The Seventh Day of Christmas
For several years people have taught that the Twelve Days of Christmas carol contained certain hidden meanings. One idea was that song’s words were written for the purpose of helping children remember lessons of faith, such as, instead of referring to an earthly suitor, the "true love" mentioned in the song refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents is symbolic of every believer. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ. We have chosen to focus on the representation of numbers in Scripture:
Two turtle doves – Unity and Agreement;
Three French hens – Divine Perfection;
Four calling birds—the Creation;
Five golden rings – Grace, the Creation plus the Savior equals Divine Favor;
Six geese a-laying—Mankind;
And Seven swans a-swimming – Spiritual Perfection.
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:46-55 And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has (1) performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has (2) scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has (3) brought down rulers from their thrones but has (4) lifted up the humble. He has (5) filled the hungry with good things but has (6) sent the rich away empty. He has (7) helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."
When I began studying the numbers in Scripture I learned that the number SEVEN is the most sacred number to the Hebrews. To them the number seven expresses the spiritual completeness found when the Creation (4) is added to the Divine Perfection of God (3). In fact, the number seven is used more than the other numbers in the Bible, with the exception of the number ONE.
Seven is used over 700 times in the Scriptures. The number is first used to describe the Sabbath or Day of Rest that followed the six days of Creation. Seven denotes completion and perfection. The last book of the Bible is filled with the use of the number seven. There are seven churches, seven spirits, seven stars, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven vials, and seven new things. The Bible itself speaks to the perfection of the number seven in Psalm 12:6: And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.
In the creative work of God, seven completes the colors of the spectrum and rainbow, and satisfies in music the notes of the scale. The divine provision promised to Israel found in the Promise Land is marked by the number seven (Deuteronomy 8:8),—wheat, barley, vines, fig-trees, pomegranates, olives, and honey. In Exodus 6:6-8 the Lord uses the expression, “I will” to declare His seven-fold blessing to Israel.
· I will bring you out from Egypt.
· I will rid you of their bondage.
· I will redeem you.
· I will take you to Me for a people.
· I will be to you a God.
· I will bring you in unto the land.
· I will give you the land of milk and honey.
In the New Testament we see completeness and perfection in the SEVEN miracles in the Gospel of John that are signs that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God:
• The water turned into wine, John 2:9.
• The healing of nobleman's son, John 4:47.
• At healing of the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda. John 5:4.
• The feeding of the 5,000, John 6:5-10.
• Sight given to the man born blind, John 9:1-7.
• The raising of Lazarus from the dead, John 11:1-44.
• The catch of the 153 fish, John 21:1-6.
The Lord Jesus spoke SEVEN times from the cross. These seven sayings have been written and preached about for hundreds of years. They reveal the completeness of redemption. They are:
• "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," Luke 23:34.
• "Verily, I say unto thee today: Thou shalt be with Me in Paradise," Luke 23:43.
• "My God! My God! Why hast thou forsaken Me," Matt 27:46.
• "Woman, behold thy son...Behold thy mother," John 19:26.
• "I thirst," John 19:28.
• "Father, into Thy hand I commend My spirit," Luke 23:46.
• "It is finished," John 19:30.
In Ephesians 6:13-18, the Christian's armor consists of seven pieces and the seventh (the Spear), if I might share is Prayer:
· The Belt of Truth, John 14:6 and John 17:17.
· The Helmet of Salvation, 1 Thessalonians 5:8.
• The Breastplate of Righteousness, Jeremiah 23:6 and Philippians 3:9.
• The Sandals of the Gospel, Luke 1:79.
• The Shield of Faith, Genesis 15:1; Psalm 84:11 and Psalm 91:4.
• The Sword of the Spirit, Hebrews 4:12 and Revelation 19:13.
• Prayer—which enables us to use the armor effectually, James 5:16.
There are many, many more references to SEVEN in the Scriptures. I encourage you to spend a little time between now and the first of the year researching the number seven at biblehub.com or another website built to help you study God’s Word.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the complete and perfect Savior. I pray for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that I might have new understanding concerning You and Your Word. Amen.