Seven Times Seven Years

Seven Times Seven Years

These are interesting sevens. I hope I have not missed any, but if I am right, here are seven passages or events referring to seven years - two of the accounts refer to seven plus seven years.

1) Jacob worked seven years for the woman he loved (Rachel), and seven years for her sister, Leah:

Genesis 29:18-20 And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.

Genesis 29:24-30 And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for an handmaid. And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah: and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also. And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid. And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.

2) Seven years of famine and seven years of plenty during Joseph's time in Egypt:

Genesis 41:28-32 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh. Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous. And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

3) It took seven years for Israel to conquer the Promised Land in the time of Joshua:

Joshua 14:6-10 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God. And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God. And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.

The twelve spies were sent to spy out the Promised Land two years into their journey to Canaan, then they wandered 38 more years in the wilderness (making it 40 years altogether from leaving Egypt until they entered Canaan). In the above passage, Caleb says he was 40 at the time he and Joshua took on this mission. 38 more years until they crossed the Jordan River and began their conquest. Now he is 85 years old, making it 45 years since he spied out the land. Subtracting 38 years from the 45 years given reveal that they were battling the Canaanites for seven years. I find that intriguing indeed.

4) Solomon took seven years to build his temple:

1 Kings 6:1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

1 Kings 6:37-38 In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif: And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.

5) Elijah will cause it to stop raining for 7 years altogether:

Elijah's ministry in the Old Testament:

James 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

Luke 4:25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;

We have two passages in the New Testament confirming that Elijah prayed and caused the rain to stop for 3 1/2 years.

During the Great Tribulation:

Revelation 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Revelation 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

The length of Elijah's ministry during the second half of the tribulation period is 1260 days - is literally 3 1/2 years. As part of his witnessing, he will cause it to stop raining for the whole length of his ministry. Between his ministry in the days of the kings and his ministry during the end-times, we can see that he will cause it to stop raining for seven years altogether.

6) The hiding of King Joash during the reign of Athaliah, and his reigning in the seventh year:

2 Kings 11:1-4 And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal. But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land. And the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the LORD, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the LORD, and shewed them the king's son.

Joash was hid for six years from the wrath of Queen Athaliah. Though he was not hidden for seven years, it is still noteworthy that he began to rule in the seventh year.

7) The seven year tribulation:

Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

This is Daniel's seventieth week, which has yet to unfold. This time period is the main focus of the book of Revelation, from chapters 6-19. This final week of seven years that Daniel prophesied is the seven years of tribulation, seven years of woe and judgement upon this whole world, leading from the rapture to the battle of Armageddon.

Jerry Bouey

Running sevens count: 110