January 30 - Numbers

January 30 – Numbers

It is said that mathematics is the universal language. It seems that math is something God uses to communicate with us as well.

I want to quickly address some numbers that occur throughout scripture and end with one number that God uses when He wants to paint His signature across the universe.

ONE
Monotheism. A battle that God and His children fought for eons. The first two of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) specifically told them to have no other gods but Jehovah.

Deuteronomy 6:4 is the SHEMA, a declaration of faith for the Jews. It is contained in the mezuzah that is affixed to the doorposts of their homes and the tefillin bound to their arms and head. This verse is central to the Hebrew faith. “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

THREE
The number three is used to signify various times when God is at work. In Exodus 19:11, Moses consecrates the Israelites and tells them to be prepared on the ‘third day’ for the Lord to come down. He came down and gave the Commandments to them. We know that Christ was raised from the grave after three days and we find the beginning of the Trinity in Matthew 28:19 when Jesus gives the command to baptize people in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

SIX
In Luke 13:14, the synagogue ruler says “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” The number signifies humanity and our work. But, it is incomplete.

TWELVE
This number represents the disciples in the NT and the tribes of Israel in the OT. When added together, the number 24 brings restoration by bringing together the two Testaments.

There are other numbers in Scripture, but God’s holy number – the number seven – is what I want to focus on.

SEVEN
Before we even knew what numbers were, God presented creation with His number.

Genesis 2:3, “By the seventh day, God had finished the work he had been doing, so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”

When God established the covenant with Noah in Genesis 9:13, he sealed it with a rainbow. There are seven colors represented in that rainbow: red orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.

The number 7 signifies perfection, the holiness of God. It is His signature on creation. I was astounded at how often the number seven shows up in the Bible. It’s not just sporadic, it is everywhere. I’m not going to look at every reference, but you can certainly check these out (hover over the reference in the actual blog post online and the scripture will pop up – or click on it in the email and it will take you to the reference).

God’s Perfection Seven Days
Exodus 25:37 Genesis 2:3
Deuteronomy 28:25 Genesis 7:4
Job 5:19 Exodus 7:25
Proverbs 26:16 Exodus 29:30
Isaiah 11:15 I Samuel 11:3
Mark 16:9 I Samuel 13:8
Ezekiel 3:15
Seven Years Acts 20:6
Genesis 29:18 Acts 21:4
Genesis 41:29, 54 Acts 28:14
Daniel 4:23

Seventy
Numbers 11:16 (Elders Appointed)
Jeremiah 25:11 (Years of captivity)
Daniel 9:24 (Weeks)
Matthew 18:22 (Times of Forgiveness)
Luke 10:1 (Disciples sent forth)

Seven last sayings of Christ on the cross:
Matthew 27:46; Luke 23:34, 43, 46; John 19:27, 28, 30

Seven times
Leviticus 4:6; Numbers 19:4 (Blood sprinkled)
Leviticus 14:7 (The Lepers sprinkled)
Joshua 6:4 (Priests encompass Jericho)
I Kings 18:43 (Elijah’s servant looks for rain)
2 Kings 5:10 (Naaman dips in the Jordan)
Psalm 119:164 (Praise seven times a day)
Proverbs 24:16 (Just man rises after falling)
Daniel 3:19 (Furnace made 7 times hotter)
Matthew 18:21 (Forgiveness)

God commanded Noah to take seven of every kind of clean animal and two of the unclean into the ark. Then he told them that in seven days he would bring rain. (Genesis 7:1-5)

In Genesis 29, Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, received Leah and another seven for the woman he loved. God worked in these lives, no matter the trickery and brought forth a great nation.

Leviticus 25 speaks of the Sabbatical year. Every seven years the Israelites allow their land to rest for a year. Seven times seven years brings the Year of Jubilee, Land is returned to the original owner and slaves are released.

Deuteronomy 7:1. God told the Israelites they would displace seven nations when they entered the Promised Land.

Joshua 6. God commanded seven priests were to carry trumpets. On the seventh day, they marched around the city seven times, shouted and collapsed the walls of the city.

1 Kings 19. Elijah and the Lord meet because the Israelites broke covenant and killed God’s prophets, leaving only Elijah. God tells Elijah the Israelites will die at the hands of the kings, yet he will reserve 7000 in Israel whose knees have not bowed to Baal. In Romans 11:5, Paul reminds us of God’s promise of a remnant of Israel and refers to these seven thousand.

In the natural world – there are seven openings in our head. If you remember that seven signifies God’s holiness, how does this impact your actions?

Trivia: Seven is:
- a prime number
- number of spots on a common ladybug
- the atomic number of nitrogen
- the neutral pH – the pH of pure water
- the number of objects in the solar system visible to the naked eye (sun, moon, Mars, Mercury, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn)
- the number of notes in a musical scale
- the number of continents on earth

Other religious traditions:
Seven blessings are recited under the chuppah during a Jewish wedding ceremony
Seven is the number of heavens and earths in Islamic tradition
Seven is the number of deadly sins: lust, gluttony, avarice, envy, wrath, sloth, pride.
Seven is the number of sacraments in Roman Catholicism: baptism, Eucharist, reconciliation, confirmation, marriage, holy orders, anointing of the sick.

God fascinates us with the way He interacts with us. His holiness is discovered everywhere.