Lucky Number Seven

"C'mon, gimme lucky number seven!" growled the gambling man as he hastily rattled the dice in his hand, finally releasing them onto the green felted table at the casino. Indeed the number seven has always seemed to be associated with prosperity and good fortune. However, while this man was seemingly calling out for luck, could it have been that he was actually sending a prayer?

The number seven is prominently highlighted in several religions, including Islam and Judaism. When mentioning the Bible, here are some of the most well-known occurrences:

~ God created the heavens and earth (Genesis 1:1) in six days, and rested on the seventh day, which He blessed (Genesis 2:1-3). To many, the number seven symbolizes completion for this reason. The seventh day, known as the Sabbath, is a holy day (Deuteronomy 5:12).

~ After building the ark, God instructed Noah to fill it with seven pairs of all clean animals (Genesis 7:2).

~ Delilah constantly asked Samson for the source of his strength. Before revealing that he would lose his power if his hair was cut, he first told her that he would be drained if he was tied down with seven bowstrings (Judges 16:7), and then if seven locks of his hair were weaved into a loom (Judges 16:13).

~ There are numerous uses of the number seven in the book of Revelation, including the seven churches (Revelation 1:4), the seven seals (Revelation 6, 8:1), the seven angels (Revelation 8:2), the seven trumpets (Revelation 8:2,6) and the seven vials (Revelation 16:1).

The fact that there are also seven chakras did not escape me, although they originate in Hinduism. However, I use the chakras as I believe that the divinity of the number seven crosses all faiths.

So, back to the man at the beginning of this post. He won! And as he cashed out, he was thanking everyone he could think of: his mother, his father, his fourth grade teacher! But who was really responsible for that luck? Was it in fact a higher power, or could it have been the man himself? But that, dear readers, is a story for another day!