Forty Nights [EXCLUSIVE]
According to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus spent "forty days" in the desert before beginning his public ministry (see Mark 1:13; Luke 4:2). Matthew's Gospel even specifies that it was "forty days and forty nights" (Matt 4:2). Whether or not this period of Jesus' life was precisely forty days is theologically irrelevant, since the number "forty" is highly symbolic in all biblical literature, representing "a long time," especially as a time of trial or testing.Consider the following examples:
Forty Nights
Many Christians celebrate Lent as a period of preparation before Easter, with fasting, prayer, almsgiving, and penance. Based on the above biblical foundations, it is traditionally thought to be 40 days long; yet there are actually 46 calendar days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. So which of them is counted as the "forty days" of Lent? Several factors complicate the answer to this question.
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We encourage you to order an annual pass for you and your family so you can attend all forty days and forty nights and not miss any of your favorite artists live in concert. An annual pass gives you unlimited admission to the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum, plus free parking, valid for one year from first visit. The Ark Encounter and Creation Museum are the two leading Christian themed attractions in the world! What an opportunity this is for you.
Appropriate for both older children's choir or youth choirs, this unique anthem, set in a jazz style, reinforces valuable lessons taught during the Lenten season and other times of year. The "forty days and forty nights" theme underscores the importance of setting aside time to reflect and pray, just as Jesus did in the wilderness. Also drawing from Old Testament stories of Noah and Moses, the anthem's writers emphasize the importance of waiting, trusting and following God's leadership.
These are very different kinds of songs, yet they are both focused on a period of forty days and forty nights. I've been thinking about these songs a lot in the current climate of far-reaching quarantines against the novel coronavirus epidemic centered on Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.
The use of "quarantine" to mean a period when a widow may remain in her husband's house regardless of inheritance must be connected with the various uses of forty-day intervals in connection with mourning more generally. The fortieth day after death is an occasion for a memorial service in the Eastern Orthodox churches and also in various middle eastern countries.
During the Iranian Revolution of 1978-79 the major episodes of street unrest often took place at forty-day intervals, as people would take to the streets to commemorate the killings of protesters at the last such occasion.
Since several of the comments have mentioned Lent and fasting in connection with the notion of "forty", I thought it might be good to look into the relevant terms for these activities in various languages:
Physiologically, fasting (avoiding all food; I didn't say water) for forty days and forty nights will at least in some cases produce a physical state something like meditation; entering a different psychic state (or, one might think, realm). This too amounts to an entry procedure.
Matt is struggling to move on from a break-up with Nicole (Vinessa Shaw) and decides to take on the challenge of abstaining from sexual contact for the duration of Lent. Soon after, he meets his new love interest Erica (Shannyn Sossamon), but how will he explain that he can't be intimate? Unsurprisingly, news of his vow quickly spreads around the internet and people start placing bets about whether he'll last for the full 40 days and 40 nights. There hasn't been a film as obsessed with sex as 40 Days And 40 Nights in recent memory.
On the eve of their long-awaited entry to Canaan, God had Moses send out spies into the land so they could explore. They spent 40 days and nights scouting the land, then returned and reported all they had found (Numbers 13:25).
Many, many years from that time, the Bible tells us that after His baptism, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. He fasted 40 days and nights, and the devil tempted Jesus there in His hunger and apparent weakness (Matthew 4:2).
But this could just as well have meant exactly what was written: 40 days. Forty nights. A specific, lengthy (but not too lengthy) period of time whereby someone could fast and endure testing and, one hopes, learn the lesson God intended.
But its religious significance is its most important. Today, consider whether God wants you to use a period of 40 days and nights to learn a crucial lesson, end a negative practice, or adopt a new way of walking closer with Him.
Parashat Ki Tisa recounts the incident of the Golden Calf in a multilayered narrative about faith and leadership. In Exodus, chapter 32, we read that Moses remained on Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights. In his absence, the Israelites demanded that Aaron fashion an idol so God would be present with them. Aaron created a Golden Calf, probably modeling it on statues of the Canaanite god El1, who is depicted in the form of a bull.
This photo-diary weaves together the life-changing experiences of Ethar El-Katatney, the author, during a a forty day Dowra (an intensive course in traditional Islamic sciences), in the city of Tarīm, Yemen. She reflects on the fascinating people that she met, the historic places she visited and a few of the pearls of wisdom that were passed onto her by the respected scholars that she was privileged enough to spend time with. The reader is given a portrait of a place where real Islam has penetrated the heart of the people and is truly a way of life. 041b061a72