Forty Days
Today is forty days, which is five weeks and five days of the Omer.
Forty is a significant number. In the days of Noah it rained for forty days and forty nights. Moses was on Mount Sinai forty days and nights; twice. The twelve spies sent by Moses explored the Promised Land for forty days and nights. Goliath tested the army of Israel for forty days. Elijah traveled forty days in order to reach Mt. Horeb. Jonah warned Nineveh their city would be destroyed in forty days unless they repented.
Jesus fasted in the wilderness for forty days and then he was tested by Satan.
And so it was that Jesus walked the earth for forty days following his resurrection. That is forty days while the Jews counted the omer.
What is an omer you might ask … it is a measure for grain. And because it is a measure, its meaning can also be applied to a measure of days. According to Exodus 16, it was the measure for manna. In Leviticus 23:16 God tells the Hebrews to count count fifty days from Passover to Shavuot. These same fifty days are traditionally the number of days it took Israel to travel from Egypt to Mt. Sinai, where Moses ascended to receive the law. Fifty is the number of days from the resurrection to the giving of the Holy Spirit.
So, what about forty? It is the number of days from the time Israel left Egypt until they camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai. It is also the number of days from the resurrection until Jesus ascended into heaven. The nation of Israel, and the twelve disciples (times ten) waited ten more days to receive God’s promise.
