There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, a soothsayer, one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who consults the dead. [Deuteronomy 18:10-11 (NASB)]
Every morning, I receive an email from a Christian site to which I subscribe. Having no interest in Temu, make-up, or a “game-changer” pen for seniors, I ignore the ads as nothing more than “click bait.” Today’s ad from a jewelry company, however, caught my eye with its words, “Just in: Angel Numbers.” Having missed all the articles about them in Allure, Reader’s Digest, USA Today, Cosmopolitan, Women’s Day, Instyle, and Vogue, I didn’t know what an “angel number” was, so I Googled it. Apparently, when you see repeated digits (such as 11:11 on your clock, $9.99 on a price tag, 30303 on a license plate, or a date like 2/22/22), the universe is sending you a message! Rather than a coincidence, these repetitive numbers are a “sign from your guardian angel” (or a dead loved one). Supposedly, the “language of angels,” such numbers are meant to point you in a certain direction or confirm the direction in which you’re going! Of course, a host of psychics, spiritual mediums, and numerologists are more than willing to tell you the meaning of your “angel numbers.” And, as I discovered from the ad, once you find your number, you can purchase it in jewelry!
Although angels are in the Bible, “angel numbers” aren’t. Nevertheless, trying to legitimize this concept, explanations try to tie them to Scripture. While one site claimed that the “angel number” of 222 has special Biblical meaning because there are 22 book in the Bible, another claimed it was special because the word “wisdom” appears 222 times in the Bible and Acts 2:22 is the only place in which the words “signs,” “miracles,” and “wonders” appear in the same verse. Wrong on all counts. Those words also appear together in 2 Corinthians 12:12 and Hebrews 2:4. While “wisdom” does appear 222 times in the King James, that’s not true of other translations or in the original Hebrew and Greek. Moreover, even if you’re only referring to the Hebrew Bible, there are more than 22 books in it! Another site claimed the Bible “suggests” that when 2 and 3 are repeated twice (2323), they have “divine power.” Of course, it never cites a verse because it isn’t true! Apparently, 333 is supposed to mean your prayers are answered because there are three persons in the Trinity, Jesus raised three people from the dead, and Abraham offered three animals to seal the covenant. He actually offered five, but truth and accuracy have nothing to do with “angel numbers,” numerology, “spirit guides,” and other New Age practices!
I was especially troubled by this ad because it was sent by a well-respected Bible research site as part of a morning devotional written by a prominent Baptist theologian! While the juxtaposition of ad and devotion implied their tacit approval of angels speaking to us through repeated numbers, I’m sure neither site nor theologian approve! While God occasionally uses numbers in Scripture to symbolize something, not every number has a hidden meaning. “Angel numbers” simply are not Biblical. As Christians we are not to put our faith in numbers or angels—we are to put our faith in God!
Granted, angels do serve as God’s messengers. An angel of the Lord found Hagar in the wilderness twice, two angels came to Lot in Sodom, and an angel stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac. An angel visited Jacob in a dream and one fed Elijah. Angels appeared to Moses in a burning bush, to Balaam and his donkey, to Gideon, and to Samson’s mother. In the New Testament, angels appeared to Zechariah, both Mary and Joseph, to the shepherds, and to the women when they found the empty tomb. They ministered to Jesus in the wilderness, opened the prison gates for the Apostles, sent Philip to find the Ethiopian, freed Peter from prison, presented John with his revelation, and poured out judgments upon the earth. What none of these angels did was communicate with a special sequence of numbers.
While we tend to think of an idol as a shrine to Vishnu, a figure of Buddha, or Aaron’s golden calf, idolatry extends beyond stone, metal, and wood. Baptist theologian John Piper defines an idol as “anything that we come to rely on for some blessing, or help, or guidance in the place of a wholehearted reliance on the true and living God.” Whether it’s a rabbit foot, St. Christopher on the dash, our phones, wealth, power, approval, or even an “angel number,” anything we believe offers us special blessing, assistance, guidance, or protection becomes an idol. Let us put our trust and faith in God alone!
While God is still active in our world and His angels are at work, let us remember that God communicates with us through His Word and the Holy Spirit—not by the numbers on the alarm clock, a phone number, or the day’s date! May we also remember that Satan and his minions are angels who, rather than protect or guide us, attempt to lead us into sin. I suspect this New Age fascination with “angel numbers” is just one of their methods. Let’s not fall for it!
Most of us probably spent Saturday preparing for Easter. We may have done last minute grocery shopping, prepped for Easter dinner, purchased an Easter lily, decorated eggs, assembled Easter baskets, snacked on jelly beans, or hidden plastic eggs around the yard. The previous day’s service on Good Friday had been a somber one but we knew the following day’s worship would be one of joy and celebration. While we may have sung “Were you There When They Crucified My Lord?” on Friday, we knew that we’d be singing “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” on Sunday.
Today is Maundy (or Holy) Thursday—the day many Christians throughout the world will observe the institution of the Lord’s Supper/Eucharist/Holy Communion by coming to the Lord’s table. Regardless of what you call this sacrament, Jesus’ mention of a “new covenant” probably will be part of your service. Not a word commonly used today, what is a covenant and how does it differ from a contract?
It was the week before the Passover and Jerusalem was teeming with pilgrims who’d come for the celebration. News of the rabbi who’d brought Lazarus back to life was spreading through the crowd. As the people prepared to celebrate their deliverance from slavery in Egypt, they hoped for the promised Messiah who would deliver them from the tyranny of Rome. Could Jesus be the one to do that?
Unlike Lazarus, we haven’t had a four-day encounter with death. Our family didn’t wash us with warm water, anoint us with myrrh and aloe, wrap us in a shroud with herbs and spices, lay us in a tomb, and mourn our passing. Most of us haven’t even endured a months-long coma, flatlined, or been brought back to life with an AED. How does such an experience affect someone? Without a doubt, the man who emerged from the tomb differed from the man who died four days earlier. Did Lazarus return to life with the 1st century equivalent of a “bucket list” of things to accomplish, places to go, things to do, and adventures to have?
Devotions of the Heart 