09/09/09 - Let us go to the Seer!

(Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he used to say, "Come, and let us go to the seer"; for he who is called a prophet now was formerly called a seer.) 1 Samuel 9:9 (NASB)

I have always liked the number 9. No specific reason. I just liked it. Today is the ninth day of the ninth month in the ninth year of this millennium. So, I looked up this passage. This is the ninth verse in the ninth chapter of the ninth book - 1 Samuel 9:9.

It is a great passage for us today. I am focusing on the phrase, "He used to say." This verse is inserted in the story of Samuel anointing Saul as King of Israel. In that time, prophets were called seers. Thus, the need to explain the "formerly called" in the passage.

As a Christ-follower, I also can say, "I used to say...lets go to the seer." Now I can approach the throne without hesitation and speak directly to the God I love through the power of the Holy Spirit and intercession of Jesus. Jesus' death and resurrection opened a direct line to God. Thus, I can say, "I used to say." The writer of Hebrews (4:16) states it this way, "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." This is such a great assurance and promise.

O.K. - On this day of nines...I approach the throne of grace and mercy to ask for help. I also reach up in praise to a God that brings order to chaos. I also give thanks for you and His working in all our lives to bring restoration in our relationships with each other and with Him.

Enjoy this unique day and you know I love ya, Don

Some other tid-bits of number fascinations I found are:

Both China and Japan have strong feelings about the number nine. Those feelings just happen to be on opposite ends of the spectrum.

The Chinese pulled out all the stops to celebrate their lucky number eight during last year's Summer Olympics, ringing the games in at 8 p.m. on 08/08/08. What many might not realize is that nine comes in second on their list of auspicious digits and is associated with long life, due to how similar its pronunciation is to the local word for long-lasting (eight sounds like wealth).

Historically, ancient Chinese emperors associated themselves closely with the number nine, which appeared prominently in architecture and royal dress, often in the form of nine fearsome dragons. The imperial dynasties were so convinced of the power of the number nine that the palace complex at Beijing's Forbidden City is rumored to have been built with 9,999 rooms.

Japanese emperors would have never worn a robe with nine dragons, however.

In Japanese, the word for nine is a homophone for the word for suffering, so the number is considered highly unlucky - second only to four, which sounds like death.

Many Japanese will go so far as to avoid room numbers including nine at hotels or hospitals, if the building planners haven't already eliminated them altogether.