The Blessed 40 Days of Lent

In this next week millions of Christians will begin their 40-day journey toward the celebration of the first and greatest of the Christian festivals, the Feast of the Resurrection. This Feast is so important because, as St. Paul wrote, "If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain." He goes on to point out that he is a false prophet if this is not so. If there is no such thing as a raising of our bodies from death and the grave, we are still guilty as sinners who must answer to God. And those who have died before us have most certainly perished and gone to hell. What pitiful wretches we are. Everything about life is therefore without meaning and the only thing left is to grab as much of life's treasures and pleasures as you can before you die. (1 Corinthians 15:14-19; Ecclesiastes 6:1-12).

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead. That is both our faith and the most irrefutable fact of human history. We challenge anyone, any where to prove otherwise. And we look forward with great eagerness to that day when death, the final enemy, will be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:20-26).

In preparation for this celebration the Church has encouraged believers from the beginning of the Christian era to set aside 40 days to meditate upon God's Word, pray and fast. Why 40 days? 40 is the number closely connected with cleansing, penitence and preparation for new beginnings. Consider the following:

• When the Lord saw that all mankind had rejected Him, He determined to destroy them all with a great flood. Noah and his family and the animals floated safely upon the waters in the Ark as it rained upon the earth 40 days and 40 nights (Genesis 7:12). The flood continued for another 150 days before the Ark settled on the mountains of Ararat. On the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible. Noah then waited another 40 days before opening a window in the Ark (Genesis 8:6). 
• After Moses led the Children of Israel out of bondage and slavery in Egypt and across the Red Sea, they came to Mount Sinai. The LORD then called Moses up to the mountain and spoke with him for 40 days and nights, giving him instructions about the Tabernacle and its furnishings, the priests and the Sabbath (Exodus 24:12-18). 
• While on the mountain, large numbers of the Israelites gave up their trust in the LORD and in Moses. They forced Moses' brother Aaron to create a golden calf, most likely the Egyptian goddess Hathor, who was represented as a holy cow and considered the goddess of love, sex, fertility, beauty and motherhood. They worshipped this goddess with sacrifices, feasting, music and ribald lust. When Moses came down from the mountain he was filled with anger and called upon the Levites to slaughter the revelers. Some 3,000 died that day. Then Moses returned to the mountain for 40 days, to fast and to plead for the people, fearing especially that the LORD would destroy them all (Exodus 32:1-35). 
• Later Moses sent spies from all the tribes to scout out the promised land for 40 days. This was the land they all longed for. This was the land they hoped to possess (Numbers 13:17-25). 
• Because they rejected the opportunity given to them to take the promised land, the LORD sent the Israelites back into the wilderness for 40 years, one year for each of the 40 days they had explored the land (Numbers 14:33-34). 
• Many years later, the prophet Elijah fled to the wilderness of Sinai after challenging and slaughtering the prophets of the god Baal. Strengthened by an angelic meal, he went on for 40 days to Mount Horeb where he heard anew the voice of the LORD (1 Kings 19:1-18). 
• In perfect obedience to His Father and ours the LORD Jesus, led by the Spirit, went for 40 days into the wilderness to fast and pray. At the end of His fast He hungered and was tempted by Satan to disobey His Father (Matthew 4:1-11). 

 So we follow these great examples and set aside 40 days to ponder our lives here upon this earth, to remember that we also are disobedient sinners and deserve nothing less than the eternal judgment of God. But we also rejoice that our LORD Jesus endured all this for us and lived for us that perfect life of obedience, finally offering up that most precious life for us all and rising again on the third day.

I'll say more about the temptations our LORD endured for us while in the wilderness in the days ahead.