XI. A Walk on the Wild Side. A. Review. Subject: Forty Days/Nights & Years

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1 XI. A Walk on the Wild Side Subject: Forty Days/Nights & Years Date: Theme: 09-Feb-14 The period of 40 days and nights (or 40 years) in Scripture symbolizes for us a period of testing, leading either to salvation or judgment. Key Verses: 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 (Numbers 14:33-34). 1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry (Matthew 4:1-2). A. Review Last week, we studied three-day journeys in Scripture. Three-day journeys in Scripture usually point to a process of going from a state of death into a condition of life. I noted that there were generally two different types of three-day journeys. The first type is the traditional journey where someone actively travels from point A to point B for some specific purpose. The second type is a passive journey, where the travel is more in terms of waiting for events to unfold. They are three-day periods of waiting, or preparation, or transformation. They are journeys in the sense that those involved are changed after the three-day period. So, we have active and passive three-day journeys. But what they all have in common is that they picture for us a change from death to life. Three-day journeys in Scripture picture for us the truth about redemption, as God raises us up from the dead into newness of life through His Son, Jesus Christ. We looked at three examples of 3-day journeys, three examples of 3-day waits, and one 3-day fulfillment. Those seven cases were: 1) Abraham & Isaac; 2) Moses & the Israelites; 3) Jonah & the Big Fish; 4) Joseph & the Servant s Dreams; 5) Israel & Mt. Sinai; 6) Esther & the King; and 7) the Death & Resurrection of Christ. And what we saw was that as in everything else, this pattern of 3-day journeys points us to Christ. We saw how Isaac, the only son of Abraham goes from a sentence of death to life after a three-day journey to the place of sacrifice. We saw how Moses and the children of Israel take a symbolic three-day journey (that actually lasted three months) from the land of slavery and sin and death to the God s holy mountain, the mountain of worship, the mountain of the words of life. Jonah descends into the Abyss and three days later is reborn on the land. This is the famous sign of Jonah that Christ clearly teaches as pointing to Him. As we recite in the Apostle s Creed: He descended into Hell; On the third day He rose again from the dead, according to the Scriptures. All of Scripture teaches us of Christ, and here is just another way in which it does. When we see a three-day journey, or a three-day waiting period, we can anticipate that Scripture is teaching us about the transition from death to life, from sin to salvation, from the Abyss to the Mountain of God. In short, there is a message of redemption for us to find. Three-day journeys teach us about Christ His death and resurrection, His victory over the grave, and His once-and-for-all atonement for sin that brings life to all who believe. Biblical Themes 2013.docx p. 100 of 135 DSB 16-Nov-13

2 B. Introduction Today s lesson is the second of three lessons in which we will be concerning ourselves with the study of biblical numbers. Last week, we looked at the number three in the context of 3-day journeys. Next week, Lord willing, we will look at some other numerical symbolism, such as 4, 7, and 12. However, today, I want to look at the number forty. First, let s list some prominent 40 s in the Bible on the flipchart. Does anyone see a pattern? Is there a consistent theme running through these? I ve not read very much on this subject, but I have tried thinking about it on and off for the past several years. And it seems to me that it is no accident that there is such a prevalent number of events which encompass 40 days and nights or 40 years. I ve done a word search of the Bible, and found a total of 61 hits on the phrases forty days, forty nights, and forty years. And today, I d like to look at a number of case studies on the subject of 40 days/nights & years. Now, there are many honorable mentions that didn t make the top list. For example, it s interesting to note that many of Israel s leaders reigned for 40 years, such as the judge Eli and the kings Saul, David, Solomon, and Joash. If you study the book of judges, you ll notice how periods of peace or suffering tend to come in forty-year increments. Of course, the life of Moses divides neatly into three 40-year periods: Egypt, wilderness, (and more wilderness!). Christ stayed on the earth 40 days between His resurrection and His ascension. And then there s the interesting period of 40 years between 30 A.D. and the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D. So now on to the list of finalists. Anyone want to guess how many case studies we ll examine? Well, we looked at seven cases of barrenness, and seven cases of 3-day journeys, so I guess we ll look at seven cases of 40-day or 40-year periods. Seven is an interesting number, is it not? The seven case studies I ve prepared for today are as follows: 1) Noah and the Great Flood; 2) Moses at Mt. Sinai; 3) Spying the Land/In the Wilderness; 4) David and Goliath; 5) Elijah and Mt. Horeb; 6) Jonah and Ninevah; and 7) The Temptation of Christ. As I have studied these cases, I would like to propose the following theme that is common to all of them: the period of 40 days and nights (or 40 years) in Scripture symbolizes for us a period of testing, leading either to salvation or judgment. Let me repeat the period of 40 days and nights is a picture of testing, temptation, or trials. It leads to either redemption, and sanctification, and life; or it leads to judgment, and condemnation, and death. Now, there are several key elements which are found in many (although not all) of these examples. The first one is the wilderness. As we go through these case studies, notice how the circumstances are unfamiliar, are barren, are lonely; how the participants are no longer on their terms, but on God s terms. The wilderness it s an important element in the concept of testing. The second prevalent element in many of these case studies is that of fasting, or deprivation. Notice how this is closely related to the element of the wilderness. In the wilderness, there is not much bounty. There is deprivation. This was reinforced to me during our recent vacation westward. How many of you have driven west of San Antonio? What do you find there? Not much! Much of West Texas, and virtually all of New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada is a desert. There are miles and miles of miles and miles. There are national forests without trees; there are rivers without water. No trees in sight, no water; just a bunch of dirt, rocks, sand, and scruffy Biblical Themes 2013.docx p. 101 of 135 DSB 16-Nov-13

3 little bushes. Sure, there is some life out there, but it is a difficult existence. There are lots of bats, and bugs, some birds and lizards in the desert, a few deer, and roadrunners. But not a lot of people, except at the touristy spots! Not many people were living out in the desert. For people, it is significant deprivation not much food or water. And that s what you find in the wilderness tough going. But for the Christian in the wilderness, there is always hope. Let us remember with the Psalmist, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows (Ps. 23:4-5). The valley of the shadow of death isn t that just another form of the wilderness? And notice how the faithful one is provided for in the midst of trouble. God can relieve deprivation. So as we go through these seven case studies on the number 40 this morning, please keep in mind the theme of testing in the wilderness, with God restoring His saints and judging the wicked. Without further ado, let s go out to the wilderness and take a walk on the wild side! C. Lesson 1. Noah and the Great Flood (Gen. 7-8) 1 The LORD then said to Noah, Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. 2 Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, 3 and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. 4 Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made. 5 And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him. 6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, 9 male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 12 And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark. 14 They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind, everything with wings. 15 Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark. 16 The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in. 17 For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18 The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered. 20 The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty Biblical Themes 2013.docx p. 102 of 135 DSB 16-Nov-13

4 feet. 21 Every living thing that moved on the earth perished birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark. 24 The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days (Genesis 7:1-24). 1 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. 2 Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. 3 The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, 4 and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible. 6 After forty days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark (Genesis 8:1-6). Who remembers Tropical Storm Allison? How long did it rain? About 40 hours, not 40 days. If you live in the west side of Houston, or in Katy, you didn t see all that much rain. We probably had 6-8 inches at our house; much less in Katy or Sugar Land. But if you lived further to the east or north of Houston, you may have received up to 30 inches of rain. That s quite a bit. Many homes and businesses were flooded. Many of you had work places flooded. We all saw the pictures. But that amount of rain was nothing compared to the Great Flood of Noah s time. God looked upon the earth, and saw it filled with wickedness, except for Noah and His family. And so God determines to destroy the world by water. God enters into a period of judgment on earth, and that form of judgment takes the shape of a 40-day flood. In forty days, God transforms the world into a watery wilderness. Yes, a watery wilderness. It was a barren, lonely, lifeless, dangerous place, and only Noah and his family were spared. In both his epistles, Peter cites the example of God s judgment on the earth at the time of Noah: 18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water (1 Peter 3:18-20). 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; 6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) 9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment (2 Peter 2:4-9). Biblical Themes 2013.docx p. 103 of 135 DSB 16-Nov-13

5 Do you see Peter s point? God is in the judgment business. God didn t spare the fallen angels, he didn t spare Sodom and Gomorrah, and he didn t spare the ancient world. On the other hand, God did spare Noah and his family, and Lot who were accounted as righteous. God is in the judgment business. He gave the world a 40-day test. Everybody except Noah and his family flunked. If you are not righteous, you will fail, and death is the result. However, God spares the righteous and gives them life. And so, Noah and his family pass the test. 2. Moses at Mt. Sinai (Ex. 24; 34 Dt. 9-10) Now for the second case study. Moses goes up onto Mt. Sinai twice first in Exodus 24, and then again in Exodus 34. Both times, he s doing the same thing, receiving the law. In between, there s a little problem with the folks down in the valley below. 12 The LORD said to Moses, Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction. 13 Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. 14 He said to the elders, Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them. 15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, 16 and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. 17 To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. 18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights (Exodus 24:12-18). 1 The LORD said to Moses, Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. 2 Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. 3 No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks and herds may graze in front of the mountain. 4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the LORD had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 28 Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant the Ten Commandments. 29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them (Exodus 34:1-4, 28-31). In the book of Deuteronomy, chapters 9-10, Moses reminds Israel what happened those two trips up Mt. Sinai: 7 Remember this and never forget how you provoked the LORD your God to anger in the desert. From the day you left Egypt until you arrived here, you have been rebellious against the LORD. 8 At Horeb you aroused the LORD's wrath so that he was angry enough to destroy you. 9 When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the LORD had made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water. 10 The LORD gave me Biblical Themes 2013.docx p. 104 of 135 DSB 16-Nov-13

6 two stone tablets inscribed by the finger of God. On them were all the commandments the LORD proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. 11 At the end of the forty days and forty nights, the LORD gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. 12 Then the LORD told me, Go down from here at once, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt. They have turned away quickly from what I commanded them and have made a cast idol for themselves. 13 And the LORD said to me, I have seen this people, and they are a stiffnecked people indeed! 14 Let me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they. 15 So I turned and went down from the mountain while it was ablaze with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. 16 When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the LORD your God; you had made for yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the LORD had commanded you. 17 So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, breaking them to pieces before your eyes. 18 Then once again I fell prostrate before the LORD for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the LORD's sight and so provoking him to anger. 19 I feared the anger and wrath of the LORD, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the LORD listened to me. 20 And the LORD was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I prayed for Aaron too. 21 Also I took that sinful thing of yours, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dust and threw the dust into a stream that flowed down the mountain. 22 You also made the LORD angry at Taberah, at Massah and at Kibroth Hattaavah. 23 And when the LORD sent you out from Kadesh Barnea, he said, Go up and take possession of the land I have given you. But you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. You did not trust him or obey him. 24 You have been rebellious against the LORD ever since I have known you. 25 I lay prostrate before the LORD those forty days and forty nights because the LORD had said he would destroy you (Deuteronomy 9:7-25). 1 At that time the LORD said to me, Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden chest. 2 I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Then you are to put them in the chest. 3 So I made the ark out of acacia wood and chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 4 The LORD wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments he had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the LORD gave them to me. 5 Then I came back down the mountain and put the tablets in the ark I had made, as the LORD commanded me, and they are there now 10 Now I had stayed on the mountain forty days and nights, as I did the first time, and the LORD listened to me at this time also. It was not his will to destroy you. 11 Go, the LORD said to me, and lead the people on their way, so that they may enter and possess the land that I swore to their fathers to give them (Deuteronomy10:1-5, 10-11) What we have here, in essence is a two-ring circus. By that, I don t mean to make light of the situation; rather, I mean that we have two stories going on simultaneously. It s kind of like picture-in-picture. You can listen to the news in one corner, and keep your eye on the ballgame at the same time. So, what s going on here? Moses goes to meet with God in the clouds, on top Biblical Themes 2013.docx p. 105 of 135 DSB 16-Nov-13

7 of Mt. Sinai. He s gone for a long time. Forty days in fact. And during that time he neither eats nor drinks. While he suffers bodily deprivation, he s in spiritual heaven. He s fellowshipping with the Lord. He s receiving the Ten Commandments and much of the Law of the Covenant. So, that s the first scene to keep in mind. Down below, at the base of the mountain, is the other half of our tableau. The people are afraid. They are without their leader, Moses. The mountain is a scary place, full of lightning, thunder, and strange events. What are they going to do? This is a time of testing for Israel. While the covenant is made and the law is given, the people are being tested. The people have just agreed in Ex. 24:8 to to everything the LORD has said. Will they keep up their end of the bargain? That s the test. What happens? They commit the sin of the golden calf. They fail. The stone tablets are destroyed by Moses; and many of the sinners die as a result. Moses then prays to God for 40 days and nights to spare Israel. This is another period of trial, of testing. And the fate of Israel hangs in the balance. God listens to Moses and relents, the people are spared. So we see that although the people of God fail in the test, they are spared because of the intercession of the Redeemer, Moses. Judgment is averted, for now. Moses returns to the mountain for another 40 days, but this time the outcome is different. Moses sees the glory of God, and that glory shines from his face. The people are afraid of Moses, the agent of God, and the glory of God shining from Moses face. They are no longer fearless of God, sinning in plain sight. They are fearful of God. They are obedient. So, they have passed the retest, for now. But that situation doesn t last for long 3. Spying the Land/In the Wilderness (Num 13-14) 1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders. 17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? 20 How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land. (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.) 25 At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land. 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them (Numbers 13:1-2, 17-20, 25, 32-33). 26 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: 27 How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. 28 So tell them, As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: 29 In this desert your bodies will fall every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32 But you your bodies will fall in this desert. 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 Biblical Themes 2013.docx p. 106 of 135 DSB 16-Nov-13

8 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 (Numbers 14:26-35). And the fulfillment of the promise in Numbers 14:28-35: 6 The Israelites had moved about in the desert forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD. For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land that he had solemnly promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey (Joshua 5:6). There are many other references to the 40 years of wilderness wandering this story is well known to us and is a crucial part of OT history. Moses sends the 12 spies to Canaan. Little did they know what the test was to be! They were gone exactly 40 days the period of testing. Did they pass test? NO! Ten of the twelve spies said that the Israelites couldn t take the land. Only Caleb and Joshua gave a good report. And the people of Israel believed the 10 disobedient spies. It s interesting to note that while the nation of Israel stayed in the wilderness, the spies went into the Land of Promise. The exact opposite of the wilderness. There was plenty of food there. It was a land flowing with milk and honey. And yet, the people reject the food, spurn the provision, and would have rather returned to the land of Egypt, the land of slavery, than go forward into the Land of Promise. God s punishment for them was as follows: for each day the spies spent in the land, the people of Israel would spend one year in the wilderness, until that generation had all died. Forty years of wandering, corresponding to the forty-day reconnaissance of the land. That was the punishment for their disobedience. Michael Card has written a wonderful song about the period of wilderness wandering. It s entitled, In the Wilderness. (You may be able to tell that I really like Michael Card s music, because this is the third time I ve quoted him this quarter!). Listen to the lyrics: CHORUS: In the wilderness, in the wilderness He calls His sons and daughters to the wilderness. But He gives grace sufficient to survive any test, And that s the painful purpose of the wilderness. In the wilderness we wander, in the wilderness we weep, In the wasteland of our wanting where the darkness seems so deep. We search for the beginning, for an exodus to home And find that those who follow Him must often walk alone. CHORUS In the wilderness we re wond ring for a way to understand. In the wilderness there s not a way, for the Way s become a man. And the man s become the Exodus: the way to holy ground. But wand ring in the wilderness is the best way to be found. CHORUS Biblical Themes 2013.docx p. 107 of 135 DSB 16-Nov-13

9 Groaning and growing amidst the desert days, The windy winter wilderness can blow the self away. In the wilderness, in the wilderness He calls His sons and daughters to the wilderness. But He gives grace sufficient to survive any test, And that s the painful purpose of the wilderness. And that s the painful purpose of the wilderness. 4. David and Goliath (1 Sam. 17) 1 Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. 2 Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. 3 The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them. 4 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him. 8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us. 10 Then the Philistine said, This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other. 11 On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. 16 For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand. 17 Now Jesse said to his son David, "Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. 18 Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. 32 David said to Saul, Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him. 33 Saul replied, You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth. 34 But David said to Saul, Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. Saul said to David, Go, and the LORD be with you. 38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. I cannot go in these, he said to Saul, because I am not used to them. So he took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. 41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was only a Biblical Themes 2013.docx p. 108 of 135 DSB 16-Nov-13

10 boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 Come here, he said, and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field! 45 David said to the Philistine, You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands. 48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. 50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. 51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran (1 Samuel 17:1-11, 16-18, 32-51). Notice the situation. Two enemy armies camped out on two different mountains with the valley between them. A wilderness of sorts certainly not back home in the La-Z-Boy recliner! Israel is being tested by the great champion of Gath, the giant Goliath. Significantly, the taunting of Goliath continues for 40 days and nights. Doesn t that seem odd? Isn t that a long time to issue the challenge without any result? Don t you think both armies were starting to get restless, maybe running low on supplies? After all, Jesse sends David to bring more food and supplies to his older brothers in the army. They must have been running low on food, in this wilderness-like setting. So, the army of Israel waits in the wilderness 40 days, enduring the taunting of the heathen Goliath. Who passes the test? The lowly shepherd boy named David, come to visit his older brothers on the frontlines. Notice how the story changes between verses 16 and 17. In verse 16, we have the 40 days and nights of testing. In verse 17, we are introduced to the shepherd boy, David. From that point on, the story begins to change. God s chosen one is coming. Thus, God s anointed saves Israel and comes to the attention of the man he will one day replace King Saul. 5. Elijah & Mt. Horeb (1 Kgs. 19) 1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them. 3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. I have had enough, LORD, he said. Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors. 5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, Get up and eat. 6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. 7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, Get up and eat, for the Biblical Themes 2013.docx p. 109 of 135 DSB 16-Nov-13

11 journey is too much for you. 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: What are you doing here, Elijah? 10 He replied, I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too. 11 The LORD said, Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah? 14 He replied, I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too. 15 The LORD said to him, Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him (1 Kings 19:1-18). Elijah is tired; Elijah is discouraged; Elijah needs his spiritual batteries recharged. Elijah wants to give up. But God sends him on a journey through the wilderness to Mt. Horeb, to Mt. Sinai, to the mountain of God where Moses saw the burning bush and twice spent 40 days in communion and fasting with God. Notice that God equips Elijah for the journey that he eats and drinks before his 40-day fast of traveling to Horeb. And it is there that Elijah s spirit is renewed. It is there that he understands that God s plan is working, despite the odds, despite Jezebel. Elijah is not alone 7000 have not bowed the knee to Baal. God gives Elijah three helpers: Hazael, king of Syria to punish the children of Israel; Jehu, to punish Ahab and Jezebel; and Elisha, to help Elijah, so he doesn t have to go it alone any more. Elijah is re-equipped to do battle for the Lord. 6. Jonah and Ninevah (Jonah 3) 1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: 2 Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you. 3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city a visit required three days. 4 On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned. 5 The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat down in the dust. 7 Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil Biblical Themes 2013.docx p. 110 of 135 DSB 16-Nov-13

12 ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish. 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened (Jonah 3:1-10). After Jonah s three-day journey in the belly of the great fish, God gives Jonah a second chance to complete his mission. And Jonah does that (not that Jonah is happy with the results, but that s beyond the scope of today s lesson!). Significantly, Jonah gives the city of Ninevah 40 days to repent. This is a time of testing. A time of salvation or judgment. Which will it be? Surprisingly, the answer is repentance and salvation. Notice how the king of Ninevah responds with orders to fast, one of our key elements associated with a 40-day test period. The Ninevahites repentance is real; God s mercy has come to Gentiles. Gentiles are saved in the OT! 7. The Temptation of Christ (Mt. 4; Mk 1; Lk. 4) 1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. 4 Jesus answered, It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. 5 Then 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. 7 Jesus answered him, It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' 8 Again, 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. 10 Jesus said to him, Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him (Matthew 4:1-11). Ultimately, all of these periods of testing point us to Christ. Christ faces the ultimate 40-day trial. After forty days of fasting in the wilderness, the devil comes to tempt our Savior. Will he fall, will he fail? Will he be like the whiney-behiney Israelites in the wilderness? The connection between the wilderness of wandering of ancient Israel and the setting for the temptation of Christ is unmistakable. Notice the other wilderness settings the desolation of the flood, the loneliness of Mt. Sinai, the mountain/valley setting of the Goliath confrontation, etc. Notice the element of fasting present here, as also in the episodes of Moses on the mountain, and Elijah, and even in the conversion of Nineveh. So. Christ faces the tempter. He faces the trial. What is the outcome to be? Well, we know that Christ defeats the tempter. D. Conclusion Today, we ve looked at the biblical pattern of testing, of trial. The type is of a 40-day trial in the wilderness. We ve seen Noah pass the test while the rest of the world was destroyed. We ve watched Israel fail at Mt. Sinai, only to have the Redeemer, Moses, intercede on their behalf. We ve seen the spies fail in the land, condemning disobedient Israel to 40 years of wilderness wandering. We ve seen the Israelites cower under the taunting of Goliath, only to have David step up and deliver Israel from their tormentors. Elijah is weary and needs encouragement; God Biblical Themes 2013.docx p. 111 of 135 DSB 16-Nov-13

13 gives him strength to endure. Even the Gentile citizens of Ninevah are given 40 days to repent. They are faced with the question of salvation or judgment, and they come to repentance. All of these 40-day test periods point to the ultimate wilderness trial the temptation of Christ. There s a tremendous amount to learn from Matthew 4:1-11 which we don t have time to explore, but certainly one point is this: we have a Savior who understands our weakness. We have a Savior who has undergone trial, and testing, and temptation. We have a Savior who has fasted in the wilderness for 40 days and then undergone the ultimate trial. And He triumphed. Hebrews 4:15 teaches us, For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are yet was without sin. The time of testing comes when we are most vulnerable. When we are weak from deprivation or disoriented from unfamiliar circumstances. When we are in the wilderness. And if you are not there now, don t worry, it s coming! God promises us periods of testing, that trials will come. We all will undergo the 40-day wilderness experience. The question is, how are you going to approach that time of testing? James gives us the answer: 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him (James 1:2-5). Consider it joy. Consider it joy! Why? Because when trials come, they make us more like Christ. In the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul uses the negative example of the sin of Israel in the wilderness to urge us to obedience. He exhorts us to remember what happened to them, and NOT to follow their negative example. Rather, in the time of testing, in the time of trial, in the time of temptation, remember that no temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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 stand up under it (1 Cor. 10:13). That s a very familiar verse, but remember the context: it s an exhortation not to follow the negative example of the Israelites in the wilderness, but to stand firm in the time of testing. We do have a high priest who was tested in every way, yet without sin. And as Christians, we are called to be like that high priest, to be like our elder brother Jesus Christ, to face trials and sin not. God gives us the power through His Holy Spirit to avoid the sin, so that we can stand firm. Sadly, we do not stand as strong as we should, and we continually fall into sin. Yet, Christian, take encouragement, Christ has faced the challenge, Christ has defeated the enemy. Christ says, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). It is the sufficiency of Christ in the time of trial, in the wilderness, in the 40 days and nights of testing, that we must cling to as Christians. Remember the words of Michael Card s song: In the wilderness, in the wilderness He calls His sons and daughters to the wilderness. But He gives grace sufficient to survive any test, And that s the painful purpose of the wilderness. Biblical Themes 2013.docx p. 112 of 135 DSB 16-Nov-13