Tuesday, March 14th, 2017
40 Days and 40 Nights
Tomorrow is known as the first Sunday of Lent, so that would make our service tonight the first Saturday of Lent.
The word ‘Lent is shortened from Lenten, an old dutch word for Spring. Throughout this period of Lent the historical Christian tradition is to fast, joining with Jesus in his fast of 40 days and 40 nights in the desert.
If you actually count the days, from Ash Wednesday through to Easter Sunday, you’ll find that there are 46 days, not 40, and different Christian traditions deal with this in different ways, either by starting and ending the fasting period later or earlier, or by not counting Sundays in that period.
That’s our Anglican approach- we may elect to fast the days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, excluding Sundays.
As I considered what to speak about this weekend, I felt drawn to this whole notion of 40 days; what is the significance of that number anyway? If you’ve read much of the Bible, you’ll notice that “40 days and 40 nights” crops up many times throughout the Old Testament. In fact, one source I read said that it occurs 159 times! Another source counted 146 times- so a lot.
For example,
For the great flood, God caused it to rain 40 days and 40 nights (Genesis 7:12).
During Moses' life he lived forty years in Egypt and forty years in the desert before God selected him to lead his people out of slavery.
Exodus says Moses was on Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights (Exodus 24:18).
Deuteronomy says Moses interceded on Israel’s behalf for 40 days and 40 nights (Deuteronomy 9:18, 25)
In Deuteronomy, it specifies the maximum number of lashes a man could receive for a crime, to 40 (Deuteronomy 25:3).
The Israelite spies took 40 days to spy out the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:25).
The children of Israel were punished by wandering the wilderness for 40 years before a new generation was allowed to possess the promised land. (Deuteronomy 8:2-5).
Israel served the Philistines for 40 years before God delivered them through Samson (Judges 13:1).
Goliath taunted Saul’s army for 40 days before David arrived to slay him (1 Samuel 17:16).
When Elijah fled from Jezebel, he travelled 40 days and 40 nights to Mt. Horeb (1 Kings 19:8).
And Elijah went 40 days without food or water at Mount Horeb.
The prophet Ezekiel laid on His right side for 40 days to symbolize Judah's sins (Ezekiel 4:6).
The book of Ezekiel says Egypt was to be laid desolate for 40 years (Ezekiel 29:11-12).
The prophet Jonah gave the people of Nineveh forty days to repent before God would destroy them
As we read today, Jesus was tempted in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights.
There were 40 days between Jesus’ resurrection and his ascension into heaven (Acts 1:3).
You may have noticed that in all of the examples I read, this number 40 generally symbolizes a period of testing, trial or probation. Whether it’s the flood, wandering in the desert, slavery, lashes, waiting for repentance, or temptation from sin, it seems like 40 is a number that represents these judgments.
So what does this mean for us?
Well, if we look at the forty days and forty nights of Lent as being representative of any of those scripture stories I quickly outlined, then we have to acknowledge a connection to judgment. We’re going through a trial with Noah, with Moses, with the people of Israel, with Samson, with Elijah, with David, with Ezekiel, with Jonah, with Jesus -- we’re putting ourselves under that same judgment. We are admitting to our shortcomings, we are accepting the truth about ourselves-- that we are fallen, sinful, selfish creatures in need of salvation.
In my personal opinion, it’s not enough to just coast throughout this period of Lent. Make it personal - truly participate in the judgment against you by sacrificing something. Make it difficult. Give up coffee if you’ll get headaches. Let it hurt.
Each day of pain is a crescendo towards the moment of salvation at Easter. As we fast from whatever it is we choose to give up, we may use the pang of this hunger as a reminder of the judgment on us before Christ.
It can motivate us to see our true position before God. It can help us find the connection to hope in our salvation, for Easter is coming!
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