make some concessions, "(YOU SHOULD EXEMPT CERTAIN ASPECTS OF YOURSELF).  #3. And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you." (Exodus 10:24).  Okay, you can all go but not your flocks or herds. Let's make a concession concerning (DON'T BRING THE PROPER OFFERING AND SACRIFICE).  These are the same compromises the devil tries to get God's people to fall for today. Stay in the world (Egypt); you can be a worldly Christian and still serve God. And by all means, don't go too far, don't be fanatical about it, people will think you're crazy. Don't view obeying, and serving God, something which calls for total involvement. And by the way don't make sacrificing part of your worship. Compromise, compromise, yield up what you know is right and accept what you know is wrong.  GOD CALLS FOR A THREE DAY JOURNEY, WITH TOTAL COMMITMENT, FROM EVERY FIBER OF OUR BEING, FOR EVERYBODY WITH THE NECESSARY SACRIFICE. Today God calls for those who would follow him to come out from among the world, and separate themselves to him.

God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach a word of warning, concerning their soon coming destruction.  As we know Jonah initially refused, choosing to go another way.  After a storm at sea, which resulted in his being cast overboard, and swallowed by a whale. While in the belly of the whale, Jonah repented and told God he would obey.  After miraculously surviving in the belly of the fish for Three days, the fish vomited him up, thereby Jonah was able to reach dry land, symbolically rising from the grave.  And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. Jonah 2:10.  God then sent Jonah with a word of warning to Nineveh. The Bible tells us that the Nineveh was a very large city, which took a three days journey to go from one end to the other (walking at a pace of 20 miles a day) in length.  So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three day's journey.  Jonah 3:3.   God made sure that Jonah journeyed the whole way, (three days),  preaching a word of warning.  And Jonah began to enter into the city a days journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. Jonah 3:4.  Thereby showing that his warnings covering every area that needs to be covered.  The three day journey it took to preach to the whole city, represented the fact, that God will reach out to every aspect of us, which is reachable, in a loving attempt to turn us from our sins, which leads to death.  God who made us, has a way to speak to us and warn us.  No matter who we are, there is an inner ear in us, designed by God, which allows us to have an awareness of his voice and presence.  Paul tells us this will take away the excuse of many who would claim ignorance to the basic things of God.  ¹⁸For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;  ¹⁹Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. ²⁰For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:  Rom 1:18-20.

God uses many things in a loving attempt to draw us to himself. Not only this, but God also keeps a record of all the ways, times, and circumstances he used, in a loving attempt to draw us to himself, save, and mature us.  God's efforts to bring forth spiritual fruit in our lives, is described as a three year effort.  God expects for us to bring forth fruit, if we say we are rooted and grounded in him.  The following illustration by Christ shows that God takes note of the time and effort he exerts, in seeking to develop us and make us fruitful.   6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. 7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?  8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:   9And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.  Lk 13:6-9.  The owner of the vineyard, knew that over the past three years, the tree had recieved all the care it needed, in order to bring forth, yet there was no fruit.  Had it not been for the intervention of the dresser of the vineyard (Christ), it would have been cut down right then.  Judgement demanded that it be cut down after the third year, Mercy pleaded for one more year.  How many times has the judgement of God, called for us to be cut down, because of our fruitless lives,  and mercy interceded?  But all things have an end.