We are moving into chapter 41 of Genesis with our word for today used the most of any of the words in our chapter. שֶׁ֫בַע seven, the cardinal number seven. It is used 486 times in the Old Testament and 28 times in our chapter. That’s a massive amount which is definitely worth looking into. Our word is used right away in creation itself. Genesis 2:1-3 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. By the הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔יseventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔יseventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
God could have just allowed us to travel through time adding one day on top of another but instead he set us up with the structure of a week that completes with a rest. Then after our rest we can start a new week. Our loving God creates even the fabric of our existence in a way that benefits us. So we have this idea of completeness with our word seven. This is definitely how our word is used in our chapter today. Instead of looking at all 28 uses of our word in our chapter we will just look at a few.
Genesis 41:25-30, 53-54 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The שֶׁ֧בַעseven good cows are שֶׁ֧בַעseven years, and the שֶׁ֧בַעseven good ears are שֶׁ֧בַעseven years; the dreams are one. The שֶׁ֧בַעseven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are שֶׁ֧בַעseven years, and the שֶׁ֧בַעseven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also שֶׁ֧בַע seven years of famine. It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. There will come שֶׁ֧בַע seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, but after them there will arise שֶׁ֧בַעseven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt…The שֶׁ֧בַע seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end, and the שֶׁ֧בַע seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. We see in our chapter our word is used in the sense of the complete amount of time that God had set up. This doesn’t mean that it was not seven literal years because this is the word used to count groups of seven. It is just also conveying the sense of completeness like we see in the original creation of everything that exists.
We see this used throughout the Bible. Here is one of many examples. Isaiah 30:26 The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be שִׁבְעָתַ֔יִם seven times brighter, like the light of שִׁבְעַ֣ת seven full days, when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted. God’s work of healing will be done in a complete way like the light of seven full days or sunlight seven times brighter. We see this also in the New Testament with seven deacons in the early church and the seven churches the book of Revelation is written too. I’ll close with a great example of the completeness or perfection of God’s word. Psalm 12:6 And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined שִׁבְעָתָֽיִם seven times.
