ON THE VANGUARD

REPEAT THE FORTY
“The Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.”
Exodus 24:18

Yesterday I shared with you that it takes forty days for a human fetus to be formed within the womb. However, it also takes forty weeks for the fetus to fully grow into a baby child, ready to face the world. All through life we see the details of forty. We claim “Life begins at forty.” And whether talking concerning the 40 weeks for the baby or the forty years for the person, this is a true statement. But why forty? It is said that it takes 21 days to form a habit, but it takes 40 days to form a lifestyle. Let us look today at the lifestyle that God was outlining for His people, then, in relation to His servant Moses.
After leaving the land of Egypt, Moses led the people from Rameses to Succoth, and then on to Etham on the edge of the desert before eventually landing at the waters of the Red Sea. As ordered by God, Moses stretched out his staff and the waters parted, allowing all of Israel to pass. After defeating the Amalekites, and learning a few lessons from his father-in-law, Jethro, the nation rested at the base of Mount Sinai. It was here that the people received the Ten Commandments and the instruction for the Tabernacle, for it was here that Moses left the camp and met God on the mountain for forty days and nights (Ex 24:18). In this alone time with Adonai, Moses was being given the download of the ages. Every blueprint for the Tabernacle, and every stitch concerning the garment of the priest was being explained to Moses. Yet when he descended down the mountain, his eyes landed on the sights of the people worshiping an idol. In anger he destroyed the image (Ex 32:19).
According to tradition, it was on the 17th of Tammuz that Moses descended and saw the golden calf. History would later show that this date became associated with all sorts of calamity for the nation of Israel. It is thought by many that in Exodus 32:30, when Moses states he will go before God to make atonement, that Moses may have again remain on the mountain top for another forty days. The Bible is unclear of this fact, but we do know that Moses did ascend in Exodus 34:28, separate from speaking to the people again in Exodus 33:4. It was in the time that again God continued in the giving of the blueprints for the lifestyle He desired. Details concerning the Ark, the lamp stand, and the altar to name but a few were given in precise order, as they would be used to draw His people to Him.
So here is the question I have for you today as we consider once more this number, forty. What lifestyles have you formed? This past winter I took part in my first 21 day, water only fast. Personally, the fast helped me to make a habit in the way I sought God during the day, listened for His voice, and sought His ways. But I want more. I want a lifestyle change and not just a habit change. I do not want only to form a standard prayer time, but rather I want to create a lifestyle of prayer. I want to form a lifestyle of drawing close to Him, of removing any part of ‘me’ that gets in the way and prevents me from truly knowing Him. I want to go up the mountain and like Moses, speak with Him. I close by not giving you a “40 Day Challenge”, so to say, but rather to challenge you to look at the lifestyle you are living in. Perhaps, like me, you desire more.