I Know Whom I Believe

"Faith is .... belief in the face of all contradictions." These words are part of an inspirational slideshow which a friend sent recently. I do not know who penned these words. They strike a chord with me, as I have been fretting and praying over various issues - sale of my flat in the midst of an economic downturn, delays in repayment of loans that I made some years ago to a brother-in-Christ, lack of improvement in my nephew's school results.

I tell myself, "Believe in the face of all contradictions." I feel uplifted, encouraged and comforted by these words. They signify to me to trust in the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord God, to believe He will work all things for good even when things don't look good, to wait patiently for His perfect timing.

As I look back, events had indeed turned for good in the face of contradictions. My most vivid recollection was my mom's conversion to Christianity. Back in Aug 2005, my late mom was still making offerings for the festival of hungry ghosts; I had despaired then but quickly tell myself to ignore what my mom did and to trust in the Lord God. Just a month later, in Sep 2005, my mom became a Christian and was baptised. Well, unknown to me, my mom had been quietly alerting my old aunties of her desire to be Christian; she was preparing my aunties more than a year before she took her leap of faith.

Even though I have experienced God's goodness against all odds, faith - belief in the face of contradictions - does not come easily to me, hence the continued fretting and worrying. I need to constantly look to the Lord God, to ask for His help in my lack of faith. I empathise with the man with a demon-possessed son, who sought Jesus' healing and help in overcoming his unbelief.

"21 Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood," he answered.
22 "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."
23 "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."
24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" "
(Mark 9 : 21 - 24)

So then, what happened to my flat which I was trying to sell as one bad piece of economic news came after another? By God's grace, the second valuation of the flat this year was much higher than the first valuation last year and the Lord provided a buyer at the higher, second valuation. Loan repayment? Thank God, I have received a firm commitment on the repayment. And my nephew's school results? Still putting my trust and belief in the Lord God. Amen.

And as in the hymn written by Daniel Webster Whittle (1840-1901), I know whom I believe .......

1 I KNOW not why God’s wondrous grace
to me has been made known,
nor why – unworthy as I am –
He claimed me for His own.

But ‘I know whom I have believèd, and am
persuaded that He is able to keep that which
I’ve committed unto Him against that day.’

2 I know not how this saving faith
to me He did impart,
or how believing in His Word
wrought peace within my heart.

3 I know not how the Spirit moves,
convincing men of sin,
revealing Jesus through the Word,
creating faith in Him.

4 I know not what of good or ill
may be reserved for me –
of weary ways or golden days
before His face I see.

5 I know not when my Lord may come;
I know not how, nor where;
if I shall pass the vale of death,
or meet Him in the air.

Laying Down One's Life

When Walt Kowalski (acted by Clint Eastwood in the movie Grand Torino) died under a torrent of bullets fired by Hmong gangsters, I thought, "He sacrified himself to save his Hmong neighbour Thao." Walt had gone alone, after locking the teenaged Thao in his basement, to confront the gang who assaulted Thao's sister. Rather than engage in revenge killing of the gangsters, this Korean War veteran, who did not hesitate to use his M-1 rifle to protect his property, went unarmed. Walt's death rid the neighbourhood of the gangsters who were taken into police custody.

In real life, too, we have often heard or read of heros who risk or even lose their lives for others. One who comes to my mind is the foreman who died saving his fellow workers when the MRT construction site at Nicoll Highway collapsed some years ago. Another heroic person whom I personally met was a Myanmar pastor who had dedicated himself to ex-lepers sacrificially by living in the ex-lepers' colony with them and risking contagion of the disease. I also vaguely recall reading media report about a mother who protected her baby with her body during the Szechuan earthquake.

Love - for fellow workers, for the needy outcast, for loved ones in the family - is the key motivator for one who lays down his life for others. The Lord Jesus, when He gave the command to His followers to love each other as He had loved them, said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15 : 12 - 13)

And this Easter season, we remember Jesus's love and sacrificial death on the cross. "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us." (1 John 3 : 16) Jesus died not just for His disciples. He died for all who believe in Him and for all who have yet to believe in Him.

"11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep......
14 I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me --
15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father -- and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd."
(John 10 : 11, 14 - 16)

Yes, Jesus laid down His life but He has taken it up again. (John 10 : 17 - 18). And so, Christians celebrate the risen Christ. (Matthew 28 : 5 - 6). Hallelujah! He is risen!

Walking the Talk

I was very blessed yesterday. My friend cooked and brought me a large pot of rich herbal chicken soup and hand-made noodles (cooked as a pancake and cut into slices to put into the soup). She even brought cut spinach for the noodle soup, parsley and home-made chilli sauce. We had earlier arranged to have lunch together in my house, but she was so thoughtful she brought extra portions for dinner so that my sisters and nephew could sample the tasty noodle soup. Yummy, yummy .....

Indeed, God has been good to me. He has brought me other friends in the past, who blessed me with their cooking. Deep in my memory is the "chap chye" that a friend so graciously and unexpectedly cooked and delivered to my home some years ago when my mom was seriously ill. So, I had 2 dinners taken care of, at a time when I was struggling to put a meal together with hardly any culinary skills or experience. On another occasion, after I had a major surgical operation, another friend went marketing, bought fresh ingredients and came to my house to cook stir-fried beef slices and yu-sheng (fish) slices to help me replenish my blood and aid healing. There was also a friend who cooked and brought me brown rice cooked with dried fruit and nuts as this was healthy food for my weakened body.

I am grateful for the friendship and love of the brothers- and sisters-in-Christ that God has provided me in my times of need. Good and perfect is the gift that comes from our heavenly Father (James 1 : 17).

From the Christian perspective, caring for one another fulfills "the law of Christ" (Galatians 6 : 2). This law is summed up in the single command: "Love your neighbour as yourself" (Galatians 5 : 14, Romans 13 : 10). And it is because of the love that God gives us that Christians have the love to serve one another, to carry each other's burdens, to do good to all people. "We love because he first loved us." (1 John 4 : 19)

Being a Christian is not just going to church, praying and studying the Bible. We need to walk the talk. The first commandment is to love God, the second to love our neighbour. How? Giving someone (like me) a good feed, providing a listening ear, or just being "there" for a friend in need. When Job lost all his children, possessions and health in disaster after disaster, his 3 friends came and just sat with him for 7 days and nights without saying a word to him (Job 2 : 11 - 13).

Doing good comes with faith. Good works is the fruit of faith and it is God who enables us. To quote the Apostle James:

"15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."

(James 2 : 15 - 17)

May the good Lord help us to persevere in showing our faith by what we do.

Man or Machine?

Last night's TV news featured a Japan-made anime-styled girl robot, with smooth non-metallic complexion, eye-lids that blinked and shoulder length hair that swayed with each stiff movement of the limbs. The robot introduced itself as "cybernetic human HRP-4C" as reported in a Yahoo news story. While this robort can move and talk, it is a far cry from Issac Asimov's Bicentennial Man.

In Asimov's story, written more than 30 years ago in 1976, the Bicentennial Man was transformed over time from a metallic, thinking ("positronic") robot which won its right to freedom (from "slavery") to an organic android (robot with outward appearance of humans and able to "eat and breathe") which eventually attained its ultimate aspiration to be declared legally as a "man". The cost to the robot of attaining "humanity"? An operation to create mortality in a positronic brain which could otherwise last for centuries. In short, the robot chose to let his positronic brain "die" to be human.

Can a robot indeed become a human? Asimov's robot argues that he has "the shape of a human being and organs equivalent to those of a human being"; that his organs are "identical to some of those in a prosthetized human being'; and that he has "contributed artistically, literarily, and scientifically to human culture". If "no number of artifacts in the human body causes it to be cease being a human body", what then is the difference between a prosthetized human being and a robot with the same artifacts?

The Bible states very clearly that God made man in His image. Since God is Spirit, the image does not refer to a body of flesh and bones. Rather, man is created to have a mind, emotions and a will in the image of God.

- Man is given a mind to know God.
- Man is given emotions to love God.
- Man is given a will to choose to obey God.

"26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

(Genesis 1 : 26 - 27)

The psalmist asks, "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?" (Psalm 8 : 4) Man is the epitome of God's creation, made to rule over all the earth. God makes man a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned with glory and honour (Psalm 8 : 5). God's loving care of man is manifested in the Lord Jesus Christ who descended from his heavenly throne to dwell among man and to die for man, that man may ascend to God's kingdom through faith in Him.

Gong Dao Zheng Yi, Tian Li Bao Ying

I spent the last two weeks glued to the TV. No, there wasn't any particularly good TV program. I was watching DVD of China TV serial "Pao Qing Tian" (the legendary Justice Pao). The pace of the China production was extremely slow and some of the Pao Qing Tian stories were familiar to me. What's the attraction that the serial held for me then? My interest and enjoyment of the "literary" Chinese script in the serial.

The theme of justice and righteousness runs strong in the TV serial. In the story of Chen Shi Mei who abandoned his wife Qin Xiang Lian and their young children, and married Le Ping Princess, the plaintiff Qin made an impassioned plea to the Justice Pao for "Gong Dao Zheng Yi" (which I translate literally as "public justice and righteousness") and "Tian Li Bao Ying" ("divine judgement and retribution"). As the story goes, the good Justice Pao beheaded the less-than-human Chen who was "Qin Shuo Bu Ru", notwithstanding the Queen Mother's appeal to the Emperor for pardon.

Today's legal framework of course provides redress without fear or favour for wrongs against any one. But what if the issue does not warrant legal proceedings or if the victim does not want to bring the issue to court? Who then do we have to address the wrongs or hurts that we suffer?

By God's grace and mercy, we have God as our judge. We need not travel thousands of miles as Qin Xiang Lian did to obtain justice; we only need to send our prayers to God any time, any where. In the parable of the persistent widow who kept going to an unjust judge for justice against her adversary, the Lord Jesus taught that we should persevere in praying and not give up.

"6 And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" "

(Luke 18 : 6 - 8)

While we have God as our judge, the Apostle Paul reminds us that we ourselves should not pass judgement on any one else. In judging another, do we do the same things? If so, we condemn ourselves. (Romans 2 : 1)

So then, each one of us is accountable for what we have done. And each of us will have to give an account of ourself to God. (Romans 14 : 12) When the day of God's righteous judgement comes, God will give to each person according to what he has done. (Romans 2 : 6)

Hell In All Its Fury

I visited the picturesque hamlet of Marysville in Australia's Victoria last September with my sisters. It was a pretty place with a little brook and lovely flowers in bloom then. We had enjoyed eating delicious home-baked meat pies in the restaurant and browsing through the little stores there.

I was shocked when I heard that Marysville was razed to the ground, on 7 February, in the deadliest wildfire that was described as "hell in all its fury". So many lives lost, so many homes down in flames, so horrific a catastrophe.

The fires raging in Victoria present a foretaste of what Christians call "the end-days" when the Lord Jesus comes again to judge the earth. The Apostle Peter foretold that everything on earth will be destroyed by fire. The recent media descriptions of the skin being burned off the fire survivors in Victoria give me the shivers. Great is the tragedy in such a localised area. But how much more horrific it would be when the whole earth is consumed by fire!

"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. "
(2 Peter 3 : 10)

Even more chilling is the vision of the Apostle John of the last days. With Jesus' second coming and his defeat of the evil one, the devil and all who follow him will be cast into the eternal lake of fire. This lake is described as a "fiery lake of burning sulfur", never-quenching (for the devil and all with him will be "tormented day and night for ever and ever"), and the "second death".

"10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.....
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. "
(Revelation 20 20 : 10, 14 - 15)

What hope do we have then, when all will be destroyed by fire? The Apostle Peter gives the assurance of the promise of the Lord Jesus, that there will be "a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness" (2 Peter 3: 13). This new heaven and new earth is desribed in the Apostle John's vision as "the Holy City", the dwelling of God with men (Revelation 21 : 1 - 4).

This Holy City will shine with all the glory of God -
its wall is made of jasper;
the foundations of the city walls are decorated with every kind of precious stone;
each of the twelve gates is made of a single pearl;
the great street is paved in pure gold;
the whole city is of "pure gold, as pure as glass".
(Revelation 21 : 11, 18 - 21)

Burning lake or city of pure gold and pearly gates? My prayer is for all to make the right choice. Amen.

Zhi Qian Dong Feng

Red Cliff Part 1 was boring. Perhaps I watched it on DVD and so the panoramic effects of the battle formations were lost on the TV screen, albeit a wide-screen plasma TV. Part 2 of the movie was much more impressive as I watched it in the cinema and the military ploys and ruses were more evident.

What struck me most in Red Cliff Part 2 were the words "zhi qian dong feng" (literally translated as "only lacking the east wind"). This of course refers to the plan of the Commander-in-Chief, Zhou Yu, to use fire to destroy the fleet of his protagonist, Tsao Tsao. However, the prevailing winds in the winter conditions then were west winds which would blow in the direction of Zhou Yu's boats and destroy them instead. To cut a long story short, the movie climazed in a change in wind to southeasterly direction and Zhou Yu won the battle.

In the Old Testament days, the east wind played an instrumental part in the dividing of the Red Sea, saving the fleeing Israelites from the pursuing Egyptians. As Creator of the world, God has absolute command over the elements and all things are within His control.

"21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided,
22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left."
(Exodus 14 : 21 - 22)

The warring commanders and their advisers in ancient China's Three Kingdoms exerted great human efforts as they racked their brains to out-manoeuvre each other in guise after guise. Even then, Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang had to depend on the east wind for their plan at the Red Cliff to succeed.

For the Israelites who were commanded to take possession of the promised land Caanan and had to contend with opposing armies more numerous and better-built, human efforts were in vain. It was only when the Lord God was with the Israelites that they were able to vanquish their enemies. Indeed, the battle is the Lord's.

"1 Hear, O Israel. You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky.
2 The people are strong and tall--Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: "Who can stand up against the Anakites?"
3 But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the Lord has promised you."
(Deuteronomy 9 : 1 - 3)

That the battle is the Lord's gives me great solace when I face difficulties and problems. Humanly, I have the tendency to seek the help of this or that person. But when I remain perplexed with a problem, I remind myself that the good God will fight the battle for me. My prayer is for the Lord Jesus to be my Advocate, to resolve whatever difficult issue that I am facing. Amen.

A Celebration of Life

The full-page orbituary attracted not just a look from me, but three looks. First, the deceased is foremost named as an "Elder", with no mention of the material titles that might be expected to be listed for such a celebrity businessman. Second, the orbituary is headlined as "A Celebration of Life", rather than the normal notification of death. Third, instead of the usual memorial services, "celebration services" will be held before the funeral. An extraordinary orbituary indeed.

The orbituary of Elder Tang Wee Cheng heartens me though I do not know him in any personal capacity nor have any acquaintance with him whatsoever. From the Christian perspective, his passing away is an occasion for joy and rejoicing, hence the call to a "celebration of life" and "celebration services", for eternal life with Jesus in heaven is the greatest gain we may expect. Here, I share the sentiments expressed by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippian church:

"21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!

23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;

24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body."

(Philippians 1 : 21 - 24)

And what is heaven like? The vision of the "new Jerusalem" given to the Apostle John when he was exiled on the island of Patmos provides a glimpse of what we might expect of heaven - no more pain, no more tears, no more death.

"1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

(Revelation 21 : 1 - 4)

In accordance with the Christian spirit, my friend held a posthumous celebration party on Christmas eve in remembrance of her husband who passed away just a month ago at the end of last Nov. Instead of mourning, there is rejoicing. Instead of tears, there is good cheer. Instead of death, there is life in Jesus Christ.

Coming back to the orbituary of Elder Tang Wee Cheng, I am much taken by the eulogy focussing foremost on his station in life as servant of God and his love for God:

"A LIFE OF LOVE AND SERVICE TO THE LORD

A faithful servant of our Lord Jesus Christ, and an exemplary role model who love the church like his own family.

A filial and obedient son, a lovng and dutiful brother.

A devoted husband of 48 years.

A dedicated father who taught his children by example, to walk with Jesus Christ.

A doting grandfather who kissed and hugged his grandchildren at every opportunity.

A servant-leader, endeared as "Mr Wee Cheng" at work.

A truly loyal and genuine friend."

(From the orbituary of Elder Tang Wee Cheng)

And so, may the good God help me to live the life that is pleasing to Him in every way, so that I may stand unashamed in front of the Lord Jesus when I join Him in heaven. And when the time comes for me to go home to Jesus, I would want to have a joyous celebration service too, instead of the usual memorial service. Brothers- and sisters-in-Christ and friends - take note!

Name Above All Names

The beating of drum, gong and cymbals drew me to join a small crowd at the side entrance of Robinsons on the 2nd day of the CNY. I had long associated Robinsons with the western culture and was surprised at the lion dance performance taking place there, in the company of a Chinese "god of fortune", just after the stroke of 12 at noon-time.

According to Chinese tradition, the lion dance is performed to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck and happiness. Chinese mythodology has a story of the lion fighting and frightening away the 'nian' (a fierce man-eating creature) one year and the villagers doing a dance in lion costume to keep evil away in subsequent years (http://home-1.tiscali.nl/~rlion/llniene.htm).

As a Christian, I was taught by a pastor to rebuke evil spirits in the name of Jesus. There was a period of time when I felt some spiritual disturbance at home. Being home alone, the sensation of such spiritual disturbance was terrifying to me.

It was not so easy to pronounce a rebuke aloud, for my fear of evil spirits then was strong. Somehow, mustering courage, I voiced the simple command in the name of Jesus for whatever spirit that was disturbing me to leave my house.

What happened then? Peace prevailed in my heart and mind. The name of Jesus is mighty, above all names, able to save all the time.

"8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
(Philippians 2 : 8 - 11)

While there is healing power in the name of Jesus, we need faith and prayer to receive healing and deliverance. How much faith do we need to have? Faith as small as a mustard seed.

"18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
20 He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." "
(Matthew 17 : 18 - 20)

Free Lunch?

Last week, I cooked dinner for a grand total of 13 persons, not counting 4 who were not able to make it. Quite an achievement for me considering I started learning to cook only since Aug last year and also have not cooked a full meal for such a large group before. Dinner was yam rice which was well-received by my cell group members. Their comment that my yam rice was "very fragant" was an encouragement after the earlier failure of my orkuih (wu tao ko or yam rice cake) which my sis said was "not fragant".

Preparing dinner for the large group took me a whole day, with a lot of cutting and dicing - pork belly, yam, dried mushrooms and shallots. I was blessed with the help of my sis who came back earlier in the late afternoon. My sis was so unused to dicing that her arms ached the next day! 1.5 kg of yam was a lot to dice.

In Jesus' time, dinner was "five loaves of bread and two fish" for a total of about 5,000 men, not counting women and children. Simple fare indeed, but what a multitude that Jesus fed miraculously! The abundance of Jesus' blessing was so great that the people had 12 basketfuls left over!

"17 "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.
18 "Bring them here to me," he said.
19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children."
(Matthew 14 : 17 - 21)

On another occasion, Jesus feb 4,000 persons, not counting women and children, with 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish; and 7 basketfuls were left over (Matthew 15 : 32 - 38).

Jesus provides more than bread and fish for sustenance of our physical bodies. He is the "true bread from heaven" (John 6: 32- 33) whom God the Father gives to all whose souls hunger for "food that endures to eternal life" (John 6 :27).

How much do we have to pay to receive this true bread? Nothing, because Jesus has paid it all at the cross and He gives freely to all who would seek and find Him. So, it is not true that there is "no such thing as free lunch". There is only free will, to receive what Jesus offers. This offer is unlimited, available 24/7 - at all times.

"35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.....
40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.""
(John 6 : 35 & 40)

Record Number

The number 40 fascinates me. No, it's not my favourite number. Yet, it fills me with wonder as I keep encountering it in the Old Testament. Here are some biblical feats which surely surpass the Guiness world records.

Continuous rain at a stretch -
40 days and 40 nights
"12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.
13 So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth...."
(Genesis 6 : 12 - 13)
"12 And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights."
(Genesis 7 : 12)

God's provision of food for the Israelites in the wilderness -
40 years
"4 Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions....
13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.
14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat....
35 The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan."
(Exodus 16 : 4, 13 - 15, 35)

Going without food or drink -
40 days and 40 nights
"Then 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)
"Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant--the Ten Commandments."
(Exodus 34 : 28)

"1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry."
(Matthew 4 : 1 - 2)

Clothing that last -
40 years
"2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.....
4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years."
(Deuteronomy 8 : 2 & 4)

Prostrating before God -
40 days and 40 nights
"16 When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the Lord your God; you had made for yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you.
17 So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, breaking them to pieces before your eyes.
18 Then once again I fell prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the Lord's sight and so provoking him to anger.
19 I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the Lord listened to me."
(Deuteronomy 9 : 16 - 19)

Strength from divinely provided food -
40 days and 40 nights
"3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat."
6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you."
8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God."
(1 Kings 19 : 3 - 8)