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Superstition
“Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are
too superstitious” (Acts 17:22).
There are still some people like those long ago in Athens, who, rather than trusting the Lord, are very superstitious. Many have a real fear or paranoia when it comes to Friday the 13th. Although the origin of how this started is clouded, here is some interesting information on the subject:
The fear of the number 13 has been given a scientific name: “triskaidekaphobia,” and on analogy to this the fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia, from the Greek words Paraskeví, meaning “Friday”, and dekatreís, meaning “thirteen”).
In contrast we read: “On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness” (Esther 9:17). For the Jews it was a day of deliverance and rejoicing. For us, any day can be the same. Even on Friday the 13th we should remember: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).
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