Eight is an interesting number. It appears the same whether it is backwards or upside down. While there may be eight maids a’milking in the “12 Days of Christmas,” the number eight is very significant in the life of a baby, particularly in the Old Testament. That was the day that an infant boy was to be circumcised in the Hebrew custom (Genesis 17:12). Circumcision was a symbolic event pointing to the cutting away of the flesh, as the greatest challenge to each child of God is to walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh. Customarily, eight seems to stand for new beginnings in the Bible. In addition to the rite of circumcision occurring on that eighth day, children were dedicated to the Lord at that time, including the baby girls. Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day (Luke 2:21) and taken to the temple in Jerusalem in dedication to the Lord. John the Baptist also was circumcised on the eighth day (Luke 1:59).
Many of the Levitical rites dealing with impurity also occurred upon the eighth day, including a sacrifice of two turtledoves by women after their monthly cycle (Leviticus 15:29). Though Leviticus can be a very difficult book to understand, so many rites occur on that all-important eighth day that significance is obvious. Remember, God gave these Laws to the Jews as a tutor. Covering sins and impurities with sacrifices took much time and energy. When Jesus died, and earned for us forgiveness of sins through His selfless act, His grace radiated throughout, especially with the reminder that because sin must be covered by the spilling of innocent blood, He had taken away the difficult rituals.
One of the earliest references to the importance of new beginning occurs in Genesis. When God destroyed the earth with the Great Flood, He spared only eight people upon the ark. Those eight people gave a new beginning to the world we know today and our blood runs from the bloodlines of Noah’s family, just as it does from Adam and Eve:
4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;
2 Peter 2:4-6
who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.
1 Peter 3:20
While it is simple to search for the numeral eight with Bible software, the most interesting aspects of that number in the Bible occur in regard to repetitive actions. One of the most unusual of that variety is the fact that eight people miraculously were brought back to life in the Bible. Of course, that number does not pertain to Jesus, for the eight resurrected people tasted of death twice in their lives. Jesus only died once! Those eight resurrected people are the widow’s son by Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-25), the son of the Shunammite woman by Elisha (2 Kings 4:32-37), the man placed in the tomb of Elisha (2 Kings 13:20), The widow of Nain’s son by Jesus (Luke 7:11-18), the daughter of Jairus by Jesus (Luke 8:41-56), Lazarus by Jesus (John 11), Dorcas by Peter (Acts 9), and Eutychus by Paul (Acts 20). Talk about a new beginning! The words of Jesus to Lazarus should resonate with us all, “Lazarus, come forth!” If Jesus had not used his friend’s name, it is easy to assume that all the dead would have emerged from their tombs by the power of Christ! Someday, we should all hope to hear those same words when He calls us home!
Interestingly, there are eight miracles of Elijah mentioned in the Bible: the shutting up of the heavens, multiplying the widow’s meal, raising the widow’s son, causing rain to come down from heaven, causing fire to come down from heaven, causing fire to come down from heaven again and lastly, dividing the Jordan River. When Elijah’s mantle passed to Elisha, Elisha asked for the following in 2 Kings 2:9: And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” Then in the life of Elisha, he performed 16 miracles, exactly double the amount done by Elijah!
There are times when each of us yearns for a new beginning, especially those who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior. When playing backyard baseball, when a batter hit the ball into a tree in the playing field, and it did not come down, it was a “do-over.” We can have a “do-over” by God’s gift whenever we are willing to come to Him in repentance, willing to lay our sin at the foot of the cross and willing to allow Jesus to remove and carry that sin away from our slumping shoulders. Resurrection gives us a new beginning in Christ. Even as a Christian, there are times when we fall back into the sin God has removed from us. Our Lord always is willing to give us another chance, another new beginning. If your legs are buckling due to the heavy burden that you are carrying, you can walk free, fresh and new whenever you are ready. Do you want a new beginning? Jesus is willing to walk beside you anywhere you go!
33 There he found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. 34 And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately. 35 So all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
Acts 9:33-35
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