The 3:16s

THE 3:16 S

By Rev. Renee

    “FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.”….John 3:16.

      Praise God.  Thank you, Father.  Most of us are familiar with John 3:16, and it’s probably the most popular Bible verse ever quoted on Christmas cards.  But it’s amazing how many of the 3:16s are quite special.  In just about every book of the Bible, the 3:16s (chapter 3, verse 16) are inspirational teachings, and each one is a little nugget of Biblical history.  Put them all together, and they tell the story of the history man’s relationship with the Lord, from the beginning of time until the endtimes.  Is it just coincidence?  Or is it yet another wondrous miracle our Lord has done?

       So here are the 3:16s, and I pray that they give you wisdom and knowledge, and peace and joy as you study them.  In some instances, I have included a few verses before or after the 3:16 to help put it in context.  But space doesn’t permit adding too much to this article.  To really see each 3:16  in context and gain a more complete understanding of each teaching, I urge you to read them in your own Bible together with all of the surrounding verses.—-

To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;  in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”  Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:  “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life”….Genesis 3:16-17

Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, “The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt…..to a land flowing with milk and honey”…Exodus :16-17

So Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord, as he was commanded….Numbers 3:16

That the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan.  So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off;  and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.  Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan;  and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan….Joshua 3:16-17

Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son!”  He answered, “Here I am.”  And he said, “What is the word that the Lord spoke to you?  Please do not hide it from me.  God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you.”  Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him.  And he said, “It is the Lord.  Let Him do what seems good to Him.”…..1 Samuel 3:15, 16, 17.

Then her husband went along with her to Bahurim, weeping behind her.  So Abner said to him, “Go, return!”  And he returned.  Now Abner had communicated with the elders of Israel, saying, “In time past you were seeking for David to be king over you.  Now then, do it!  For the Lord has spoken of David, saying, ‘By the hand of my servant David, I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and the hand of all their enemies.’”….2 Samuel 3:16-18

Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him.  And one woman said, “O my lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house.  Then it happened, on the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth.  And we were together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house.  And this woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on him.  So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.  And when I rose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead.  But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne.”  Then the other woman said, “No!  But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.”  And the first woman said, “No!  But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.”  Thus they spoke before the king.  And the king said, “The one says ‘This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No!  But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’”  Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.”  So they brought a sword before the king.  And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to one, and half to the other.”  Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, “O my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!”  But the other said, “Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him.”  So the king answered and said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother.”  And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice…1 Kings 3:16-28

Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you?  Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother.”  But the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.”  And Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you.  But now bring me a musician.”  Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.  And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Make this valley full of ditches.’  For thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain;  yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.’  And this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord;  He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand”….2 Kings 3:13,14,15,16,17,18

Now Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite……He made wreaths of chainwork, as in the inner sanctuary, and put them on top of the pillars; and he made one hundred pomegranates, and put them on the wreaths of chainwork…..2 Chronicles 3:1 & 16

After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, leader of half the district of Beth Zur, made repairs as far as the place in front of the tombs of David, to the man-made pool, and as far as the House of the Mighty….Nehemiah 3:16

Or why was I not hidden like a still-born child, like infants who never saw light?  There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest…..Job 3:16-17

Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold.  She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.  Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor…..Proverbs 3: 13-16

Moreover I saw under the sun:  In the place of judgment, wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, iniquity was there.  I said in my heart, “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”….Ecclesiastes 3:16-17

The Lord stands up to plead, and stands to judge the people.  The Lord will enter into judgment with the elders of His people and His princes:  “For you have eaten up the vineyard;  The plunder of the poor is in your houses.  What do you mean by crushing My people and grinding the faces of the poor?”  Says the Lord God of hosts.  Moreover the Lord says, “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, making a jingling with their feet,  therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will uncover their secret parts”….Isaiah 3:  13-16

“Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord; “for I am married to you.  I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.  And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.  Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days,” says the Lord, “that they will say no more, ‘the ark of the covenant of the Lord.’  It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore.  At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem.  No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.”….Jeremiah 3: 13,14,15,16,17

He has also broken my teeth with gravel, and covered me with ashes.  You have moved my soul far from peace:  I have forgotten prosperity.  And I said, “My strength and my hope have perished from the Lord.”….Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”….Lamentations 3:16…22-24

Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me”….Ezekiel 3:16-17

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.  If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.”….Daniel 3:16-17

The Lord also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and earth will shake; but the Lord will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel….Joel 3:16

You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of heaven.  The locust plunders and flies away….Your injury has no healing, your wound is severe.  All who hear news of you will clap their hands over you.  For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?….Nahum 3:16,19

When I heard, my body trembled; my lips quivered at the voice; rottenness entered my bones; and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble.  When he comes up to the people, he will invade them with his troops….Habakkuk 3:16

In that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak.  The Lord your God in your  midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing”…Zephaniah 3:16-17

Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on his name.  “They shall be mine.” says the Lord of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels.  And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him”….Malachi 3:16-17

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him….Matthew 3:16

Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter…..Mark 3:14,15,16

John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”….Luke 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life….John 3:16

And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know.  Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all….Acts 3:16

As it is written, “There is none righteous, no, not one;  There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God….Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.”….Romans 3:  10, 11, 16, 17

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him.  For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are…..1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away….2 Corinthians 3:16

Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made.  He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ…..Galatians 3:16

That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man….Ephesians 3:16

Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind….Philippians 3:16

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord….Colossians 3:16

Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way.  The Lord be with you all….2 Thessalonians 3:16

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:  God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory…..1 Timothy 3:16

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work….2 Timothy 3:16-17

For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”  For who, having heard, rebelled?  Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses?…..Hebrews 3:14-16

For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.  But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy…..James 3:16-17

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed….1 Peter 3:15-16

And consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation- as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.  You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked….2 Peter 3: 15, 16,17

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.  And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren….1 John 3:16

“So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.  Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’-and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked- I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.  Therefore be zealous and repent.  Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.  To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”….Revelation 3:  16-21

…..Above verses from the New King James Version