“Moses remained there on the mountain with the Lord forty days and forty nights. In all that time he ate no bread and drank no water. And the Lord wrote the terms of the covenant—the Ten Commandments—on the stone tablets.” (Exodus 34:28 NLT).
Moses communed with the Lord for 40 days, during which time he fasted from food and water, having no need of them. For the Lord was his food and drink. Certainly, this was a miracle of God. For although one might fast from food for 40 days and live, no one can fast from water for that long and survive. Yet, Moses’ fast was not accomplished by his own strength, but by the Lord’s. And the miracle of Moses’ fast, was a sign, pointing to the reliability of Moses’ testimony that the law had been given him by God.
Yet, we cannot read of Moses’ fast without thinking of Christ’s, who also fasted for 40 days. Moses’ fast marked the giving of the covenant of law, but Christ’s fast marked the beginning of His public ministry and covenant of grace. When the devil tempted Jesus, He responded with the words first given to Moses, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4; Deut. 8:3). And surely this Word was sufficient for both.
Today we sometimes fast as a spiritual discipline, in order to focus our minds on the Lord that we might hear a word from Him. It helps us recognize how weak we are and how dependent we are on God. Bread, we need, but God’s Word, we need even more.
PRAYER: Dear Father, help us to remember that You made us and designed us so that just as we need food and drink for our bodies, so we also need Your Word for our souls. We live by Your Word. Fill us with understanding today. Speak Lord, your servants are listening. In Jesus’ name, amen.