ofwfasting

OUR FATHER'S WORD

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

Psalm 119:105

________________________________________________________________________________

FASTING, IS IT REQUIRED OF CHRISTIANS?

by Jim Lisenby

________________________________________________________________________________

First of all, what is fasting?

Consider the following partial definition taken from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia, The Learning Company, 1999.

FASTING: A deliberate self-denial of food and drink, usually for religious or ethical reasons, is called fasting.

Simple enough, right? But, is it necessary from a biblical perspective, or is it required by God? There are many reasons for fasting, but most are seeking to gain something either physically, mentally, or spiritually. Some believe that fasting promotes better health. Some think that abstaining from food and drink cleanses their body or clears their mind, while others do it simply to lose weight. When we are grieving over some personal tragedy we sometimes lose our appetites, and some may not eat when they are in love.

These are all familiar examples of fasting, but there is another reason for fasting and that is the one that we will concentrate on in this article fasting for religious purposes, or for elevating one's spirituality.

Christians throughout western civilization, indeed all over the world, stop eating and drinking periodically for religious reasons. The reasons and customs may vary but they have one commonality, they believe that it pleases God. Perhaps they think that God has commanded it, or maybe they have a request and think that He will be more inclined to grant them what they desire. Curiously, some do it thinking that somehow by weakening themselves physically they are strengthening themselves spiritually. Interesting concept.

What should we think about it? Let's go through the subject of religious fasting by Christians and see what falls out.

Is it of God, or of men?

We will begin in the Old Testament. The first real mention of fasting in the Bible involved David. There is one prior instance of fasting in the book of Judges, but it lasted only a few hours basically and is not worthy of mention for our purposes here.

2 Sam. 12:15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.

2 Sam. 12:16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.

2 Sam. 12:17 And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.

2 Sam. 12:18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?

2 Sam. 12:19 But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.

2 Sam. 12:20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the LORD, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.

2 Sam. 12:21 Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.

2 Sam. 12:22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?

2 Sam. 12:23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

2 Sam. 12:24 And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.

2 Sam. 12:25 And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD.

David was said to be a man after God's own heart by the apostle Paul, but his fasting and weeping here availed nothing even though sincere. His sin in this case was despicable and God took the child instead of taking him. God was very merciful to David here. Whether he simply lost his appetite or if he was fasting willfully is not revealed, but what is revealed is that fasting cannot remove the penalty for sin.

The prophet Zechariah records God's response to some fasting done in his time.

Zech. 7:1 And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu;

Zech. 7:2 When they had sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to pray before the LORD,

Zech. 7:3 And to speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years?

Zech. 7:4 Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying,

Zech. 7:5 Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?

Zech. 7:6 And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?

Zech. 7:7 Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?

Zech. 7:8 And the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah, saying,

Zech. 7:9 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:

Zech. 7:10 And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.

Zech. 7:11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.

Zech. 7:12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.

Zech. 7:13 Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:

Zech. 7:14 But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.

When the Jews were in captivity in Babylon they fasted in the 5th, 7th, 9th, and 10th months according to their own rules. God did not order these fasts except the one in the seventh month which was the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. Read through these verses again. It is clear that He did not approve of their conduct or their fasting. God wanted changes in the heart, and He wanted kindness, not starving the body.

Isaiah recorded a similar response from God.

Incidentally, he was one of the prophets God was referring to in Zech. 7:7 above.

Isa. 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.

Isa. 58:2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.

Isa. 58:3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

Isa. 58:4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

Isa. 58:5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?

Isa. 58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

Isa. 58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

Isa. 58:8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.

Isa. 58:9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

Isa. 58:10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:

Isa. 58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

Isa. 58:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

All of their self-righteous religious fasting was done in vain. Notice especially verses 7 and 10. God admonished them to give their bread to the poor when they fasted.

The disciples of Jesus didn't fast during the time that they were with Him.

Luke 5:33 And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?

Luke 5:34 And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?

Luke 5:35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.

In the last clause of verse 35, why would they fast in those days? Not because they wanted to, but because of remorse that Jesus was crucified. They also may have lacked food from time to time like many others did during those times.

Jesus teaching in Matthew 6.

Jesus taught His disciples and others the proper attitude concerning fasting and the giving of alms. Why? Because charity and fasting often were interrelated just as God instructed them above in Isa. 58. People fasted in Jesus day, sometimes often, to give their food to others or to give their money for food to someone else. The reason was that people were hungry in Palestine when Jesus walked there. It was a poor occupied country under the boot of Rome. Poverty was rampant and begging was commonplace, and it was righteous to do without to give others less fortunate money or food. But guess what? Some were making a show of it, and that still goes on today.

A 9.0 earthquake and a tsunami killed 150,000 people in central Asia about two weeks ago, and devastated their lands. Individuals and governments quickly volunteered help and donations which was the right thing to do, but I couldn't help noticing that several celebrities in show business who donated really got noticed in the media. Truth is though, if they approved of being noticed they were hypocrites just like those in Jesus day. Here is what He said concerning this.

Matt. 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Matt. 6:2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Matt. 6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

Matt. 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Matt. 6:17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

Matt. 6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Notice especially verses 17 and 18. The subject in chapters 5, 6, and 7 of Matthew is all about being good and loving your neighbor. Why did He bring up fasting in the same context? What would fasting have to do with loving your neighbor? Well, I can tell you that it had a lot to do with it. Know why? It was because they fasted in order to give their sustenance for that day to those less fortunate. They did without food to give it to others, and that is definitely good and righteous before God, unless they did it to be seen of men. If so, that was their reward. Perhaps those celebrities I mentioned above have their reward.

I met a young woman about three years ago who confessed that she, and her fellow church members, did without food one day a month to give to the poor. I was shocked. I also thought that was very admirable of her and her church to do that. That is exactly what Jesus was talking about in the above verses, and what God was talking about in Isaiah 58. Sacrificing to help others is righteous behavior, as long as a show is not made of it.

Why is it wrong to make a show of charity? Because it indicates that you are not doing it from the heart for your neighbor, but that you are doing it for reward, and to be seen of men which is vanity. Our Father wants us to do things for the right motives. He wants us to truly love Him and to love our fellow man. Those things are good and acceptable. Therefore, there is reward for loving your neighbor, but none for vanity. That is what Jesus was talking about in these verses.

So, fasting was mentioned in the Bible, but was it required?

Fasting for the right reasons can be a good and righteous thing, but fasting to show men, or God, how righteous you are is another story. Fasting to gain, or promote, spirituality is undoubtedly nothing more than a misguided act of vanity.

God commanded that Israel afflict their soul on the 10th day of the 7th month, the Day of Atonement, but I don't know anywhere else in the Bible that He told us to withhold food or drink from our bodies. I'm not saying that you should never fast. Some controlled fasting may be necessary and beneficial to your health in certain circumstances. But, I am telling you that fasting is not commanded nor expected by God for any reason except on the Day of Atonement. Are you going to hell if you fast? No. Are you going to hell if you don't fast? No. But, from a religious viewpoint, I do put self imposed willful fasting in the same category as self mutilation and self flagellation. Think about it.

God bless with understanding of His word.

Home / General Bible Studies / Revelation Bible Studies / Genesis Bible Studies

email: ourfathersword@yahoo.com

www.ourfathersword.org