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True Fasting

Read Is 58:1-9.
The first impression we get when reading this particular chapter in Isaiah is that the Lord hates hypocrisy.
Because they dedicated time for praying and fasting and even wore sackcloths as sign of repentance, it appeared that the Israelites were seeking their God and wanted to follow His ways. It seemed that through fasting they searched to live close to Him.
But in mean time they quarrelled and focused on their personal benefit by oppressing the other.
And therefore the Lord sent His prophet Isaiah to warn the people. He stated that when fasting they have to truly humble themselves and to take care for the other. Only then the Lord will start hearing their cries for help and blessing them.

Isaiah 58 represents one of the clearest indications in the Word of God about fasting. In the frame of this chapter I want to spend some time to study the principle of fasting. Is it also applicable in our time for us as believers and if so, how do we have to behave when fasting?

I will start by saying that there is no call or command in neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament that believers must fast. Some might be relieved now with this news! But I add immediately that there is also no call or command to pray to the Lord…
Still the Lord Jesus formulates to His disciples the model prayer in Mt 6 and immediately after He gives some indication about fasting. We can conclude from this that fasting can be considered as a support for praying.
It seemed to be common practice for the people of Israel to apply fasting at different occasions without any decree coming from the Lord.
We find numerous cases in both the Old and the New Testament and I want to highlight several examples where we see the reason for fasting and which ways of fasting the Lord does appreciate and does not appreciate.

Before that we should first define the term fasting.
Fasting means to abstain temporarily from food or other physical need in order to concentrate spiritually on God.
As we will see later this does not mean that just abstaining from food is a merit in its self. Because of the physical suffering we could get satisfaction and so think to please God. We cannot favour God by undergoing torture and torment. Unfortunately we still see in today’s Christianity that fasting has become a fixed ritual giving the perception that keeping the fasting days will satisfy the Lord.
The Lord does not require any performance from our side because something worked out by our power will never contribute to our salvation or even please the Lord. In the contrary: the Lord does not want us to starve and to collapse and is compassionate with those who are hungry as we read in Mt 15:32.

In an attempt to categorize the occasions for fasting that we find in the Old and New Testament I conclude 4 main reasons for fasting: fasting related to pleading a special request, related to repentance, related to mourning and related to dedication to the Lord.

Pleading
Pleading is probably the most occurring activity connected to fasting.

Let us read 2 Sam 12:15-23 where we find David on his knees before the Lord pleading to keep his child alive.
David used fasting with a clear target. Instead of eating and even sleeping he used the time to beg God to save his child. Eating and sleeping were less important than the request he had to God.
And this is an obvious principle when applying fasting: having a clear request to the Lord that is more important than the fixed programs in life like eating and sleeping. Fasting is not a target in its self but the consequence of the prayer-need.
As soon as it turned out that David’s request was not granted he stopped with fasting and worshipped the Lord despite the negative result.

Another example we find in Ez 8:21-23.
We see here again a clear reason to seek God’s face: to have a safe journey with all the vulnerable children and the precious treasures of the house of the Lord. In order to concentrate on this prayer request Ezra proclaims a fast. Reading these verses we identify another principle of fasting: humbling one self before the Lord. Ezra did not want to humble himself before the king to get an escort because he was convinced that he could fully rely on the Lord by believing in His promise: The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him (vs. 22).

Closely connected to the example of Ezra we can have a look at the fasting of Daniel in Dn 9:1-5.
Daniel had discovered in the prophecies that the period of exile of the Israelites in Babylon would last 70 years. Now the 70 years were almost passed Daniel did not sit down waiting for the moment this was going to happen. No, instead he started a fast and concentrated on pleading to God to keep His promise to stop the exile and to bring the Israelites back to their home country, despite their sins. He confessed his own and their sins since he understood that sin would be a hindrance for the fulfilment of Gods promise.

In this example we see that we can remind the Lord of His promises for us and since this is a serious matter that also needs deep examination of one’s heart, fasting can be applied.

A last example about fasting related to pleading is in Est 4:16.
It was a delicate issue that Esther had to appear before the king. Depending on the king’s mood he could condemn somebody to death when approaching without invitation. But Esther was convinced that she was ordered by the Lord to go to the king for the sake of her people. Before acting she asked for 3 days fasten in which everybody was supposed to bring her in prayers to the Lord in order to receive courage and to favour the king’s heart.
Unlike the example of David, where during the fasting period Gods answer became clear, the fasting in Esther’s case was to prepare an action.
In many other places in the Old Testament we read that the Israelites proclaimed a fasting before going into battle. The target of these fastings was also to request the Lord to bless the action and successful outcome.

Repentance
The second category of fasten is related to repentance.
As we saw in the examples of Ezra and Daniel fasting always goes hand in hand with humbling oneself. Without approaching the Lord in a humble manner we cannot expect the Lord to hear our requests. The target of the request is after all to activate the Lord to perform something that we cannot do ourselves! We expect Him to work it out; we leave it to His mighty hand to act. Fasting has only value when it is accompanied by humiliation before the Lord.

Daniel understood that although the Lord had promised that after 70 years the exile would finish, the sins of the people would surely obstruct the Lord in His acting. He well understood that the he and his people also had their own responsibility in enabling the Lord to liberate them. While pointing the Lord on His promise Daniel also simultaneously confessed the sins of the Israelites (Dn 9:4-19).

In Jonah 3 we discern that fasting is fully dedicated to repentance. In order to turn away the wrath of God all the people and even the animals in Nineveh abstained from food. And God was filled with compassion and skipped the destruction of the city. Note well that it was not fasting that saved the city but repentance! Repentance was done by fasting and wearing sackloths.
The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit as Ps 34:18 says. But in order to receive God’s mercy on us we are responsible to confess our sins.

Mourning
In the Old Testament there are several events of great sadness where fasting is applied during the mourning, the third category that I want to highlight.
In 1 Sm 31:13 the people of Jabesh fasted 7 days after the death and burial of Saul and his 3 sons.
In Est 4:1 after the announcement of the king’s decree to destroy all Jews in Persia the people started to mourn, accompanied by fasting, weeping, wailing, sackcloth and ashes.

Fasting could be the simple result of having no appetite to eat because of the distress.
Why should we then not dedicate time to go to our Father in heaven Who is the only One Who really can comfort us? Why should we not share our pain and tears with Him Who knows all about suffering?

I believe that there is also a second principle: fasting defines also the period of mourning.
In the end of Deuteronomy we read that after Moses died the people grieved for 30 days until the time of weeping and mourning was over (Dt 34:8). God does not want us to keep on sad for ever. He allows us to weep and to mourn after sad news, but for a certain time only! Then He wants us to get over it.
In that respect the function of fasting after the arrival of bad report is just to indicate the duration of time of mourning. God wants to go-on with us, despite the loss of a loved-one or despite the diagnosis of a severe illness. He allows us to process our grief after receiving the bad news but wants us also to trust Him in continuing life.
He controls all in our lives but permits bad things happening. Based on Rm 8:28 we must believe that even in bad events God works for the good of those who love Him.

Dedication
The last category of fasting that I want to share with you is fasting related to dedication to the Lord.

The first instant is in Lk 2:36,37 where we see Anna the prophetess. It is written that she worshipped by fasting and praying day and night.
Of course it does not mean that she prayed always and never ate food and always slept in the temple! It means that her life was full of prayer and that she did not delight in fine or excessive meals. She was continuously concentrated on the Lord and wanted to be in His house all the time. She was so eager to know the thoughts and the will of the Lord that all the other aspects of life were matters of minor importance.
In this case fasting does not mean abstain from food, but just eating very simple and sober. Think of John the Baptist who fed himself only with locusts and honey.
I believe that we should take the life-style of Anna as an example. The Lord seeks this kind of fully devoted people and is pleased with a way of living that does not see on earthly satisfactions and comforts but is dedicated to the service of the Lord.

The other case where we see that fasting is related to dedication to the Lord is in Ac13:2,3. During the worshipping in the church in Antioch they did not long to food and were fully focused on the Lord. The Holy Spirit found them being in this state and revealed Himself by saying who they had to send off for mission.
Again we cannot state that because of their fasting the Holy Spirit could reveal Himself. But as a result of their full concentration during their (long) worshipping they received the message of the Holy Spirit.

Why fasting?
Let us now summarize shortly why and how people have been fasting.

When pleading with a clear request
With a humble heart
When claiming the promises of the Lord
Before starting any action
With confession of sins
When repenting
When temporarily mourning
When dedicating oneself to the Lord
When worshipping the Lord

We easily recognize all these occasions and ways as still applicable in our time! It is obviously not limited to the time of the Old or New Testament. Like these believers were facing their typical or difficult situations, also we, as present-day believers, can be in similar situations.
I therefore want to plead for consideration of the above examples and contemplation about how to implement fasting in our spiritual life. We do not need to establish a fixed way of doing it, or appoint a precise time and duration or prescribe fasting for certain situations. We have to find out personally with the Lord how we can practice fasting. In the end it is not the fasting itself that brings us closer to our Lord, but only our heart-condition and concentration.

Indications for fasting
Assuming that we want to introduce fasting as part of our faith, I finalize by quoting some indications from the Lord Himself how He would like us applying fasting.

Isa 58:6,7 says that false fasting is to be replaced by loosening the chains of injustice and untying the cords of the yoke, setting the oppressed free and breaking every yoke, sharing your food with the hungry and providing the poor wanderer with shelter- when seeing the naked, clothing him, and not turning away from family.

Similar indication from the Lord we find in Zech 7:5-10. It says that false fasting is to be replaced by administering true justice; showing mercy and compassion to one another, not oppressing the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor, not thinking evil of each other.
Without practicing these issues fasting and doing fervent prayer do not have any effect. Only when applying justice the Lord will hear our prayer as Isa 58:9 clarifies.

Furthermore, as already said in the beginning, Jesus Himself gives some prescriptions how to fast. He does this in direct connection of the Model Prayer in Mt 6. Fasting functions as supporting the praying (Mt 6:16,17).
Jesus warns us not to focus on the fasting itself and show off to the other people. It is not a performance that makes us better before God. Jesus instructs us not to go into physical suffering because it will not work out anything. He instead encourages us not to neglect our physics, because it could distract us from our concentration on the Father to Whom we send-up our requests.

I conclude with quoting vs. 14 of Isa 58: then you will find joy in the Lord.
This is a key-verse. Because of that joy that we experience in Him, it makes us desiring to dedicate time for worship, prayer and also fasting.
It is not about fasting; it is just all about our close relationship with the Lord.
When we experience this close relationship all other territories in life will profit. We will apply justice and we will be compassionate with others and share our blessings in those cases where there is need.

The joy in the Lord was the driving factor for Anna’s sober life style and we can say that her life was one big fasten for the Lord.
Don’t we want to go with boldness to the Father to make our requests known?
Don’t we want to go to the throne of mercy to receive forgiveness when we have committed sin?
Don’t we want to be comforted by Him when we are suffering because of great distress?
Don’t we want to be close to Him, to desire revelation of His thoughts and will?

The joy in the Lord is within arm’s reach!