The Power of Forty
In 1932, the American psychologist Walter Pitkin published
the self-help book Life Begins at Forty.
Pitkin stated confidently: “Life begins
at forty. This is the revolutionary outcome of our New Era. Today it is half a
truth. Tomorrow it will be an axiom.” The fact is that prior to the turn of the
20th century, death usually
began at forty. It wasn't until the early 1900’s that one’s life expectancy
began to creep up into the 60’s and today is somewhere between 75 and 80 in
most developed countries. Still the saying holds, since it suggests a natural
period of time before life begins to make
sense and one can begin to live a more informed
and intentional life.
Actually, the number 40 has been significant long before Mr.
Pitkin penned his book.
In fact, the
Bible seems to suggest an almost divine or supernatural significance to this
number. It marks a period of completion or completeness. Do you realize how
many times in the Bible God made major changes and transformations take place after the period of 40 something? Consider these:
• It rained for 40 days and 40
nights when God wanted to cleanse the world and start over. (Gen 7:12) And the
rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
• Noah waited another 40 days
after it rained before he opened a window in the Ark. (Gen 8:6) And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the
window of the ark which he had made.
• Moses was on the mountain with
God for 40 days (TWICE). (Ex 24:18) And Moses went into the
midst of the cloud, …and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.
(Ex 34:28-29) And he was there with the
LORD forty days and forty nights; …and he wrote upon the tables the words of
the covenant, the ten commandments.
• It took the spies 40 days to
search out the promised land and bring back fruit.
(Num 13:25) And they returned from searching of the land
after forty days.
• The Israelites spent 40 years in
the wilderness, one year for each day they explored the Promised Land. (Ex.
16:35) And the children of Israel did eat
manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna,
until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.
• Goliath intimidated God’s people
for forty days before being killed by David.
(1 Sam. 17:16)
For forty days, twice a day, morning and
evening, the Philistine giant strutted in front of the Israelite army.
• Elijah strengthened by one
angelic meal went forty days to Mount Horeb where the Lord passed by and he
heard the voice of God. (1 Kings 19:8) And he
arose,
and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days
and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
• Jonah warned the City of Nineveh
they had 40 days until God would overthrow the city. The people repented in
those 40 days and God spared the city.
(Jonah 3:4 and 10) And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey,
and he cried,
and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
And God saw their
works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that
he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.
• Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness. (Mat 4:1-2) Then Jesus was led
up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he
had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward.
• Jesus was seen in the earth 40
days after His crucifixion, before He sent the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:3) After his suffering, he showed himself to
these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to
them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
With all the talk these days of “60 is the new 50” and “50
is the new 40”, it seems significant that the idea of “Life begins at forty”
has still hung around. But maybe
“real change
begins at 40” would be more accurate. At least our Maker seemed to think so.
tad
No comments:
Post a Comment