True Fasting

Why do you fast?

No really, think about that a second and come up with an answer, don’t worry, the rest of the blog isn’t going anywhere. Do you even fast? What have you been told, or read about when to fast or why?

Today we are going to look at examples of fasting in the Bible, as well as the only place I can find any sort of explanation as to a reason.

“Cry aloud; do not hold back; lift up your voice like a trumpet; declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet they seek me daily and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness and did not forsake the judgment of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments; they delight to draw near to God. ‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the LORD? ‘Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.” (Isaiah 58: 1-12 ESV)

I want to start with this text because this is the only description of fasting I can find. It starts with what the people are doing wrong. What is interesting is that what they are doing wrong is the very reason so many use to fast these days. When I posted a poll a while back on my facebook asking people why they fast I mostly heard back answers such as “to draw closer to God,” or variations of that phrase. There were some who listed other reasons but that was the biggest. Yet look back at verse 2. God mentions the people delighting to draw near to Him, yet this is not mentioned in a positive light. In fact, this is part of the problem. Even the people “humbling themselves” isn’t what is pleasing God in fasting. This threw me off a bit. I had always heard that fasting was a means of learning to give up ourselves (or become humble) in order to become closer with God. Now there is truth in that, but the problem is that it isn’t the whole truth. As we continue in this section you see that what God sees as a fast pleasing to Him results in people being helped. The hungry are fed, the homeless sheltered, etc. God wants our fast not just to be a sacrifice of ourselves, but a sacrifice to do His will on this earth. We need to use it as a way to accomplish some good for others.

Here are examples of fasting:

Esther 4:16, Daniel 9:3-19, 1 Samuel 7:5-6, Nehamiah 1:4

In all of these cases those fasting are doing so for the benefit of the entire nation of Israel, that God should see the plight they are in and offer a solution. Selfless acts of fasting designed to accomplish a goal with the benefit of others in mind.

Some more examples:

Acts 13:2, 14:23

In both of these examples the fasting is being done in order to find God’s will in selecting those to do His work. The people selected will be either directly responsible for spreading the Gospel or a major part in growing the faith of those where the Church is already established. Again, we see the primary reason for the fast lies outside of oneself.

Now for the best example of all which can be found in Matthew 4:1-11. In this instance Christ is preparing for his ministry, the ministry that would ultimately lead to the greatest act of selflessness ever, the crucifixion of Christ for our sins. The result of which is the extension of grace to all.

Ultimately we do fast to grow closer to God, to seek His guidance. Not merely for the pleasure of feeling close to our creator, but to find His heart and will for our lives, and to spread His love to everyone we encounter.