Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during January 2023]

There is an area in the southern hemisphere, between the latitudes of 40S and 50S where a fierce wind circulates the globe with little in the way of significant land masses to restrain it. For mariners it is a particularly dangerous area, testing their skills against the forces of nature, and it has gained the name of ‘the roaring forties’. In January 1988 the missionary ship ‘Logos’ was added to the tally of ships that were lost in that area.

Have you ever noticed how frequently the number forty is mentioned in the Bible? Three variants are the most common: 40 days, 40 days and 40 nights, and 40 years. In the account of the great flood we see that the rain fell for a period of forty days and forty nights; Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah; their son Esau was forty years old when he married Judith.

Moses spent forty years learning the etiquette of the Egyptian court before spending another forty years learning to lead sheep. Both experiences were essential to prepare him for the Exodus and leading the Israelites during the forty years spent wandering in the desert before entering the promised land.

Several of Israel’s judges and kings led the nation for periods of forty years. Sometimes they were periods of peace but at other times God used the surrounding nations to test his people’s loyalty.

Some Bible scholars subscribe to a school of thought called numerology, in which every number mentioned in the Bible is deemed to have some significance, beyond being a simple number. For them, the number forty is associated with times of trial and testing. There are several 40-day examples of periods of trial and temptation which support their argument:

• Moses spent forty days and forty nights on mount Sinai but the people turned away from God during his absence.
• The Israelite spies explored the land of Canaan for forty days before rejecting the opportunity to move into the land.
• The Philistine giant Goliath taunted the Israelite army for forty days causing fear throughout the nation.
• Elijah spent forty days on the run from Jezebel, fearing for his life.

 
In the early chapters of both Matthew and Luke we read that, after Jesus was baptised, he spent forty days and forty nights in the desert. During this time he was tempted by the devil who offered him shortcuts to satisfy his physical needs and to test God. On each occasion Jesus rejected the temptation, quoting words from scripture to aid his defence.

We too face temptations and trials of various kinds but are we sufficiently familiar with the words of scripture to be able to quote them in times of temptation? Here are two verses that can help:

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2 v18 [NIVUK]

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10 v13 [NIVUK]

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