Moses was on the mountain with God twice for forty days and nights without eating or drinking anything so that he could receive the Ten Commandments and the Law, the right basis for living for all of mankind. In like manner Lord Jesus also was tempted by the devil during and after forty days of fasting, an event that has great consequences for mankind. During Noah’s time when, after he entered the ark, it rained continuously for forty days and nights and everything was destroyed by God to repopulate the earth with all those inside the ark. Does the number forty has any specific reference in the life of a believer?
It is not the number forty that matters but the purpose and result of that time span has definite relevance for us. Within a very short period of time after Adam sinned, the moral values of mankind suffered great deterioration and ‘God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth’ (Genesis 6:12). After Noah had completed making the ark, as commanded by God, he was told, ‘come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation’ (Genesis 7:1-3 &11-12). He was also commanded to take with him seven pairs of every clean animal, two of every unclean one and seven of all the birds ‘to keep the species alive’. After that ‘all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights’. All the earth was submerged under water and every living thing destroyed, except those in Noah’s ark to start life afresh on the earth.
Moses’ life is clearly divided into three forty year’s periods, each equipping him for the next. He was raised up in Pharaoh’s house for forty years, learning the ways of the royal courts; he visited his people and ended up killing an Egyptian beating a Hebrew man (Exodus 2:12-15). To escape death at the hands of Pharaoh, he then fled to Midian for forty years, tending the flocks of Jethro, the Midianite priest. God appeared to him from the Burning Bush to give him his next assignment to go to Pharaoh ‘that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt’ (Exodus 3:10). The wilderness period for him was to be alone with God and learn about Him. Finally, he led the Israelites in the wilderness for forty years to help them be transformed into a nation from a group of slaves.
Moses went up on Mount Sinai to be in the presence of the LORD God and he ‘was on the mountain forty days and forty nights’ to receive the Law from God (Exodus 24:18). After the sin of the Golden Calf, Moses broke the two Tablets of stone on which the LORD had written the Ten Commandments with His own hand. God called him a second time with ‘two tablets of stone like the first ones’ and ‘he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water’ (Exodus 34:1 & 28). He interceded for the Israelites for this period before the LORD to seek forgiveness, ‘because the LORD had said He would destroy’ them. At the end of this period he could tell the people; ‘the LORD has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day’ (Deuteronomy 29:4). Thus, it took forty years for them to develop a full level of understanding of being the ‘chosen people’ of God.
The Law specified a total of forty lashes to a person committing a crime deserving such punishment (Deuteronomy 25:3). And the Jewish people restricted it to thirty nine to avoid exceeding the number, for the purpose was to lead to change, atonement and transformation. The Israelite spies were in Canaan for forty days and the whole community wandered in the wilderness for forty years (Numbers 13:25). The Philistine giant Goliath taunted the Israelites under Saul the king, for forty days before David, a young man, challenged and killed him (1 Samuel 17:16). God provided special nourishment for Prophet Elijah on the way to Mount Horeb, after he fled from the expected wrath of Jezebel, the queen of Israel (1 Kings 19:7-8). He could walk ‘in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights’.
Lord Jesus was in the wilderness fasting for forty days and forty nights, after His baptism and descent of the Holy Spirit on Him with the proclamation from God the Father in heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’ (Mathew 4:2). It was during and after that period that He was tempted and tested by the devil. After successfully avoiding the devil’s traps, the Lord ‘returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region’ (Luke 4:14).
From above it is evident that forty represents transition or change; a new beginning; a new breakthrough or a new assignment in the power of the LORD God. As per Talmud, the Jewish book of ceremonial law, a person who becomes ceremonially unclean, must immerse in a bath filled with 40 seahs of water. This bathing is about one’s spiritual revival/renewal and the world was purified during Noah’s flood from its corruption due to sin. It takes about forty days for an embryo to form in a mother’s womb with formation of various organs. Moses had to be with God for forty days for complete forgiveness and joyful reconciliation of Israel.
The Son of God, our Redeemer, had to be in the wilderness to be ‘tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him’ (Mark 1:13). It was only after this period spent with the earthly and the heavenly beings without food that the Son of God could begin the process of reconciliation of mankind to God. After His resurrection, again He was with the disciples for forty days preparing them for the presence of God the Holy Spirit in them and be filled with His power to start the work of carrying the Gospel all over the world.
Necessity of fasting during the Lent Period – After His transfiguration, Lord Jesus came down with the three disciples and was met by the father of an epileptic boy who could not be freed from the demonic spirit by the other disciples. After healing the boy, He answered the disciples about their inability, saying, ‘this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting’ (Matthew 17:21).
Is there a deeper connection between a long fast with revelation of God’s glory and working in a believer’s life? I think the Holy Spirit, who is our Teacher to teach all things desires each believer to understand his/her calling and purpose for life. A fast must be with a purpose as led by the Holy Spirit and one must earnestly seek its fulfillment. A fast need not be for forty days for God to prepare and use you and move you for His calling as long as we are in a regular close relationship with Him. When, like Prophet Daniel, we diligently seek God’s face and surrender our physical hunger for spiritual hunger, God will bless with great change from within using you mightily for affecting other’s lives.
God Himself has defined a fast ‘to lose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke’ (Isaiah 58:6-7). Since it is about being a blessing for others and doing the work of the heavenly kingdom on earth, we are commanded to feed the hungry, help the needy, cover and clothe the naked and be available to others in need. Lord Jesus defined these same requirements to be blessed by Him and ‘inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’ (Matthew 25:35-36).
Prophet Isaiah next lists out the blessings that will follow such a fast (Isaiah 58:9-11). First, your light shall break forth like the morning. Second, your healing shall spring forth speedily, in physical and spiritual realms, both. Third, people far and wide will know about your righteousness through the mouths of others. Fourth, you will be protected by the glory of the LORD. Fifth, your prayers will be answered and the LORD God will be with you in your hour of need. Sixth, the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your soul during lack. Seventh, He will heal your body and strengthen you. Eighth, you being like a watered garden, shall teach and equip future generations. And ninth, you shall be called ‘Repairer of the Breach, the Restore of Streets to Dwell in’.
Once we compare the results of the fast as listed by Prophet Isaiah, we can clearly see the pattern of the forty days fast of Moses and Elijah. During Lord Jesus’ Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah ‘appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem’ (Luke 9:30-31). The first point is of the glory of the two saints, the great prophets of their times, which they had because of their special relationship with God. The second, the glory of Lord Jesus was not of God but of Man, for otherwise the two would have worshiped Him first. Third, they talked about the ‘exodus’ that He was to do at Jerusalem shortly, in line with the Old Testament prophecies. This was about His sufferings, crucifiction, resurrection and ascension as prophesied earlier. Ironically all three had undergone a fast for forty days and Moses twice in the presence of the LORD at Mount Sinai. Thus any fast must be with a purpose and not be for the sake of fasting alone and then it could be for any number of days, not necessarily forty days only.
Points to remember before fasting – Fasting is for reflection, repentance and spiritual growth, though Lord Jesus was ‘led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil’ (Matthew 4:1). The threefold role of the Redeemer was specific; first, ‘that He might destroy the works of the devil’ and free those held in slavery to sin. Second, be the merciful High Priest before God and atone for our sins (Hebrews 2:17) and finally having experienced temptation be able to sympathize with us in our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15) and be our Intercessor in heaven. The three parts of temptation are all about being independent of God by controlling one’s own destiny, though by using the God given power and authority. God permitted this temptation of His Son to prove to the devil and all of mankind that it was possible to walk the path of righteousness despite any odds that one may face.
If I want to fast in the same manner for forty days, I must first identify and analyze the weaknesses that I want to overcome in my life, repent of that and then seek help of God through fasting and prayer. Apostle Paul has identified the process of transformation of a believer, ‘we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord’ (2 Corinthians 3:18). Every believer is led by the indwelling Holy Spirit to the process of change by helping us identify the areas of change . Through our daily meditation of the Word of God and close fellowship with Him, we receive the strength and guidance to move in God ordained direction for our life. Lord Jesus did not start His ministry before this fasting, prayer and temptation, for this process essentially confirmed to Him that He could proceed further in His task on earth. He returned with power and even the demonic spirits could recognize Him and obey.
Every individual has two sides to his inherent nature, ‘lahshon tov’ meaning desire to do good and ‘lahshon hara’ to speak evil. Fasting and prayer is the process of trying to control ‘lahshon hara’ and strengthen ‘lahson tov’. Since this is supposed to be a continuous process, going for a long fast may not be necessary. It is about personal cleansing in both spiritual and physical of the body, thus getting closer to God. One must be sensitive to the urging of the Holy Spirit and trust that He will lead in this whenever His plan is to take you to a higher spiritual plane in your life. Fasting for the sake of following everyone else may help in reducing weight but may not be of much help otherwise.
Prophet Daniel was fasting for twenty one days for freedom of his people and their return to Jerusalem and Judea. Angel Gabriel specifically told him, ‘from the first day you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before God, your words were heard’ (Daniel 10:12). He wanted to understand God’s plan for His people in line with His Word and secondly, he humbled himself before God. Prayers heard are prayers answered and it was not about the number of days of fasting. Proper attitude matters for God examines the hearts and minds of people (Jeremiah 17:10).
Holy Spirit works in us when we fast with humility and surrender, to reveal the hidden evil, ungodliness and sin in us that may be affecting our commitment to the work of God. We are then likely to be tested also by the loving Lord to lead us to changed behavioral patterns and desires that we may perceive to be normal. It is during such times that our spirit becomes more sensitive to the ‘still small of voice of God’ which might be ignored by us in the great works that we might be involved in. The main purpose of fasting is to get closer to God and His people and is not about merely losing weight. It is only then that we gain spiritual insights, for in this manner like Moses and Elijah can we be on God’s Mountain, that is otherwise visible but not reached by a believer.
Fasting for any period of time, one day or forty days, cannot benefit if done by following others but without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is only then that we can discern and follow the way the Lord wants us to move on to fulfill the real purpose of life that He has ordained for us. Fasting as per tradition may benefit in losing weight but may not help in spiritual growth in any way!
