40 = Testing

I was going to blog about something totally different today, but my plans changed. Last night I was listening to my friend Brian Baer preach. His message was entitled "Salvation at the Skull". There was so much that I could talk about that he told about in his sermon, but this one part about the number 40 was very interesting to me.

Brian was telling that the number 40 in the Bible represented testing. And here are some examples that he told about.

40 = Testing

• Goliath tested the children of Israel for 40 days.
• Saul, David, and Solomon all reigned for 40 years.
• The flood was for 40 days and 40 nights.
• Moses lived in Egypt for 40 years, he lived in Midian for 40 years. He was also on a mountain for 40 days.
• Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.
• The spies were in Canaan for 40 days.
• Elijah fasted for 40 days.
• Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days. Jesus was with his disciples for 40 days before he ascended into heaven.

Favorite Quotes

Things average out: if you think too much of yourself, other people won't.

Guts: Grace under pressure. -Ernest Hemingway

Wise men are not always silent, but they know when to be. -Proverb

Every oak tree started out as a couple of nuts who stood their ground.

Five great enemies to peace: greed, ambition, envy, anger, and pride. -Petrarch

God wets you with his rain, but he also dries you with his sun.

One must always have one's boots on and be ready to go. -Montaigne

Debt is the worst poverty. -Thomas Fuller

The mind grows by what it feeds on. -Josiah Gilbert Holland

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. -Corrie ten Boom

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Congratulations to Martin Truex Jr. for breaking the Hendrick curse. Sad news, former NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr. died Monday at home in Daytona Beach, Fla. He was 74. Late breaking hockey news, I am sad to report that my team did not win the Stanley Cup. The Anaheim Ducks won their first Stanley Cup defeating the Ottawa Senators by 6 to 2. I do believe this makes the second year that a first timer team wins the Cup.