The Parish Magazine May 2021

22 The Parish Magazine - May 2021
feature — 4
There's much more to the number
seven than being lucky
It probably won't surprise you to hear that the number seven is the world's most popular lucky number but
the Bible reveals there is much more to this special numeral. It is clearly one of God's number's that are a
feature of his creation. This month we celebrate Pentecost, a feast day that has its roots in seven.
Seven is not only important for Christians, it is held
in high esteem in many religions and cultures, for
example there are the seven heavens of Judaism and
Islam, and the Chinese belief of the seven elements
of the world — water, fire, earth, wood, metal, yin
and yang. It's why the traditional Jewish menorah
has seven candle sticks — not to be confused with
the nine candlesticks of the Hanukkah — and why
Muslims walk seven times around the Holy Kaaba in
Mecca.
GOD'S NUMBER
The Roman Catholic teaching of Pope Gregory I
in the 6th Century identified the seven deadly sins
which are now widely recognised as: pride, greed,
lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth.
There are many natural features of the world
where seven plays a part — surfers will tell you that
they surf in sets of seven waves, the seventh being
the largest. Others include the seven colours of the
rainbow, the seven continents of the world, and the
seven wonders of the world.
In the Bible, from the creation stories in Genesis,
to the end of time in Revelation, the number seven is
mentioned over 700 times — is this a coincidence? —
hence, it is often referred to as God's number.
God created the world in six days, and when
his work was complete, he rested on the seventh
day, thus seven is symbolised in the Bible as
completeness.
A menorah depicted in a mosaic at the Israeli parliament
spiroview, dreamstime.com
In the Old Testament book of Isaiah (11.2) we
read about the seven spirits: the spirit of the Lord,
wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge,
and the fear of God.
In Deuteronomy 7 the Israelites are told: When the
Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering
to possess and drives out before you many nations — the
Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites,
Hivites and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger
than you.
But it is the New Testam
writings of John that seven
the Gospel of John we find
of Jesus. For the Jewish peo
name for God that they wer
write — in Hebrew YHWH
in Exodus 3:13-15. It is trans
such as 'I am who I am', 'I am
am and will be'.
When Jesus says: I am t
the Light of the world; I am
Shepherd; I am The Resurre
The Way, Truth and The Life
he is implying that he is the
NO LIMIT TO F
In his gospel, John also
completeness demonstrated
seven miracles that he calls
changing water into wine, h
son, healing a paralytic, fee
on water, healing a man bor
Lazarus to life.
John's book of Revelatio
Christ writing to seven chu
and objects that appear sev
candlesticks, trumpets, pla
While seven is used to s
multiples of seven are used
even higher degrees of com
aim for. In Matthew 18:21, 2
came up and said to him, 'Lord
brother sin against me, and I
seven times?' Jesus said to him
times, but seventy times seve
Basically, Jesus is tellin
to the number of times we s
Muslims pilgrims walk around the Kaaba seven times in Mecca
Abdul Razak Abdul Latif, dreamstime.com
ULTIMATE COM
It is, however, generally
ultimate completeness is se
is, 49. Before his crucifixion
that God would send someo
namely, the Holy Spirit. Jes
before the Jewish Passover
from around the world visit
them would stay there for t
after which, on the 50th da
day of Shavuot which was a
first fruits of the wheat har
Pentecost by some Jews.
It was on this feast day t
promised by Jesus arrived a
with the wisdom and know
to join them in living the w
perfect timing. The thousan
Jerusalem became follower