Afraid of Numbers?

Many people are afraid of numbers, especially superstitious ones who believe numbers bring luck or bad luck. Some buildings have no 13th floor because 13 is considered unlucky.

On the other hand, some schedule special occasions on a day with the number 8, known to bring in fortune.

The biggest proofs of how many people put a premium on numbers are the long queues in lotto centers, which offer the biggest pot to date: one billion pesos.

Many Bible scholars have written about numerology, the belief in placing meaning on numbers in the Bible to better understand what God may be telling us.

The number one, for instance, is absolute singleness. Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “The Lord our God is One.”

As a Christian, I believe in this One God as the triune God. So here comes the number three. There are three Persons in the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each member is equally God and no less God than the others in the Trinity.

There are many more—the number seven, often mentioned in the book of Revelation: seven bowls of wrath, seven seals, seven churches, seven trumpets, and seven spirits.

One commentary I read says that the number six represents mankind since humans were created on the sixth day (Genesis 1:31), and was commanded to work for six days.

But, again, the number six is also seen as a number of imperfection. Revelation 13:18 (NLT) reads, “Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666.” 

This verse spooks many Bible readers, who consider 666 as a number to be feared.

As I live by faith and not by knowledge, the numbers in Scripture are far too deep for me. Which is why I was never afraid nor influenced by numbers. No one-billion-peso lotto pot can lure me into pitting luck against the Lord’s grace. 

Six or one or seven are just numbers. They can be overcome by a sovereign God whose will prevails over numbers and everything on earth.

That’s where I was coming from when I glimpsed my blog numbers this morning—666,666.

 

What interesting numbers that tell of the 11 years and 10 months I’ve been blogging! But they were fleeting. Just a millisecond from my taking a screen shot, the numbers changed and increased quite rapidly.

These numbers, then, ought to be celebrated, not feared.