2025-02-25A
A. MEANING OF THE WORD “FASTING”.
What does the word “fasting” mean? Linguists say that the literal meaning of the word is “to cover the mouth.” It is therefore primarily related to the intake of food, but, as we will show later, the usage also applies to a wider field.
B. FASTING DURING THE EARLIER PERIOD OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.
We do not find any indication in the early books of the Bible that people fasted. For example, we do not read that patriarchs like Adam, Methuselah, and Noah fasted, nor did the patriarchs of Israel like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
In the laws that God gave to Moses, there is also no provision that his people, Israel, had to fast.
It would rather appear that the need to fast arose spontaneously in the heart of man or, I would rather say, of the God-seeking people (probably worked by the Holy Spirit) and was over time recognized by God and given further weight.
C. FASTING IN THE LATTER PERIOD OF ISRAEL.
In the later life of Israel, we do find references to days of fasting which people observed, either once or repeatedly.
King David.
David, king and Psalmist, must have, despite his busy professional life, sometimes devoted long continuous periods to fasting:
My knees are weak from fasting, and my flesh is wasted away, without fat (Psa 109:24).
King Jehoshaphat.
When threatened by an attack from the Moabites and other nations, he proclaimed a fast.
… Jehoshaphat feared, and set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah . (2 Chron 20:3).
Ester, Mordecai and others.
When the Israelites faced total annihilation by the Medes and Persians in exile and Esther had to intercede with the king on their behalf, she requested them and Mordecai to fast for her sake.
Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise: and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish . (Esther 4:16).
And in every province, wherever the king’s commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many spread sackcloth and ashes among them. (Esther 4:3)
Fasting acknowledged.
It seems as if God later recognized and regulated the fasts that his people spontaneously instituted.
Thus says the LORD of hosts : The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth month, and the fast of the seventh month, and the fast of the tenth month, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and glad feasts : but ye shall love truth and peace . (Zech 8:19).
D. PAGANS WHO FASTED.
King Darius fasted after he had to cast Daniel into the lions’ den against his will.
Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting and did not let the concubines come before him, and his sleep fled from him (Dan 6:19).
The King of Nineveh proclaimed a fast when he heard that God would judge his city.
And he made a proclamation through Nineveh, saying, By the decree of the king and his nobles, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink water ; (Jonah 3:7).
Sailors of a ship on which Paul was transported as a prisoner fasted when they were overcome by a storm.
And when it was day, Paul encouraged everyone to take food, saying , “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in expectation, fasting and taking nothing” (Acts 27:33).
E. FASTING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
Jesus began his public ministry by isolating himself and fasting in a desert area for 40 days.
His first task on earth was to successfully resist the devil’s temptations. In doing so, He would become the very first man to do so and become a second Adam who would beget a generation of conquerors over the devil. A tremendous battle lay before him for which, after his humanity, (as a man) He would need supernatural strength. He fasted for that long period and focused, concentrated, entirely on God.
This gives us one of the reasons to fast – to become one (unite) with God in our spirit. We must obtain God’s view of life. We must also obtain His power to live out that view. Jesus paid the price therefore on the cross, but we must surrender ourselves to Him as a sacrifice so that it can be realized in us.
While He fasted, His human spirit absorbed the power of the Father. His human insight into the mind of God was also sharpened so that He would know how to answer the devil, not by His own human words but by the words from the mouth of God as recorded in Scripture. He, by fasting, as a human, became one with God in a special way. The fact that He was filled with the Holy Spirit at his baptism, was not enough, it was only the beginning of His unification with God. The Holy Spirit would do that work in Him, but it would cost a price, a sacrificing of Himself. For 40 days and nights He would have to isolate Himself, yes, not even eat food, and He did that. He also did not even have contact with people and converse with them (Matt. 4:1,2).
The church of Antioch fasted and during that time, received a special revelation from God that led to the systematic spreading of the Gospel among the pagan peoples of Europe:
And as they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” And when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. (Acts 13:2,3).
Paul fasted. In AD 55, i.e. approximately 20 years after Jesus’ ascension, it was still customary for NT believers to fast and this custom is recognized and directed by Paul:
Deprive not one another, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer: and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your lack of self-control. (1Cor 7:5)
Fasting is of God. It is therefore clear, from both the Old and New Testaments, that the practice of fasting is Biblically founded and will serve a very useful purpose in the life of a child of God if he or she would take it seriously. Let us now try to find direction for fasting.
F. GUIDELINES FOR FASTING.
Focus on the spiritual.
Deliberately turn your back on the material, physical side of life and focus all your attention on the spiritual side of it – let your spirit take precedence over your body.
Example: If your employer wants to discuss a very important matter with you, he calls you into his office and instructs his secretary not to disturb him by visitors or calls. You take a seat at his desk and for the next 10 or 15 minutes, cut off your thoughts from your family, friends, obligations, pleasures or whatever and give your full attention to him sitting right here in front of you and to what he wants to convey to you.
Fasting can also be compared to a married couple, a husband and wife who love each other and sometimes lock the bedroom door behind them to enjoy each other for an hour or more. During this time of intimate union, all other things are forgotten – you can’t watch TV at the same time.
The more we isolate ourselves to where worldly distractions cannot penetrate, the more fruitful our communion with God will be. It will be much better to isolate yourself for a shorter period of distraction-free time, than to do it for a longer period, but in the midst of other obligations that demand your attention and occupy your thoughts every now and then.
Do not neglect your normal obligations.
We mentioned that Jesus fasted for 40 days before He began His ministry to mankind. A married woman with 6 children cannot lock herself up in a room for three days to fast and pray. When she finally opens the door and steps forth, the house will be in chaos, the younger children dirty, hungry and in tears, the sink filled with dishes and her husband as touchy as a hungry male lion. All the spiritual blessings she had accrued, will evaporate and even her pastor, when learning about it, will frown upon her. The wiser course would have been to have planned the time with God in advance. Perhaps she could have found someone to stand in for her during her absence.
Spend most of your time studying and meditating on God’s Word.
There is a very close bond between Jesus and the written Word; after all, He is the Word who was later revealed in flesh. When you study and meditate on the Word, you are having fellowship with Jesus.
Be goal-oriented (set yourself a goal).
Do not, like the Pharisees, develop the habit of fasting twice a week. Over time, this will become a mere routine and you will no longer expect anything positive to come from it. It must always be a holy event for you, otherwise your worldly attitude (frame of mind/thoughts) will pollute it and God will be offended rather than accepting you in favor:
Why do we fast, and you do not see? Why do we afflict our souls, and you do not know? —Look, on the day of your fast you seek opportunity to do business, and you rush all your laborers. (Isa 58:3).
G. REASONS FOR FASTING.
Dealing with self: Breaking the power of the sinful human nature, the self:
But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified (1 Cor 9:27).
How would Paul have chastised his body? Certainly not like the pagans who cut it until it bleeds or tuck fish hooks into the skin attach cords to them and drag their idols around. No, it is the spiritual killing of the self. It takes time and a bit by bit surrender of yourself. Fasting can help with that.
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry (Col 3:5).
Empowerment: Absorbing the power, wisdom and other attributes of God into your spirit. Jesus earned these for you on the cross, but your spirit must soften in God’s presence to absorb it.
When facing a challaging situation like the sailors that landed up in a storm, mentioned early on.
And after they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up in their midst and said , “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete, and have saved yourselves this damage and loss. ” (Acts 27:21)
To put God’s revealed plan into action. Daniel fasted and prayed when he noticed in Scripture that the time had come for Israel to return from exile to their land.
And I set my face unto the Lord God, to offer prayer and supplications with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes (Dan. 9:3).
To enjoy God.
So says Jehovah of Hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah for joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts. (Zech. 8:19).
H. MORE THOUGHTS ON FASTING.
Be vigilant. The devil knows when you are fasting and will most likely attack you; when fasting, you are not in such a holy place that you are beyond his reach. Think of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness (Matt 4:1-11).
Humility. Fasting is a humble plea to be heard and not a way of trying to put pressure on God to grant your requests.
Learn to fast. Start modestly. You need to see how your body responds and adjust your fasting accordingly. Start with short periods – a seasoned long-distance athlete started with short stretches. Your relationship with God should remain enjoyable; it should not become a torture.
Don’t brag about how long you’ve been fasting. It’s a matter between you and God, and your reward comes from Him.
Be cheerful. You are bringing an offering to God and He loves a cheerful giver.
And when you fast, do not look sad like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so that they may appear to men to be fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in vain. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly . (Matthew 6:16-18).
When we are under great pressure and pain, e.g. when we pray for the healing or salvation of a loved one, it is understandable that we will be sad and that tears will flow (Dan 9:3; Neh 1:4). However, God says that our fasting times should also, at times, be filled with joy and praise – that we should put aside our food and other pleasures to enjoy Him more.
The fast of the fourth month, the fast of the fifth month, the fast of the seventh month, and the fast of the tenth month shall be for the house of Judah joy and gladness, and glad feasts (Zech 8:19).
It is a sign of spiritual maturity when we can enjoy spiritual things as much or more than the physical, the material.
… and delight yourself in the LORD; and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Ps 37:4).
An offering to God. Fasting is a way of offering yourself to God.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Rom 12:1,2)
Fasting and prayer go together (they are related to each other).
And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them , they sent them away (Acts 13:3).
Why Jesus’ disciples did not fast, (Mark 2:18-22).
The disciples of John the Baptist and those of the Pharisees wanted to know from Jesus why his disciples did not fast as they did.
Jesus’ answer was that it was unheard of for family and friends to fast while attending a wedding feast; they discontinued their fasting till the wedding was over. The groom and bride would be greatly offended if the guests did not hartily enjoy the delicious food and drink that had been prepared for them.
By this, He of course meant that He was the Heavenly Bridegroom and his disciples and the people to whom He ministered were his guests. The healings, cleansing from leprosy, casting out of demons, multplying of bread and fish and other miracles He performed and all his glorious teachings, were the delicious foods He set before them. How could they turn away from it all, and from the Bridegroom, and devote their time to fasting.
The Pharisees, however did not understand this, because they did not accept Jesus as the Son of God. They also did not understand the deeper meaning of fasting. After all, one fasts basically to have more intimate communion with God and these disciples had already given up their professions and homes to be in God’s presence day by day, for … Jesus is God, the Son.
It would have been offensive if they had withdrawn themselves from Him, God visibly with them, to have communion with the invisible Father. One cannot withdraw oneself from the Son to have communion with the Father, or from the Father and Son to have communion with the Holy Spirit. He is the triune God; if we have communion with One of the Three Persons, we also have communion with the Other at the same time. After Jesus’ crucifixion and ascension his disciples would again fast to have deeper fellowship with the invisible triune God.
But Jesus also explained that a new cloth has to be sewn onto a new garment and new wine stored in new wineskins.
And no one sews a patch of new cloth on an old garment, else it takes away from its fullness, the new from the old, and a worse tear occurs. 22 No one puts new wine into old wineskins, else the new wine bursts the wineskins, and the wine spills, and the wineskins will be ruined. The new wine must be put into new wineskins. (Mark 2:21,22).
Does this mean that fasting was a custom that belonged to the Old Testament dispensation and that it would be wise not to practice it any longer? No, for He also said that later, when He would no longer be with them, they would fast again. This indeed did happen as recorded the Book of Acts and the Epistles.
What he was getting at was that the coming outpouring of the Holy Spirit would inaugurate a dynamic new spiritual dimension, requiring Old Testament ways of serving God to be interpreted and exercised in a new flexible way; if not it would destroy itself. Fasting, was one of them and could no longer be seen as a law to be complied with on given days. It would hencforth be guided by the Spirit as a spontaneous, spiritual exercise to promote his kingdom and draw man and God together closer than ever before. Lessons learned from fasting in days gone by, might still be put to good use.
I. CONCLUSION.
Fasting is a spiritual exercise, practised by God’s people for many centuries, Jesus himself fasted for 40 days and we would do well to do the same under guidance of the Holy Spirit.
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