Number 555 is not a very common number in the scriptures. However, there are a couple of instances where the sequence of five can be seen. Also, unlike the number 555, the number 5 is very common in the scriptures and we can also use it to infer the symbolism of the number 555.
The number 555 is a symbol of God’s lavish grace. This is extrapolated from the number 5 which signifies God’s grace. Using the 5 in sequence to form 555 therefore demonstrates the lavishness of God’s grace which is revealed on the cross when Jesus died for mankind.
Occurrence of 555 in the scriptures
The first occurrence of 555 can be seen in the book of Deuteronomy which is the fifth (5) book of the Bible. In the fifth (5) chapter and the fifth (5) verse, the scripture illustrated the role of Moses in God’s plan of redeeming Israel:
At that time I stood between the LORD and you to declare to you the word of the LORD because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain. Deuteronomy 5:5
This scripture confirms that Moses had been called to be a kind of mediator between God and the Children of Israel. Earlier on in Exodus, God extended his grace by sending Moses to deliver the Children of Israel from captivity. As such, Moses was a typification of the grace of God that brings salvation. He stood in the place of a deliverer to typify the work of Jesus as the Messiah who would come to deliver mankind from his sins.
Another occurrence of the number 555 is seen when the Tabernacle of Moses had been set up in the wilderness. After Moses finished constructing it, he consecrated it to God and as part of the consecration, the twelve elders from the 12 tribes of Israel were required to offer a sacrifice in order to dedicate the altar to God. The tribal leaders were among other gifts required to give 5 rams, 5 male goats, and 5 male lambs (Numbers 7:12-83). This offering was termed a peace offering to symbolize thanksgiving for the blessings that God had bestowed upon his people.
The order of 5 gifts that were to be presented on the altar also signified the grace of God that would be revealed through the ultimate sacrifice of God’s son on the cross. Just like the gifts of elders were considered peace offerings, the lamb of God would also come as a gift (or more precisely prince) of peace (Isaiah 9:6). As Moses explained in Leviticus, the peace offering was a way of giving thanks to God for his blessing over Israel. The number 555 was used in this instance to signify gratitude for the grace of God for salvation that is revealed to all men through Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11).
Another instance where the number 555 occurs is the account of Sodom and Gomorrah’s destruction. Abraham, in his intercession for the two cities, uses the number 555 to signify the grace of God which he was imploring to bring salvation to the sinful cities. Abraham starts his intercession by asking God to save the cities for the sake of 50 righteous people that might be in them. God assures him that he found 50 righteous men, he would indeed spare the cities. Then Abraham continues his intercession by asking if God would still destroy the city if there were 5 less than the 50 that he had initially bargained for and when God agrees, he reduces the number by five again (Genesis 18:24-28). By starting with a figure of 50 and then continuing to reduce it by two subsequent fives, we can see the pattern of 555 which symbolizes the grace of God. After he had invoked God’s grace, Abraham now continues to reduce the number with other digits until he reaches the number of ten (50 to 45, 45 to 40, 40 to 30, 30 to 20, and 20 to 10). Sadly, God was unable to find 10 righteous people in the cities and as such, the cities were destroyed.
The significance of number 5
The symbolism of 555 in the scriptures stems from the symbolism of 5. The number 5 signifies the grace of God towards mankind. There are several instances in scripture where this symbolism is used.
The commandments of Moses were written on two tablets of stone each with a set of five commandments. Additionally, the books of the Law (the books of Moses) are five in total. The law of Moses, as the scripture explains, was given to demonstrate the inadequacy of man as a way of preparing them for the grace that was revealed in Jesus Christ.
The first five books of the new testament (Gospels and Acts) can be said to be the “Pentateuch” of the new covenant. That is because these books lay the foundation for the grace of God that was revealed to save mankind from eternal damnation. The first four (Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John) outline the life and ministry of Jesus Christ while Acts documents the emergence and growth of the new testament church.
The Apostle John, who is desired as the beloved disciple of Jesus, wrote five of the new testament books (John, 1 John, 11 John, 111 John, and Revelation). While these books are different and have different themes, they are all centered on the grace of God. For instance, in the Gospel according to John, Jesus is described as being full of grace and truth (John 1:14) while the church is described as the recipient of God’s lavish grace (John 1:16).
The usage of the sequence of fives to form 555 can therefore be seen as a way of emphasizing the concept of God’s grace.
Conclusion
555 is not a common number in the Bible. However, the number 5, which denotes grace appears all over the Bible. The word grace is also very common in both the Old and New testaments. Grace is the unmerited favor of God and it can be revealed in all manner of scenarios. The most obvious is salvation because no one can earn it. But God often releases his other blessings to his children because of his grace.
