Genesis 7:4 - Forty Days and Nights (Part 2)
In Genesis 7:4 - Forty Days and Nights, we saw the significance of 40 days and nights in the Old Testament, beyond simply The Great Flood.
Embalming
The next reference to “forty days” after The Flood refers to the duration of the ancient Egyptian embalming process, in Genesis 50:2-3. Egyptians embalmed the body by immersing it with a soda mixture, which leaves the body that is to be preserved. One can liken this process to The Flood, where the “world” is immersed and Noah and his family are like the part of the body being preserved.
Establishment of a New Covenant
The next reference is when Moses goes up to Mount Sinai for the 10 Commandments, and then later obtain the replacement tablets. The similarities to The Flood are that Moses was hidden in the clouds, and then light from his face emerged from the clouds, similar to the rainbow Noah saw when God established the Noahic covenant with the earth.
Relation to the Flood
As I summarized in Genesis 7:4 - Forty Days and Nights, “we see that a period of 40 days has the significance of preserving a body within a cloud (e.g., rain cloud, Holy Spirit), the expelling of a body’s impurity through immersion (e.g., flood, embalming), and establishment of a covenant’s sign using light (e.g., rainbow, Moses’ shining face).”
Forty Years in the Desert to Purify Israel
The next example does not add more symbolism to the flood; it is The Flood’s symbolism that gives the time in the desert meaning. After scouting the Promised Land for 40 days, representatives of the 12 tribes of Israel scouts decided by majority not to invade the Promised Land. They told of giants, and decided not to claim what God had promised them. Here was the consequence, as recorded in Numbers 14…
33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert. 34 For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35 I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this desert; here they will die.”
And as I commented in Genesis 7:4 - Forty Days and Nights…
Their 40 days of scouting could have been a new beginning for them, the purification of the land that God had for them. Instead, it was Israel who needed purification, and so those 40 days became 40 years. The immersion this time was not water, but the complete opposite of it… it was desert. Instead of protecting the remnant in a cloud, there was not a cloud in the sky. Instead of ending the 40 days with light, the light’s heat would pound on them mercilessly. As for part of the body that survived this immersion of light, they would never forget it… the Jews still talk of it to this very day.
David Kills Goliath After Forty Days
In 1 Samuel 17, Goliath taunted the Israelites for 40 days, before David finally manned up and killed him. In this example, Goliath is like the storm attempting to rid the Israelites of their will. However, he did not succeed. At the of the storm, David killed Goliath. What’s in common? God established a covenant shortly after Noah emerged from the 40 day storm. God established the Mosaic covenant shortly after Moses emerged from his 40 days on the mountain. And in similar fashion, God established the Davidic covenant shortly after David emerged from the 40 days of Goliath’s taunting.
Interestingly, the Adamic covenant and Abrahamic covenants were not preceded by 40 day events. However, they were not covenants of cleansing. The Noahic covenant was a promise not to Flood the Earth anymore; it was after a cleansing. The Mosaic covenant was the presentation of the Law; it would lead to a cleansing. The Davidic covenant was that the Messiah would come through his line; this was a cleansing from Saul, and a prophecy of the ultimate cleansing of sin.
Elijah Flees for Forty Days
In 1 Kings 18, Elijah was the last of the prophets of God. He challenged the 450 prophets of Baal, and ultimately killed them by the sword. In 1 Kings 19, Jezebel put a price out for Elijah, and Elijah fled for 40 days, through the desert, until he reached Mount Horeb. On his way, the Angel of the Lord fed him. When he arrived, God revealed himself… in a whisper. God told Elijah, among other things, to appoint himself a successor. He appointed Elisha. In 2 Kings 2, Elisha watched as Elijah was taken up to heaven in a chariot of fire.
In this case, there was no covenant established. However, there was a changing of the guard. Like other 40-day events, this one followed a cleansing (the killing of the prophets of baal). However, instead of leading to his beginning, it led to his end. For Elisha however, it was a beginning.
God revealed himself to Elijah in the mountains, similar to when he revealed Himself to Moses in the mountains. Later, Elijah would meet with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. Therefore, I believe it was Jesus who whispered to Elijah. However, like Moses, he could not see his face. For Moses, it was because Jesus had His back to him; for Elijah, the cloak over his head prevented him from seeing Jesus properly. Another Christophany, as we saw before The Flood, then later at Mount Sinai.
Jonah and the Whale
This one is a little different, but shares many of the same elements. Jonah was to pronounce a judgement of cleansing upon Ninevah. However, Jonah did not want them cleansed. He ended up swallowed by a whale, then finally pronounced the judgement. It would be in forty days. As he feared Ninevah repented of their sins… the cleansing through destruction was averted.
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The next post will finally discuss the significant of forty days for Jesus and his ministry.