The Forgotten Practice

Introduction

- When you fast

Roy Story

Let’s look throughout scripture and see what God’s word has to say about fasting.

What is it?

When was it done?

Should we do it today?

What is it?

First we must understand what fasting is.

You may be saying, everyone knows what fasting is!

Going without food!

But there is more to it than that.

In God instructs His people that the 10th day of the 7th month was to be the day of atonement the day when the High Priest would perform ritual sacrifices to forgive the nation of their sins. On this day God commanded that

Leviticus 16:29 ESV

“And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you.

This fast was to happen on the day of atonement, the day when the High Priest would

The psalmist wrote in

Psalm 35:13 ESV

But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest.

So then we see that Fasting is more than just simply the with holding of food, and the discomfort of being hungry. According to scripture, fasting with a focus on God is a deeply spiritual matter. It goes deeper than our physical desire for food and becomes an affliction to the soul.

So what is fasting?

It’s more than just withholding food, it’s creating an affliction to our souls with the intent of focusing on God.

Old Testament

1. Fasted in times of war or threat of war (;

Men of Gibeah violated the man’s concubine and murdered her, Israel raises up and fights against this even that the tribe of Benjamin had committed. In the midst of this war Israel retreats, weeps and fasts.

- Ark of the covenant returned from the Philistines, Samuel gathers the people at Mizpah and they fast and pray.

2. Fasted when loved ones were sick (). - David and Bathsheba -Uriah killed, Nathan tells David the child will die. David sought God on behalf of the child with fasting.

3. Fasted for their enemies (). 4. Fasted when loved ones died

(; ).

The valiant men retrieved the body of Saul and his sons and buried them and fasted seven days.

5. Fasted when seeking God’s pardon (; ; ).

Moses fasts for 40 days

Deuteronomy 9:15–18 ESV

So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain was burning with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands. And I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the Lord your God. You had made yourselves a golden calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you. So I took hold of the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes. Then I lay prostrate before the Lord as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger.

- Ahab repents at the words of Elijah and scripture says

1 Kings 21:25–27 ESV

(There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel.) And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly.

1 Kings 21:26

Deut

Nineveh repents at preaching of Jonah

Jonah 3:4–10 ESV

Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

6. Fasted when facing danger (; , ).

In : the people become afraid to ask the king of for a band of soldiers to protect them on their journey back to Jerusalem from Babylon, so Ezra

Ezra 8:21 ESV

Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods.

Esther is informed from Mordecai that Haman has convinced the king to exterminate the Jewish people and in response she decides to speak to king Ahasuerus. But she requests of all the Jews in Susa to

Esther 4:16 ESV

“Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

New Testament

Fasting and Jesus.

1. Jesus fasted forty days (; ).

2. Jesus taught about fasting in his sermon on the mount ().

3. Jesus was questioned about it by John’s disciples ().

4. Jesus taught of a combined power of prayer and fasting ().

B. Fasting and the Church.

1. The church at Antioch fasted (

Acts 13:1–3 ESV

Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

). 2. The churches of Galatia fasted ().

2. The churches of Galatia fasted when appointing elders

Acts 14:21–23 ESV

When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

3. The apostles fasted

1 Corinthians 6:1–10 ESV

When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers! Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

4. Paul often fasted

2 Corinthians 11:23–27 ESV

Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

5. Married couples may find need for fasting

1 Corinthians 7:5 ESV

Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

III. The Purpose Of Fasting

A. Some fasting was the natural reaction to grief.

B. But more often, fasting was done to purposely “afflict the soul.”

C. The purpose of this affliction was to “humble” the soul ().

D. Evidently, they felt that by so humbling themselves, the would more likely secure God’s favor and blesssings (; ; ).

IV. The Nature Of Fasting

A. The usual form of fasting was to abstain from all food, but not water.

B. Sometimes a fast was partial, restricting the diet, but not total abstention ().

C. Sometimes a fast was absolute, included water (; ; ).

V. The Length Of Fasting

A. One day [Sunrise to sunset] (; ; ; ).

B. Three days (). C. Seven days (; ).

D. Forty days (; ; ; ).

VI. Warnings Concerning Fasting

A. It can turn into an empty ritual ().

B. It can be turned into a show ().

VII. Summary Of Thoughts On Fasting

A. Should Christians fast today?

1. Yes, but not the difference in “should” and “must.”

2. Jesus assumed that his disciples would fast ().

3. We should fast because Jesus expected us to and the N.T. church practiced it.

B. Why Should Christians fast?

1. There are times when we need divine help (temptation, illness, beginning a new work, appointing elders, in times of war, seeking forgiveness).

C. How Should Christians fast?

1. Not to be seen of men ().

2. Not as some regular ritual ().

3. Not without true repentance ().

Conclusion:

1. Fasting is not a church ordinance, but rather it is a private matter.

2. The church can be called to fast; but the choice is yours.

3. Jesus expects you to fast; but the choice is yours. 4. Fasting...the choice is yours.