Topical Bible: Forty: Days by Elijah

◄ Forty: Days by Elijah ►

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The number forty holds significant symbolic meaning throughout the Bible, often representing periods of testing, trial, and preparation. One notable instance of this is the forty days spent by the prophet Elijah in the wilderness, a period that underscores themes of divine provision, spiritual renewal, and prophetic mission.

Biblical Context

The account of Elijah's forty days is found in 1 Kings 19. Following his dramatic victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, Elijah faced the wrath of Queen Jezebel, who vowed to take his life. In fear and despair, Elijah fled into the wilderness, seeking refuge and guidance from God.

Divine Provision and Journey

In 1 Kings 19:4-8, Elijah, overwhelmed and despondent, sat under a broom tree and prayed for death. However, God had other plans for His prophet. An angel of the Lord appeared to Elijah, providing him with food and water. The angel instructed him to eat, saying, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you" (1 Kings 19:7). Strengthened by this divine sustenance, Elijah traveled for forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.

Significance of Mount Horeb

Mount Horeb, also known as Mount Sinai, is a place of profound spiritual significance. It is where Moses received the Ten Commandments and encountered God in the burning bush. Elijah's journey to Horeb symbolizes a return to the roots of Israel's covenant with God, a place of divine revelation and renewal.

Encounter with God

Upon reaching Horeb, Elijah took shelter in a cave. There, he experienced a powerful encounter with God. The Lord passed by, and a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart, followed by an earthquake and fire. However, the Lord was not in these dramatic manifestations. Instead, God spoke to Elijah in a "gentle whisper" (1 Kings 19:12). This encounter emphasized the intimate and personal nature of God's communication with His servants.

Renewal of Mission

In this moment of divine encounter, God renewed Elijah's mission. He was instructed to anoint Hazael as king over Aram, Jehu as king over Israel, and Elisha as his prophetic successor (1 Kings 19:15-16). This reaffirmation of Elijah's prophetic role highlights God's continued purpose and plan, even in times of personal crisis and doubt.

Theological Implications

Elijah's forty days in the wilderness serve as a powerful reminder of God's provision and faithfulness. The period of solitude and reflection prepared Elijah for the tasks ahead, reinforcing the idea that spiritual renewal often follows times of trial. Elijah's experience also foreshadows the forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness, further linking the themes of testing and divine mission.

In summary, the forty days by Elijah underscore the transformative power of divine encounters and the importance of spiritual preparation in fulfilling God's purposes. Elijah's journey to Horeb remains a testament to God's sustaining grace and the enduring call to prophetic ministry.

Nave's Topical Index

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 to Horeb the mount of God.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Why it is Called Quadragesima, when the Fast is Only Kept for ...
... (1) As roughly corresponding to the forty days fast of Moses, Elijah, and the Lord
Himself, (2) because "forty" is the number associated with a time of ...
/.../cassian/the conferences of john cassian/chapter xxviii why it is.htm

Elijah's Weakness, and Its Cube
... commanded, or, like the flight from Jezreel, was Elijah's own doing; but, in any
case, he must have wandered in the desert, to have taken forty days to reach it ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/elijahs weakness and its cube.htm

The Physical Tendencies of Fasting and Feeding Considered the ...
... and drink, which he had found on being awakened by an angel, he too himself, in
a space of forty days and nights ... [1045] "What (doest) thou, Elijah, here?" [1046 ...
/.../chapter vi the physical tendencies of.htm

Elijah
... said when he met him, 'If I tell my Lord, Behold, Elijah is here ... not.' Consider,
again, his strange activity and strength, as when he goes, forty days and forty ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/town and country sermons/sermon xix elijah.htm

Elijah the Great Heart of Israel.
... ate and drank again, and went on the strength of that food forty days and forty
nights, till ... and when the Lord said, "What doest thou here, Elijah?" he said ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xxvii elijah the great.htm

God's Low Whisper
... and ate and drank and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights
to ... As soon as Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/gods low whisper.htm

Ignorance of Numbers, Too, Prevents us from Understanding Things ...
... so speak, cannot but be anxious, for example, to ascertain what is meant by the
fact that Moses and Elijah, and our Lord Himself, all fasted for forty days. ...
/.../on christian doctrine in four books/chapter 25 ignorance of numbers.htm

The Temptation
... And He was in the wilderness forty days tempted of Satan; and He was with ... He had
formerly plunged Elijah into despair and a desire to die, immediately after ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 1 12 13 the temptation.htm

That we Ought to Give Ourselves to God with Regard to Things Both ...
... "Yet forty days, and Nineveh ... I have seen thy tears; behold, I will add unto thy days
fifteen years.". ... was it by Moses, by Ezra, by Daniel and Elijah, by Hannah ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bounds/purpose in prayer/chapter ii that we ought.htm

The Temptation of Jesus
... Moses failed after his forty days' fast, when in indignation he cast the Tables
of the Law from him; Elijah failed before his forty days' fast; Jesus was ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter i the temptation of.htm