Be Wary Of Numerology

In an earlier blog I wrote about a possible Christian interpretation of the Zodiak. At the time I expressed reservations about promoting this viewpoint, especially the supposed connection between the Zodiak and the Bible. Since then I have begun a careful reading of the books the quoted site referenced. They are books of the 19th century and reflect the views and events of that century. Amazingly, they are available as ebooks, if you're interested. When I've completed that study, I'll share my own conclusions.

Anyway, what got me going today is an invitation from one of my many online friends to make use of the so-called science of numerology. There is a close link between numerology and astrology, i.e. the study of the stars and the Zodiak. For instance, the Wikipedia article on the subject has this:

Numerology is any study of the purported mystical relationship between a count or measurement and life. It has many systems and traditions and beliefs. Numerology and numerological divination by systems such as isopsephy were popular among early mathematicians, such as Pythagoras, but are no longer considered part of mathematics and are regarded as pseudomathematics by modern scientists.^[1][2] Today, numerology is often associated with the paranormal, alongside astrology and similar divinatory arts. ^[3]

Back to the invitation. Blair Gorman, "master numerologist," writes,

Imagine what it would be like to read the story of your life, before it actually happened ...You'd know how to make the most out of the opportunities life gives you ... how to avoid negative influences that distract you from achieving your true life purpose ... and which path to take in order to have the happiest, most fulfilling life that is available to you. That would really be something, wouldn't it?

As the Wiki article points out, there is a distinct connection between numerology and astrology and behind that are various assumptions about life, God (gods or spirits), the universe, etc. Notice for instance that Gorman suggests that the story of your life is written in the numbers by someone or something. Its all out there. He also suggests that you have a true life purpose. That implies that you have the freedom to choose which path to take in order to be happy and to lead a most fulfilling life. So what about this? Is it true that each one of us has a pre-ordained life-story that we must find in order to be fulfilled and happy?

In theology we often speak about the formal and the material principles. The formal principle outlines the authority or source for ones theology or belief system, e.g. the Holy Bible. The material principle focuses upon the central teaching of that theology, e.g. the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So we always urge folks to ask  two questions of anyone who invites you to believe and buy into what he/she is 'selling'. These questions are useful regardless of what philosophy, theology or so-called science you run into.

1. Where'd you come up with your ideas about God, the universe, etc. What's your authority, the source of what you believe? What's your formal principle? 
2. What is the central focus or essential thing you are pushing, teaching and stressing? And how is everything else you teach related to that material principle. 

For instance, meet master Numerologist Hans Decoz, software designer and author of Numerology; Key To Your Inner Self.

His "book begins with a fascinating explanation of what numerology is and an intriguing look at the philosophy that lies behind it. It then examines how numerology works, focusing on the numeric meanings of personal names, birth dates, and language in general.  Included is a step-by-step guide to calculating your own numbers and interpreting them in chart form.  Special attention has been paid to keeping the math simple and un-intimidating, and to emphasize how numerology can personally apply to the reader."

Enough. I'm certainly not ready to push his stuff. Instead I want to share with you just a little of what the Bible has to say about all this.

The practice of astrology, numerology and using various methods to discover the hidden plans of the gods was very common in the lands the Israelites were about to reclaim. Here's the warning the LORD gave to His people as they entered.

"When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations.There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you" (Deuteronomy 18:9-12).

The warnings were repeated again and again throughout their history. The prophet Isaiah wrote,

"I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion. And when they say to you, "Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter," should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn" (Isaiah 8:17-20).

Why was this warning given? And why does it still apply to us today? The reasons are very clear. God reveals His will and His plan for you in His Word. There is no other source, no other authority, no other way to know Him. In that Word He makes it very clear that we who are sinners and by nature under His judgment have but one hope of forgiveness and life. That is to be found in the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth. As Paul writes, "in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:19). Christ is God's Word of mercy and forgiveness to us. Only in Jesus are we reconciled to God.

Should we not then inquire of our God who has so clearly revealed Himself to us? Numerologists, astrologists, psychics, card readers and all that bunch invariably lead us away from Jesus and His cross. In their eyes we need no such Savior to sacrifice His life for us. As the Apostle Peter writes, "But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction" (2 Peter 2:1).

I'll get back to you on this question of the Zodiak. It's closely linked to the question of prophecy and the tons of materials pouring out about the end of the age, 2012, the return of Christ, etc. For now, however, be very, very wary about any invitations to explore numerology. 

Biblical Numerology Background

In my last post I promised to discuss the use of numbers in the Bible—a very complex topic, to say the least. My special interest is the way by which many modern teachers and preachers of Biblical prophecy interpret them. For starters, lets look at some background information. Below are some sample sites that discuss Biblical numerology. In posting the links to these sites I am not endorsing what they tell us.

• Hebrew numbers: http://www.i18nguy.com/unicode/hebrew-numbers.html

• The Bible is a veritable mine of number symbology: http://afgen.com/symbols.html

• The Straight Dope: What's the story on numerology? http://bit.ly/e4ErM8

• Biblical Numerology: http://bit.ly/fbtvbd

Here's a brief summary of what these sites and other resources tell us about Biblical numbers. 

The symbols we modern folk call numbers are borrowed from the Arabs. They're also called Hindu-Arabic numbers and are a combination of 10 symbols, 1 - 9 plus 0. They were introduced into Europe in the 12th century by a certain Leonardo Pisano, also known as Fibonacci. He was educated in North Africa. From there he carried the now popular numerals back to Italy. 

The Hebrew Bible has no such symbols. Instead each letter in the Hebrew aleph-bet has a numerical value. Their alphabet (aleph-bet) is made up of consonants only. The vowels were added after the time of Christ to aid readers who did not know well how the words were to be properly pronounced. Modern Hebrew texts use the Arabic digits to represent numbers. However the Hebrew biblical texts continue to use the Hebrew letters as numeric values. Follow the above link for details. 

The same was true for the Greeks and, of course, the Greek New Testament. With the Greeks the idea that each letter corresponds to a numerical value seems to have started with Pythagoras, somewhere around 500 years before Christ. Around 520 B.C. he founded a religious/philosophical/mystical society that came to be known as the Pythagorean School. What we know about Pythagoras and his society comes from his disciples through Plato. Their primary principle or dictum was All is number. This meant that everything in the universe has a numerical attribute that uniquely describes it. Examples include: 

1. the number of reason
2. the first even or female number, the number of opinion
3. the first true male number, the number of harmony
4. the number of justice or retribution
5. the number of marriage (2+3)
6. the number of creation

Study the link for further elaboration. The primary point in either system is that if the letters of the alphabet (or aleph-bet) stand for numbers, then any name or word can be converted to numbers simply by adding the values of the separate letters. The Greeks called that process isopsephia (equal + psephos or pebble). A Greek synonym for pebbles is kalkuli from which we get the word 'calculate'. Early Greeks used pebbles arranged in patterns to learn arithmetic and geometry. 

The Hebrew letters-numbers-process came to be known as gematria. We don't know the exact origin of that term. It may come from the order of the Greek alphabet. Gamma is the third letter of that alpha-bet, thus gamma-tria. Or maybe it was derived from Greek geo-metria (geometry) and so forth. Two forms of gematria are usually identified in Rabbinic literature: the "revealed" form and the "mystical". The mystical use is largely a Kabbalistic practice. The Kabbalah school of Judaism is a set of hidden or esoteric teachings, a philosophy that seeks to explain the relationship between the eternal Creator and His creation. There were and still are Christian Kabbalists. 

Next time I will explain why confessional Lutherans generally avoid using gematria and Kabbalah to interpret the numbers found in the prophets of the Old Testament and the Apostles of the New. Modern teachers of prophecy do not always practice such caution, teaching as they do, some very esoteric meanings to those same numbers.