Automatic Transcript Generated:
Speaker 4
Alright.
Speaker 3
So Marie is asking two of the most commonly repeated numbers in the Bible are seven and 40.
Speaker 4
Besides, it rained 40 days and 40 nights. What are other examples of the number 40?
Speaker 1
I am a big fan of Numerology, the study of numbers because there is so much meaning for just about every number in the Bible. So this is a great question, Marie, and let’s dive into that. So the first instance of the number 40 is the one you quote about the 40 days of 40 nights of the raining. And there’s going to be a consistent theme. We’ll see that often the number 40 is associated with a trial or a test, temptation, something like that, or just a rough period of time. Let’s take a quick look, though. Interesting that some of the next times you see it, Genesis 25 20, it says Isaac was 40 years old when he took Rebecca as his wife. And then Genesis 26 34, it says Esau ELA’s son was 40 years old when he took his wife Judith. And so two guys back to back, father, son, get married at 40. And then we see Genesis 50, verse 30. It’s talking about Moses now. And Moses is very interesting. We see the number 40 all the time around Moses. So Genesis 50, verse three. Oh, sorry, this is still talking about Joseph.
Speaker 1
No, Jacob. I think in his death it says 40 days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed. So Egyptians, they had this 40 day embalming process, which is interesting. And now let’s talk about Moses. So let’s back up or jump forward to the book of Acts and look at chapter seven. And it says, and Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was a mighty in his words and deeds. Now when he was 40 years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. So Moses was growing up getting trained by the Egyptians and he was 40 years old when he decided to go visit his fellow Israelites. And that’s when he murdered the Egyptian who was roughing up Israelite. And he then flees to the wilderness. He goes out into the land of Midian at 40 years old. Now we come to act seven versus 29 to 30. And Wendy, would you like to read that? Sure.
Speaker 4
Then at this thing.
Speaker 3
Moses fled and became a dweller in the land of Mityan where he had two sons. And when 40 years had passed, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a Bush in the wilderness of Mount Sinai.
Speaker 4
So Moses is in the wilderness for how many years when God presents himself in the Bush, 40 years, 40 years. So he flees at age 40. He then spends 40 years. God calls Moses now to go back to Egypt. And then we come to Exodus 24 and verse 18, and it says, So Moses went up into the midst of the cloud. So they’ve left Egypt. They’re at Sinai. It says, Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was in the mountain for how many days a night? 40 days a night. And then X is 34. What was that?
Speaker 2
I’m sorry, I’m just saying 40. I’m answering your question.
Speaker 1
Yes, thank you. And then Exodus 34, verse 28, talking about that same period. And this is notable. We’ll talk about this later. Exodus 34, verse 28. So he was there, Moses with the Lord, 40 days and 40 nights. He did not eat and he did not drink during this time. And he wrote the tablets of the words of the Covenant, the Ten Commandments. So he’s up there with God on Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights. He’s not eating anything for this whole period of time. Then we come to number 14:34. I’m running through these. It’s just so fascinating. Numbers 14:34. This is where we talk about how the spies of Israel went out for 40 days surveying the land of Canaan that they were about to go into. And then the Israelites panicked. They’re like, oh, no, we’re never going to get rid of these people. We’re all going to die. And then God comes now and says, I’m going to in numbers 14, verse 34, for each day you shall bear your guilt. One year for each day they were spying around, you’re going to spend one year in the wilderness. So 40 years the Israelites were in the wilderness.
Speaker 1
And then this is backed up by Exodus 16, verse 35. And it says, the children of Israel ate Mana for 40 years. And God does say that the aiding of the Mana was to test them to see if they would live by every word of the Lord. This was now a time of testing and also kind of a time of punishment. And they’re not eating regular food. They’re kind of fasting on Mana now. Second Samuel 54. This one is fascinating. David was 30 years old when he began to rain and he rained 40 years. So what happens if you add that 30 and the 40, 70. He was 70. So here we have seven also coming to play with 40. And then we have one Kings, two, verse eleven. Also talk about David. He said he rained over Israel for 40 years. Seven years he reigned in Hebron and in Jerusalem he reigned 33. So again, you have the seven in conjunction with a 40 period. So we have lots of 40 with David and then David’s son Solomon. First Kings eleven, verse 42. It says, and the period that Solomon reign in Jerusalem over all of Israel was 40 years.
Speaker 1
Jonah three to four, says, and Jonah began to enter the city. This is in Nineveh. He goes to Nineveh and he’s telling him what you have 40 days, Nineveh before you’re going to be destroyed, 40 days before you get overthrown. So Nineveh has 40 day testing period to show that they’re going to turn around and be forgotten. Now we get to numbers. Sorry, let’s go to Matthew. Now, Matthew four, verses one to two. And this is talking about Jesus. And Jesus was led by the Spirit into where the wilderness. The wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights afterward, he was hungry. Who else was fasting for 40 days and 40 nights Besides Jesus? Moses. Yeah. So it’s just fascinating how we see these numbers being used consistently and just keep reoccurring. So none of this is just by random chance. This is clear even by the stories of people’s lives that God is causing things to be very symbolic, very purposive. And when Jesus goes out for 40 days or 40 nights, that’s not just a random number that’s telling us this is a very important period of time of testing.
Speaker 4
And he’s going through same thing like Moses. He’s almost saying here, I’m going to be a second Moses too, or one greater than Moses. What are your thoughts, Tina?
Speaker 2
You know, I’ve always been fascinated with numbers in the Bible as well. And I think 40 has really been overlooked at how significant it is. So I really appreciate this question. And honestly, when I think of 40, there’s actually two thoughts that pop out to me as well. I’m sure there’s probably even more 40s that you can think of in the Bible. But I think of 40 being the number of a generation. And when it says like in numbers 30:2-13, basically because Israel sinned. And number 30:2-13, it says in the Lord’s anger was kindled against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness 40 years until all that generation that had done evil on the side of the Lord was consumed. And so it also reiterates us in Psalms, chapter 95, verse ten basically have the same thought that 40 years, this wicked generation passed away. And so basically 40 years is always like the time of just kind of like you’re saying of trial, of hardship, but it’s like for something to come to its end. And you see this word generation come again in Matthew 24, verse 34, where Jesus is prophesying about the destruction of Jerusalem, which is a dual prophecy of also the end of the world.
Speaker 2
So it says in Matthew 24, verse 34, Jesus says, Verily, I say unto you that this generation shall not pass to all these things be fulfilled. And what’s very interesting is he said this in the year of his death, which we believe to be 80,30. And so 40 years plus 80,30 would be 80, 70. And that’s when the destruction of Jerusalem occurred. So it’s just kind of interesting that this whole idea of 40 is either 40 days or 40 years. It always isn’t coincides with a time of like, you say something that needs to be fulfilled. It’s like, basically like cleaning the flight. Let’s just fulfill this prophecy and then we can go on to the next thing. Like, Jesus suffered for 40 days and 40 nights so that he could begin his Ministry. So he just had to get through that evil time. And then there was something good that came out, something new that came after it.
Speaker 1
Noah is a good example of that, too. Right? Get through that terrible flood.
Speaker 2
Yeah.
Speaker 1
And then a new world after that.
Speaker 2
Exactly. And it’s God’s nature like it says in the book of Psalms. Tears may come for the night, but joy comes in the morning. So there’s always hope, there’s always a new day, there’s always a second chance when it comes to God and there might be a time of trials that we have to go through and it’s hard but don’t lose hope because there is something new, there is a new heaven and a new Earth to look forward to. In Revelation 21, verse four, it says for God to wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things have passed away and so we can have that assurance of Salvation, assurance of God’s promise that all these terrible things that we’re going through now, they will have passed away one day very soon. So I just thank God that his promises are throughout the Bible and they’re consistent and we can always rely on God and his word.
Speaker 1
Amen. That’s so beautiful.
For full episode:
https://youtu.be/k0p6PyT5Fps
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