Last week, at the beginning of Lent, I did a brief study on the number "40" in scripture and wanted to document the things I gleaned here, for future reference. It might be of interest to some of y'all, too.
* When we see the number "40" in scripture, it reveals a time of trials, probation, or testing
* The number 40 is mentioned 146 times in the Bible
* It rained for 40 days and 40 night during the great flood of Noah's time (Genesis 7:4)
* Israel ate manna for 40 years in the wilderness (Exodus 16:35)
* Moses was on Mt. Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights receiving the Law (Exodus 24:18)
* Elijah, after being told by an angel to get up and eat and drink, became strong enough to travel for 40 days and 40 nights to Mt. Sinai (I Kings 19:8)
* Ezekiel laid on his right side for 40 days, 1 day for each year of Judah's sin (Ezekiel 4:6)
* Jonah gave the city of Nineveh a 40 day warning before it was to be destroyed (Jonah 3:4)
* Jesus was tempted for 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2, Luke 4:1-2)
* Jesus was seen by His disciples for 40 days after his resurrection (Acts 1:3)
I feel Lent is a time that all Christians can spend in prayer and repentance and reflection. The following verses were some of the most compelling.....
and convicting.....
to me as I did this study, so I'll just end with them.....
Deuteronomy 8:2-5
Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell. Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.
What a great study and I did learn some things. Thank you for posting this morning. I am going to copy and share with my Jim...he will be interested as well. Have a nice day.
ReplyDeleteThinking much about the 40s myself. I really appreciate the reference to the Deuteronomy verses!
ReplyDeleteLots of 40's!!
ReplyDeleteWonderful!! 40 is a recurring theme in the Scriptures! I guess I hadn't really put them all together before! Very interesting!!! God has a reason and a plan for every thing He does. We have SO much to learn! Thank you for sharing this with us. I learned something new today!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful...hey, you know, your blog disappears and then reappears, grinning, just saying...and thought I would say something funny---since I will be out of my 40's soon, it sure is scary. giggling.
ReplyDeleteI have never done a study on what 40 meant in the Bible... a time of trial and testing, wow! Thank you for sharing the results of your studies with us. Can you imagine how it must have felt to lay on your right side for 40 days? Oh my. Very interesting study for sure. Hugs to you today :)
ReplyDeleteAmazing!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautifully written post, Mrs. Debbie. Thank you so much for sharing all of the instances where 40 was used in the Bible. You are a blessing.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful study and reflection. Thanks for this thoughtful post, Debbie.
ReplyDelete