FIVE THOUSAND (5,000) IN THE BIBLE

1. Number FIVE THOUSAND in the Bible

a) And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14:21)

b) While the feeding of the four thousand took place in Gentile territory, the feeding of the five thousand took place first in Jewish territory. Several main points can be taken from this passage and used as our own life applications.

i) Jesus used what was available: five loaves of bread and two fish. God wants us to be good stewards of what is available. Use what you have.

ii) Jesus ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. God wants us to do things orderly. It would have been quite disorderly if everyone had tried to grab the food at the same time or tried to buck the line. Be orderly in everything you do.

iii) Jesus blessed the meager meal. No matter how much we have to eat, God wants us to bless it and to give Him thanks.

iv) After all had eaten and were filled, they took up what was left over of the broken pieces. Simply put, we should waste nothing. We should be good stewards over our leftovers. 

c) We can follow Jesus' procedure for the feeding of the five thousand in areas of our own lives. Review all four points and do likewise.