Field Report #009

 

And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. Mark 1:13

The big two Biblical forties that come to mind immediately are the 40 years in the wilderness and the temptation of Christ accompanied by 40 days of fasting in the wilderness. But did you know...

There are 40 days of rain in the Great Flood. Moses is an exile in Midian for 40 years before God reveals himself in the burning bush. Then we see Moses fasting and lying prostrate before God on Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights. After the Israelite spies investigate Canaan for 40 days, God punishes their faithlessness with 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. (Oh, and Joshua was 40 years old when he went on the spying mission). 

Goliath tests the armies of Israel for 40 days during the 40-year reign of Saul, which is later followed by the 40-year reign of King David and the 40-year reign of his son, Solomon. After running from Jezebel, Elijah journeys for 40 days and 40 nights on the strength of a single meal to Mount Horeb (Sinai). In Ezekiel, God turns the land of Egypt into a desolation for 40 years before the people return.

The prophet Jonah gives the people of Nineveh 40 days to repent of their wickedness. Jesus is tempted by the devil in the culmination of a 40-day fast, and he remains on earth for 40 days after his resurrection before ascending into heaven.

We have to be careful not to read too much into Biblical numbers. Like any other part of creation like the sun or stars, numbers can be made into idols when we worship the creation rather than the creator.

But, keeping the number 40 firmly in its place, it would seem that God likes the number 40, and regularly used the number for good purposes throughout history. Common threads like testing, fasting, journeying, and repentance come out when comparing the various accounts that involve the number 40.

So how can we use the number 40 for God's glory today?

The church already uses 40 as a time of repentance in the 40-day season of Lent (excluding Sundays). Here the Christian is called back to meditate on the suffering of Christ and on his own sin, year after year. 

Recently, I've been really eager to see what else can be done with the number 40. Specifically, I'm interested in the idea of a 40-day period of testing or transition, a 40-day physical and spiritual journey. It sounds so silly and postmodern because this idea has taken hold to some extent with 40-day and 90-day challenges online. But maybe this is one of those cases where we have accidentally touched on a practice that actually has Biblical precedent. Looking back at the list from the beginning of this post, God seems to be a fan of the 40-day challenge!

Consider the disciplines God has called us to practice - prayer, the Word, fasting, bodily labors, loving our neighbor - and ponder how you could immerse yourself in one or more of these over a period of 40 days. I've got one going for myself (starting yesterday) and I'll keep the blog posted on how things are progressing! 

We need rituals, rites of passage, and transitions to mark the days and years of our lives. 40 days of testing seems like as good a way as any to give that a shot.