I've run into it from time to time, and usually I just nod my head indicating that I understand, but what I'm really saying is, "I don't get it and I don't really want to get it." What am I talking about? I'm talking about something that makes absolutely no sense to me and seems to be contrived and really stretching the Word of God - this whole thing about biblical numerology or biblical numerics. This is the magical, mystical, hocus-pocus, completely arbitrary practice of assigning spiritual meaning to certain numbers. For example, someone said to me a while back, "I went to the store the other day and the cashier gave me back 37 cents in change. Then not long after that, I got a new cell phone number and the last 4 digits were 3737. And I'm so excited!" I must have looked confused, you know the "I-don't-have-a-clue-what-you-are-talking-about" look. Surely someone other than me has had that look before! Anyway, I must have had it because this person followed up with, "I'm excited because YOU KNOW that 37 in the Bible stands for wealth. And the fact that I've just gotten three 37's means that the wealth that is coming to me is a sure thing!"I didn't respond - I couldn't respond - I was completely dumbfounded - I just grinned and walked away. How do people come up with this stuff? Who is putting this stuff out? Am I completely out of touch with what the Bible teaches? Is this really biblical? Or has this kind of thing just crept into the teaching of the Word of Truth and has become part of the tradition (like three wise men - the Bible doesn't teach there were 3 wise men - but our Christmas tradition says there were three, so we just automatically believe there were three - sorry, I got off on a rant) that we assume is biblical. I've looked at some of the web sites that talk about "gematria" and "numerology" and every one of them is a weird combination of beliefs - a kind of syncretism of Christian teaching with astrology and new age spiritism and who knows what else. So maybe I don't get it, but I feel better now having gotten it off my chest.
7 comments:
so my digital clock showing 5:55 doesn't mean grace? or triple grace? or Isaiah 55:5? or maybe Psalms 55:5? I do see digital numbers like 5:55 and 4:44 and 3:33 and 10:10 and 11:11 and wonder if God is trying to tell me something, but I sure can't figure out what it is. I had a dream once that had the year 1937 in it and I asked Kirk about it. He got a word of knowledge that it was really Ps 37:19 which did pertain to my dream.
but really, Tom, isn't there some significance to some numbers in the Bible? like 40 is for testing? 7 is the perfect number and 3 means trinity? or something like that?
or is that hawgwash as they say in TX?
You know, Esther, I've had those digital clock experiences, too - and that one time (no pun intended) the verse I turned to really spoke to my situation. So I don't discount the guidance of God in those experiences. However, for me to make that apply to all of scripture for all people for all of time is not right either. I've heard those numerical meanings - and I can see how some of them came into existence. I just don't see the Bible saying, literally, that those numbers actually mean what we say they mean. It seems a little too "DaVinci Codish" for me.
T -what about color dreams versus blurry black and white? :-)
Causing trouble...
rb
Tom, maybe you'll jump on board if I tell you what your number is, so here you go: it's 7983947392938574858300108392019737398473838473739292038.
Now doesn't that feel better?
I've been seeing the word "toilet" everywhere, but I hear those letters change to "you're gonna be filthy, nasty rich" when applied through numerology! I'm in.
Mosh - I nearly fell out of my chair with lafter. So you think that now that my number has been revealed, I need to worry about identity theft?
And that last paragraph is interesting - the conjunction of "toilet" and "I'm in" caught my eye.
theres also been a lot of hype about it in the media... 06.06.06 being the day they released some movie that had to do with the devil or the dead or evil or something, i don't remember what...
6 being the number of humanity, of the evil dude...?
of course, i still think that this year is my coolest birthdate ever... 07.07.07... maybe i could prophesy that from my study of numerology my birthday is going to be perfect and anyone who screws it up is a heretic.
maybe not.
Kate
Thanks:
You have expressed it for me.
I never have gotten it, but there are a lot of things Jesus-followers do that I wonder at. Maybe it is part of those signs and wonders.... Any way, thanks, you are not alone. But then do toes understand eyelashes?
Dave Gray
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