Kevin Watkins, I agree with you that it’s odd that it took 40 years for the splinters to work their way out.
I have continued to think about the number 40 since I wrote my previous blog. It is quite odd to me that it took 40 years for the splinters to come out of my back-side. But, if my life experiences have taught me anything, I have learned that I really need to pay attention to anything that I can’t stop thinking about. It’s how God speaks to me.
God has also always used numbers to get my attention. He used the number 3 all throughout in my 30s (a time of depression and renewal), the number 9 in my wedding (a time of joy) , and now the number 40 in my butt (a time of reflection and I hope revival). When he’s working on me, He also couples these “number games” with food allegories that arise at the same time (grapes and bread.)
So, since I know He’s working on me, I decided to do a bit of research on the biblical significance of the number 40. I know it’s an important number (the 40 day flood, 40 days in the wilderness, 40 days in the desert, 40 years in my butt) but I also know that my memory is fleeting and that compiling a list of all the biblical 40 year or 40 day instances would be a good exercise for me.
Funny to me is the fact that I came up with 10 instances of the number 40. You may not find it all that funny, but it’s funny to me because in our current culture we often write up lists of the “Top 10" Reasons for something or other. So, here’s “God’s Top 10 Uses of the Number 40.”
I hope that this is as much of an encouragement to you as it is to me. For me, it’s further confirmation of God’s mysterious ways but also that he has his hand in all of our lives, if we would only take the time to pay attention.
May God touch you in His own special way today and always.
God’s Top 10 Uses of the Number 40
1) It rained for 40 days and 40 nights for the Lord to cleanse the earth with water in the great Flood (Gen 7:12) and then Noah even waited another 40 days before he opened a window. (Gen 8:6)
2) The Egyptian embalming custom was to embalm for 40 days as it was their belief that it took that long to be ready to go into the afterlife. (Gen 50:3)
3) Moses was on the mountain with God for 40 days and 40 nights, once for the covenant, (Ex 24:18), and a second time for the 10 commandments (Ex 34:28-29). Moses’ face shone after the 40 days on the mountain. (Ex 34:29).
4) The Lord told Moses to send some men to explore Canaan, to see what the land was like. It took the Israelite spies 40 days to explore Canaan and to bring back a single cluster of grapes. (Num 13:23-25) (Note that the cluster of grapes was so large that 2 men carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. Amazing! And amazing it is what good things the Lord provides to those who love him and follow his instructions.)
5) The Israelites then spent 40 years wandering the wilderness. (Ex 16:35) The Lord said, “Your children will be shepherds here for 40 years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert. For forty years, one year for each of the forty days you explored the land, you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.” (Num 14:33-34)
6) Goliath strutted and taunted the Israelites for forty days before being killed by David. (1 Sam 17:16)
7) Strengthened by one angelic meal, Elijah traveled for 40 days and 40 nights to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. After spending the night in a cave, the Lord passed by and he heard His voice. (1 Ki 19:8-18)
8) Jonah warned the City of Nineveh they had 40 days until God would overthrow the city. The people repented in those 40 days and God spared the city. (Jonah 3:4 and 10 KJV)
9) Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness, he was tempted by Satan, then Satan left and he was attended by angels. (Mat 4:1-11)
10) Jesus was seen in the earth 40 days after His crucifixion. (Acts 1:3)
No comments:
Post a Comment