Deuteronomy 9:18
And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
The chapters of Deuteronomy 4 through 11 form instruction needed to understand God's dealings with His people. The verse records Moses falling down before the Lord as at the first for forty days and forty nights, eating no bread and drinking no water, in earnest intercession for Israel because of all their rebellious sins done wickedly in the sight of the Lord to provoke Him to anger. Because of that earnest pleading, God graciously spared Israel even though He had several times purposed to destroy them. Moses then used that sparing mercy and the great acts their eyes had seen the Lord do to Pharaoh and to all Egypt to charge them to keep all the commandments that day so that they would be strong to go in and possess the land.
Moses going without food for forty days on special occasions parallels Christ going without food for forty days in the wilderness of temptation. Unlike the Son of God, Moses felt no pangs of hunger and was not tempted and harassed by a vile and powerful foe. He was lifted above the human and was specially sustained by the glory of God enshrouding him.
The verse means much to every soul carrying responsibilities in connection with sanitarium work, calling leaders to careful obedience to all of God's directions from the greatest to the least.