Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Luke 12:6,7 ESV)
Numbers and Hope
I used to cheat at cards. I had learned (from an ex-convict) how to shuffle the deck in such a way as to be able to deal out good hands to my partners and bad hands to others at the table. In most casinos, I understand, it is against House Rules to play blackjack in a mathematical way known as ‘counting cards.’ When ‘counting cards’ players pay attention to the number of valuable cards that get used, in order to better predict what cards will next be dealt.
Numbers can be used to do bad things.
But when God uses numbers, He uses them well! He does not need to count anything (See ‘omniscient’) but He uses His created mathematics to keep the world in order. More than that, He uses His numerical knowledge to HELP us.
Jesus is not simply giving encouragement to balding middle-aged men about hair loss. Quite the contrary. Jesus is saying that even in apparently insignificant matters such as the exact number of individual hairs, God uses numbers for our good.
I do not think I would have the patience or focus to count hairs on most people’s head. But God knows that number, and uses it exactly as He intends, somehow for our good. He knows everything about us, forgets nothing, and loves us.
So numbers are a think of hope. Because no matter how our numbers change, God has them in His mind and in His hands. Numbers, whether we understand them or not, are another way that God shows His providential care.
Take the hope God grants us.