We are in chapter twenty-four of Exodus with our word for today which is a phrase. אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם וְאַרְבָּעִ֖ים לָֽיְלָה forty days and forty nights. It is used 9 times in the Old Testament. Let’s look at our uses. The first two times we see it is in reference to the flood. Genesis 7:4 For in seven days I will send rain on the earth אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם וְאַרְבָּעִ֖ים לָ֑יְלָה forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground … the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell upon the earth אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם וְאַרְבָּעִ֖ים לָֽיְלָה forty days and forty nights. So the first use of the Bible is God destroying all life because of sin except those on the ark. The next use of our phrase is in our chapter for today. Exodus 24:18 Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם וְאַרְבָּעִ֖ים לָֽיְלָה forty days and forty nights. As we have seen over the past few days Moses is meeting with God who is talking to him and giving him his word for his people on the stone tablets. Our next use is the second time Moses went up on the mountain to meet with God. Exodus 34:28 And the Lord said to Moses, “Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” So he was there with the Lord אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יוֹם֙ וְאַרְבָּעִ֣ים לַ֔יְלָה forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. The first time God wrote his words himself this time Moses is writing them down. The first tablets were destroyed which we will look at in the coming days. The next four uses of our phrase Moses is referring back to his time with God on the mountain. Deuteronomy 9:9, 11, 18 When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained on the mountain לָ֑יְלָה אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יוֹם֙ וְאַרְבָּעִ֣ים forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water … Then once again I fell prostrate before the Lord for אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יוֹם֙ וְאַרְבָּעִ֣ים לַ֔יְלָה forty days and forty nights. Deuteronomy 10:10 אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם וְאַרְבָּעִ֖ים לָ֑יְלָה Now I had stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights, as I did the first time. Did you see Moses refers to the two different occasions he met God on the mountain. Each of these times he spent the same amount of time using our phrase. The last time our phrase is used is in reference to Elijah who also met with God on the same mountain. He also went without food and water for the same amount of time as Moses. 1 Kings 19:8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יוֹם֙ וְאַרְבָּעִ֣ים לַ֔יְלָה forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. It is interesting that there are four references to Moses not eating anything and not drinking anything during his time with God on the mountain. This reminds us of Jesus time with God in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1-4 But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Jesus is quoting from the Bible, God’s word from Deuteronomy 8:3 where Moses is teaching the people about our need to rely on God for everything. Moses was pointing to this past event where God fed the people in the wilderness and took care of their physical needs so he can be trusted to take care of their spiritual and all other needs. Jesus quotes this teaching from Moses and applies it to his situation of being hungry after forty days and nights of fasting. He will rely on God to meet his spiritual needs instead of giving in to the temptation that the devil is offering him. I’ll close with these great words of Jesus that defined and propelled his mission. John 4:34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
