What Does 14 Mean?

I was reading the genealogy in Matthew 1 this evening. To be honest I almost skipped past it. I sometimes get bogged down reading all the names. Years ago when I was studying the topic of covenant I learned that the names are listed as a portion of a covenant blessing ceremony. It made me consider them differently so tonight when I felt the urge to skip this portion I felt that reminder and stopped myself. As I read each name I reminded myself of this covenant perspective and as the list of names came to end a verse just jumped up and grabbed my heart.

”So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

As I read this verse I wondered what was the significance of the number 14. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says that all Scripture is God breathed so it reasons that these genealogies have purpose in them beyond just a history lesson. So I did some research and what I found blew my mind. According to Biblical scholars the number 14 represents deliverance or salvation. It is found 24 times in the Bible. Some amazing examples are:

1. God made covenant with Abraham on the night of day 14 of the first month (Nisan) on the Hebraic calendar.

2. The first Passover, when God spared the first born of Israel, took place on the 14th day of the 1st month.

3. Jesus was crucified during the day on the 14th day of the first month and buried just before sunset.

I share this because I am truly amazed at how much wealth of wisdom is in one simple verse that mentions the 14 generations. I also share it to encourage us to dig into all that the Word has to offer. It is the inspired Word of God. It is His gift to us and a love letter from His heart. It is so important that we receive everything He intends to give us through His Word but in order to do that we have to accept every part of it and know that all of it is holy. We can not just accept the parts we want to and dismiss others. Every verse is a part of who God is and His entire desire is to know us and be known.