You might have seen a social media post that has been circulating lately. It is about day 41, the day “after” day 40. This day is the day that has impacted a lot of people in the Bible, and it might even impact you.
“In the Bible, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. On day 41, the rain stopped.
Moses committed murder & hid in the desert for 40 years. 41 came, and God called him to help rescue Israel.
Moses went up on the mountain for 40 days. On day 41, he received the Ten Commandments.
The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. In year 41, they walked into the Promised Land.
Goliath taunted Israel for 40 days. Day 41 came, and David slew him.
Jonah preached a message of repentance to Ninevah for 40 days. On day 41, God stopped His plan to destroy them.
Jesus fasted and was tempted for 40 days. On day 41, the devil fled. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples for 40 days. On day 41, He ascended into Heaven.”
I loved that social media actually had something circulating that was uplifting and talked about the Bible. But when things like this circulate, you want to check them out before sharing them with others. I knew about it raining for 40 days and nights and about Jesus being tempted in the desert for 40 days, but I wasn’t sure about the timeframe of the other events. So, I did some research for everyone.
Noah and the flood
Genesis 7:11-12
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.
Forty 40 days, the windows were closed on the Ark as the rains fell. You are in tight compartments with a bunch of stinky animals, so I’m sure everyone was relieved on day 41 when the windows were flung open.
Moses committed murder and fled
The timeline of Moses killing the Egyptian and fleeing from Pharoah wasn’t as easy to find.
Acts 7:23-30
23 “When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. 24 He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. 25 Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. 26 The next day, Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?’
27 “But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? 28 Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons.
30 “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai.
Moses stayed in Mirdian and met his future wife at a well. (That was the meeting place to find a wife.) He worked for his father-in-law tending sheep until the Lord had other plans for him.
Moses on Mt. Sinai
Exodus 24:9-18
9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up 10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. 11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.
12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”
13 Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. 14 He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.”
15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, 16 and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. 17 To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. 18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Exodus has to be one of the most exasperating books of the Bible. Every time the Lord saves the people of Israel, they go back to their sinful ways before you can bat an eye. Hmmm, sounds a lot like today’s world. Moses couldn’t leave them alone for 40 days before they had built a gold calf to worship. 🙄
Wandering in the desert
Joshua 5:4-6
4 Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. 5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. 6 The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Because the Israelites didn’t follow the Lord wholeheartedly, most of them perished in the desert, including Moses. The only two adults from the first generation to reach the Promised Land was Joshua and Caleb.
Numbers 32:11-12
11 ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of those who were twenty years old or more when they came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob— 12 not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’
Goliath taunted Israel
1 Samuel 17:16
16 For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.
Isn’t it funny how you can know a story in the Bible but still miss a few key points? Of course, we all know that David eventually kills Goliath, but I never paid attention to the timeframe until now.
Jonah Goes to Nineveh
Jonah 3:1-5
1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
All it takes is one person who believes and proclaims the word of God to change the course of a whole city. But, people have to listen and then believe.
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness
Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Jesus was not immune to temptation and testing. He had endured 40 days of fasting, so the devil knew He was hungry. The devil will tempt and test us on the things that mean the most to us. But the devil is no match for the Lord, and if you serve and worship Him only, the devil will flee from you also.
Moral of the Story
Don’t quit! Don’t give up or give in! The rain will stop, the giant will fall, and you will enter your “promised land.” Don’t give up at 40. You might want to ask yourself, 40 what? It could be 40 seconds, 40 minutes, 40 days, 40 months, or 40 years, but what if it is something else? What if it is 40 times to repent or say you are sorry? What if it is 40 times to pray for your enemy? What if it is 40 times to ask someone to church?
The Lord doesn’t give us our 40, but rest assured, 41 is coming.
To GOD Goes The Glory!
Have A Blessed Day!