Genesis 7:4 - Forty Days and Nights (Conclusion)
After looking at all of the Old Testament events in the Bible that happened over 40 days, we can now turn to Jesus’ 40 days. Based on Genesis 7:4 - Forty Days and Nights (Part 2), here is a list of the common symbolism found:
- Immersion
- The removal of impurity or sin
- Emerging of God’s light
- Establishment of a covenant
- Beginning of a ministry or era
The Great Flood embodies all of these. The other 40-day events in the Old Testament each embody various combinations of this imagery, some using count-imagery, like when the Israelites turn 40 days into 40 years, or when Goliath taunted the Israelites for 40 days. Some establish a new condition at the conclusion of the 40 days, others shortly after, by building on what the 40 days accomplished. But in every case, there is a connection. It makes it extremely significant therefore that Jesus Himself would have a 40-day experience. In fact, He had two.
40 Days in the Desert
Following is a composite picture of Jesus’ time in the desert, based on Matthew 4, Mark 1, and Luke 4:
Mark 1
 9At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”Luke 4
 1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.Matthew 4
Temptation #1
 3The tempter [or the devil; Lk 4:3] came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”Temptation #2
 5Then 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.’” 7Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”ÂTemptation #3
 8Again, 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.” [”I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.”; Lk 4:5-7] 10Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
 11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Luke 4
 13When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. 14Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
At first glance, it is hard to see the 5 symbols above in this experience.
- His 40 days was in the desert - the opposite of being immersed in water. It is similar to the 40 days the Hebrews spent in the desert, except they were being punished. Jesus was not being punished.
- There was no purification from sin
- When Jesus emerged from the desert, there was no light… but Jesus did “let His light shine” through preaching. It is not quite the same thing however.
- Jesus did not establish the New Covenant yet
- Ah! He did begin His ministry!
Hmmm… not much of our symbolism. The angels attended to Jesus during His 40 days, as they attended to Elijah. He was in the desert, like the Israelites were. His arrival would start to fulfill the Davidic covenant that was connected with David’s 40 days. But, almost none of our primary imagery! It would seem almost certain that Jesus’ 40 days would have more connection to our imagery than that! Well it does, because quite significantly, Jesus’ 40 days came right after Jesus was baptized. As summarized in Mark 1…
 9At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
And here it is! Just before His 40 days in the desert…
- Jesus was immersed in water
- Though He had never sinned, it symbolized the purification of sin (One could say that He was in fact purified, but being pure already, He was unchanged)
When Jesus emerged, Heaven opened, and the Holy Spirit descended “on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’ “ - As for God’s light shining, that did happen later. When you read of the Mount of Transfiguration, you can see where Jesus’ Glory was seen through the cloud of the Holy Spirit. And in fact Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus, having had 40-day experiences of their own.
Interestingly, Jesus did not experience the type of purification symbolized by The Flood… He brought it. In fact, even the embalming we saw in Genesis 50 was not performed on Jesus. He was simply laid in the tomb. And for how long? 3-days… the same amount of time Jonah was in the whale… and Jonah, too was connected with a 40-day experience!
As for Satan tempting Jesus in the desert for 40 days before giving Jesus His final 3 temptations above, it was much like Goliath’s taunting of Israel before David came and conquered him. It is particularly interesting, because some time after killing Goliath, David fled from Saul. During that time, he was fed by God in the mountains… Jesus refused to be. David was protected from harm by God… Jesus refused to be. David was given many kingdoms to rule… Jesus refused to be. Is it because the life that emerged from David’s 40-day experience does not foretell what Jesus will do? On the contrary, it simply was not time yet. The real temptation for Jesus was to forgo His death on the Cross, and simply jump right into His kingdom. He could have done it, but He did not. He remained obedient to the Father; he remained righteous.
In the end, the point of this exercise is to see the enormous foreshadowing of Christ in The Flood. It’s everywhere you look.