Chapter 11.16
Fasting
Customs and Traditions – Where, How and How long
Call to Fast - Reason to Fast - Benefits – Sex
Fasting
First Word
I have certainly read about folks
fasting in the Bible, but I personally have not experience it. In
fact I don’t think I have ever missed a meal and it’s not that I’m FAT, I’m just a foot too short. Since
Wikipedia
Fasting is an act
of willing abstention from all food, drink, or both, for a
period of time.
An absolute
fast is
normally defined as abstinence from ALL food and liquid
for a defined period, usually a single day (24 hours), but it could be for
several days.
Partial
fast:
A weaker form may be partially restrictive, limiting particular
foods; wine, meat and dainty foods or substances; the fast may also be intermittent in nature.
SEX: Fasting practices may
preclude sexual intercourse as well as other activities.
Health: Fasting has been recommended as therapy for various conditions by health professionals of most cultures,
throughout history, from ancient to modern.
Customs and Traditions
Types: There were two kinds of fasting; public and private;
both accompanied with prayer. Public
fast were periodically proclaimed lasting one day from sunrise to sunset
accompanied with various types of offerings. Private fast were observed as an act of penance
The Mishna; Yoma
8:1 - On the Day of Atonement, it is forbidden
to eat, drink, bathe or wear sandals, anoint with oil or have sex. (Mishna; a book of oral teachings guided by the
Torah given by a notable Rabbi)
Mortification of the flesh in
its simplest form can mean merely denying oneself certain pleasures, such as
permanently or temporarily abstaining from alcoholic beverages, sexual
relations, or any area of life that makes the person's spiritual life more
difficult or burdensome. It can also be practiced by choosing a simple or even
impoverished lifestyle; this is often one reason many monks
of various religions take vows of poverty.
Sack Cloth: Originally a garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair (a hair shirt) worn close to the skin. It was used
to induce discomfort or pain as a sign of repentance and atonement.
Tearing of clothes was common among
the Canaanites, Romans as well as the Hebrews.
It was a natural expression of anguish similar to biting of the nails or
the primitive action of pulling out of one’s hair. Joel calls for the rending
of our hearts, not our garments.
Throwing of Dust is a reminder that from dust we came and
to dust we will go.[1]
Joel 2:13-14 – Rend your heart not your garment
13 Rend your heart and
not your garments. Return to the LORD
your God, for he is gracious
and compassionate, slow to anger an abounding in love, and he relents from
sending calamity.
14 Who knows? He may turn
and have pity and leave behind a blessing NIV
Traditional Fasting Days
The
only required fast by Moses was the “Day of Atonement” although there were many
other traditional special occasion fasts; most of which had fallen into disuse
by the time of Christ, but were revived at the destruction of Jerusalem by the
Romans.
The term “Fasting” is synonymous with the
term “afflicting
one’s soul” in scripture.
17th of Trammuz (Jun-July) Breaking through the walls of Jerusalem (second
Temple)
9th of Ab (July-August) Destruction of the Temple
3rd of Tishri (Sept- Oct) Fast of Gedaliah
10th of Tishri (Sept- Oct) Day of Atonement – aka; “The day of Fasting”
10th of Tebeth (Dec-Jan) Beginning of the siege on Jerusalem (second
Temple)
13th of Adar (Feb- March) Fast of Ester.
Not so fast
There
are some things that DO NOT constitute a fast. Only religious exercise.
·
You make an occasion for a parade of piety; you
abuse the fasting ritual.
·
You make your voice loud to attract God’s
attention… You put on a show for men to see you with a soiled face and a sad
countenance and sit on a sack cloth with ashes.
·
You bow your head like a reed to impress others.
·
You do pleasures as you please and do not humble
yourself before God.
·
You exploit those around you… You have
contentions, quarrels with strife and fighting.
At some point the Israelites fasted through
superstition that it added value to their life even though it was NOT accompanied with purity and righteous
living. Some came to think that fasting
would automatically get them to “hear from God”.
Refusing to eat when under heavy emotions such
as jealousy, anger or
vexation has NOTHING to do with
religious fasting as noted in the life of Saul with his visit to
the Witch of Endor;[2]
Jonathan when he was mad
at the supper table and would not eat;[3]
Hannah refused to eat because she was vexed
by Peninnah;[4]
and Ahab pouting and abstaining because
he didn’t get his way.[5]
Isaiah 58:3-5 – Is this what you call a fast?
3 Why have we
fasted,' they say, and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and
you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you
please and exploit all your workers.
4 YOUR FASTING ENDS IN QUARRELING AND STRIFE, AND IN
STRIKING EACH OTHER WITH WICKED FISTS. YOU CANNOT FAST AS YOU DO TODAY AND
EXPECT YOUR VOICE TO BE HEARD ON HIGH.
5 Is this the
kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? IS IT ONLY FOR BOWING ONE'S HEAD LIKE A REED
AND FOR LYING ON SACKCLOTH AND ASHES?
Is that what you call a fast, a day
acceptable to the LORD? NIV
Call to Fast
Fasting
was practiced to show humility, sorrow and a dependence upon God. All believers are expected to fast although
the scriptures do not specify how long or how often, but it does provide
examples as a whole that suggest it’s a personal decision. During fasting and prayer, the Holy Spirit will speak to our spirit.[6]
We should fast and pray to hear from
God during times of drought; war or the threat of it; Impending
danger and calamities, anxiousness and distress.[7] Fast for our own personal
penance of sin and also to commemorate
God’s intervention during
calamities in our life.
Reasons to Fast
Apocrypha – Pss Sol 3:8 -
Fasting makes atonement
for “Sins
committed in Ignorance”.
4
Ezra 6:31
Ezra fasted
in preparation for receiving visions
In the NT it is done as a sign of remembrance of God’s provisions and watch care; other times it’s done
because of sincere penance, grief, distress or even
impending destruction.
Fasting is done in “PREPARATION” to Hear from God: Cornelius was fasting
when he received a vision about Peter from God[8]…
Daniel was fasting when the Angel Gabriel
appeared[9]… Moses was fasting
when God wrote the Ten Commandments in stone.[10]
The
Isaiah List is some of the things that constitute a true fast: Fasting becomes
BREAD.
Bread
is sharing your food with the hungry… Bread is providing shelter for the poor… Bread is
providing clothes for those in need… Bread is opening your eyes to see the need of
those in your own extended family… Bread is living an unselfish life… Man shall not live by Bread alone, but by every word
of God.[11]
Isaiah says FAST to loose the
chains of injustice… To undo heavy burdens… To fast to get free from
oppression… To break every yoke.
Isaiah 58:6-7 – The Isaiah List of Reasons to
Fast
6 "Is not
this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of
injustice and untie the cords of
the yoke, to set the oppressed
free and break
every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food
with the hungry and to provide the poor
wanderer with shelter--when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not
to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Where & How
Find a quiet
place
in your home where you can be alone with God without distractions.[12] Pray and prostrate yourself before Him.[13]
Don’t babble saying rote
meaningless words over and over in prayer.[14]
Sing praises to
God
both in tongues and with the understanding.[15]
Listen to “easy listing” Christian music as you study
and pray.[16]
Study the God
breathed scriptures[17]… Pray that the Holy Spirit will unpack the
scriptures and illuminate your life and let you hear from God.[18]
Sex
We
should also fast or refrain from the pleasure of SEX so as to devote our bodies to prayer; but not too long lest Satan get a foothold in
our life.[19]
How Long - Fast
The custom was
that the Jews fasted on Monday and Thursday and the Christians fasted on
Wednesday and Friday. Without boring you with all the scriptures, this is a
quick Look at how long folks fasted. A
Fast was from sunrise to sunset.
One
day –
David, Judah, Daniel, the Pharisees and Israel
Three
Days –
Ester, Mordecai, Paul and “Many Others”[20]
Seven
Days,
David and Israel,
Fourteen
Days -
Paul and 276 men on a ship[21]
Twenty
One Days –
Daniel – would not even use lotions on his body.[22]
Forty
Days –
Moses, Joshua, Elijah and Jesus
Others never left the temple worshiping,
praying and fasting night and day.[23] Some missed the whole point of fasting and
just did it so they could appear righteous.[24]
Jesus Fasted
Let’s
take a look at the temptations of Christ in the wilderness. It was just after Jesus had fasted for forty days and was hungry
and weak, that
Satan began his ploy; he was trying to get Jesus to PROVE to him that He was the Son of
God. Jesus identified him as the Tempter, the Devil and Satan.
We see Jesus quoting scripture” It is Written,”
to Satan at each temptation that was presented.
Jesus had food that Satan knew nothing about.[25] Jesus had fed His Spirit with the WORD of God.
John the Baptist taught his disciples
to fast and to FAST OFTEN.[26]
Matthew 4:1-11 – Jesus digested God’s Word; Satan
could not tempt
1 Then Jesus was LED UP BY THE SPIRIT into the
wilderness to be tempted by THE DEVIL.
2 And when HE HAD FASTED FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS, afterward He
was hungry.
3 Now when THE TEMPTER came to Him, he said, "If You are the
Son of God, command that these stones become bread."
4 But He
answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
5 Then THE DEVIL took Him up into the holy city, set Him on
the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him,
6 "If You are the
Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,'
and, 'in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a
stone.' "
7 Jesus said to
him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'
"
8 Again, THE DEVIL took Him up on an exceedingly high
mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9 And he said to
Him, "All
these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."
10 Then Jesus
said to him, "Away with you, SATAN! For it is written, 'You shall
worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.' NKJV
Faith
You
would probably wonder why I would bring “Faith” into a discussion on
Fasting. My mind goes quickly to the
story of the young man that the Disciples were trying to cast a demon out of
and Jesus had a sharp rebuke concerning their FAITH. He said that the demon would not come out
except by fasting and prayer. The
subject in verse 21 is not the demon, but FAITH… Faith needs Prayer…
Prayer needs Fasting…
Fasting gives POWER[27] to your faith.
LISTEN: The thing that caused the fall of man was FOOD…
Fasting humbles your spirit[28]
and demonstrates your earnestness before God[29]… It
chastens[30]
your soul… It subdues your appetite giving more attention to prayer.
Webster:
Chasten; to punish in order to correct or make
better… To refrain from excess; to subdue… To make purer in style; to
refine. Many of the modern day “Great Men of
Faith” prayed with fasting. Fasting and humbling yourself before God brings
answers from God and is the cure for unbelief. [31]
Benefits of Fasting[32]
– If/Then
ü
IF with compassion
you spend yourself on behalf of the hungry and oppressed and
ü
IF you are prepared to be instant to help whether it’s
convenient or not[33]
and
ü
IF you quit
pointing fingers at others and stop boasting and recognize your own faults, and
ü
IF you do away
with your malicious talk and speaking idle words and
ü
IF you keep the
Sabbath day Holy, honorable and a delight to God; not doing your own thing.
ü
THEN
when
you call upon God, He will answer you… He will strengthen your body… You will
receive healing… You will have perfect health like a well-watered garden…
ü
THEN the Glory of
God will be your guard… He will be your guide and satisfy your needs.
ü
THEN during trials
your own light will break forth in wisdom like the dawn… You will ride on the
heights of the land and feast on your inheritance from God.
ü
THEN you will
delight yourself in the Lord… You will find joy in the Lord… You will be called
“The Repairer,”
“The Restorer”… For the mouth of the LORD has spoken it.
Kings, Presidents and
Leaders
Kings,
Presidents and leaders should as an example, let their people know that
they are humbling themselves before Almighty God calling a fast; earnestly desiring
to hear from Him; going without food, wine and entertainment.[34]
Tearing of clothes
was a tradition from old to demonstrate their mourning. Sackcloth was very rough, uncomfortable and
irritating reminding the wearer of his mourning. The tearing of clothes and wearing sackcloth
is all but passed away along with its symbolism.
These actions were symbolic of “crucifying the desires of the flesh”.
NT Believers
I
was 19 when I gave my first pint of blood in the Army, they gave me a
sticker to put on and I placed it my forehead where all my buddies could SEE it. They put FLORESCENT ORANGE tape on my arm and I
wanted everybody to know what a great and HUMBLE guy I was, SO
I flaunted it.
Some fast for
the same reason.
Fasting is not necessarily done just at
home. You can fast and go to work on
your job. Your body will remind you of
why you are fasting, and as you can, you can be in prayer throughout the day as
well as sing praises in your heart.
Fasting is a private matter between you
and God. Brush your teeth and take a
bath, smell good, dress like you normally would, and be happy; you are not to appear
in mourning.[35]
Faith needs Prayer…
Prayer needs Fasting…
Fasting gives Power
to your Faith.
The mouth of the LORD has spoken it. [36]
Off
the subject but;
I just feel a need to say it
As a youngster,
I was awestruck with the Movie “The Wizard of Oz”. I was enthralled with
the Yellow Brick Road leading
to the awesome world of the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
I came out of
the movie very quiet… I had discovered that at the end of the Yellow Brick Road
was JUST A MAN behind a curtain pushing buttons
and pulling leavers.
The world of the Yellow Brick Road was
just an illusion.
I think of the
lyrics of a song by Elton John.
“I’ve finally decided
my future lies
BEYOND
the Yellow Brick Road”
- SELAH -
[1] Genesis 3:19 - For you are dust, and to dust you shall return
[2] 1 Samuel 28:20 – Saul fasted and went to the witch of Condor
[3] 1 Samuel 20:34 – Jonathan was angry and would not eat
[4] 1 Samuel 1:7 – Hanna was vexed by Peninnah and would not eat
[5] 1 Kings 21:4 - Ahab didn’t get his way and wouldn’t eat
[6] Acts 13:2-3 – The Holy Spirit speaks during fasting
[7] Acts 27:9- Fast in time
of danger and anxiousness
[8] Acts 10:30-31 – Cornelius heard from God while fasting.
[9] Daniel 9:3-21 – Daniel fasted and the angel Gabriel came to him
[10] Exodus 34:28 – Moses fasted and God wrote the Ten Commandments
[11] Luke 4:4 - Man shall not live by Bread alone
[12] Matthew 6:5-6 – Go to
your room and Close the door
[13] 2 Samuel 12:16-17 – Find
a place in your home; prostrate yourself
[14] Matthew 6:7– Don’t use
vain repetition of words.
[15] 1 Corenthians 14:15 – Sing in the tongues and in the understanding -- 1
Chronicals 16:9-10 – Sing of His wonderful
acts. -- Psalm 30:11-12 – Let not your heart be
silent; Sing -- Colossians 3:16 - Sing
psalms, hymns and spiritual songs
[16] Psalm 108:1 – Make music with your spirit -- Ephesians 5:19-20 –
Make music in your heart
[17] Acts 17:11 – Examine the
scriptures every day -- 2 Timothy 2:15 – Study the scriptures; hear from God --
Acts 18:28 – Scripture proves that Jesus is the Christ -- Romans 15:4 –
Scripture was written to encourage and give hope -- 2 Timothy 3:15-17 –
[18] Matthew 22:29 – You error because you do not know the scriptures --
Luke 24:45 – The Holy Spirit will open your
understanding
[19] 1 Corenthians 7:5 – Fast
from sex to devote yourself to prayer
[20] Ester 4:15-16 - Do not
eat or drink for three days, night or day
[21] Acts 27:33-34 – Paul Fourteen days of fasting and constant suspense
[22] Daniel 10:2-3 – Twenty one days fast; No lotions on his body
[23] Luke 2:37 – A widow
prayed and fasted often night and day
[24] Luke 18:11-12 One
Pharisee fasted twice a week
[25] John 4:31-32 – I have
food to eat that you know nothing about
[26] Mark 2:18 – John taught
his disciples to fast. -- Luke 5:33 – John’s disciples
fasted OFTEN.
[27] Matthew 17:19-21 – Faith Power comes from prayer and fasting.
[28] Psalm 35:13 – Fasting humbles the spirit
[29] 2 Samuel 12:21-23 – Fasting demonstrates earnestness before God
[30] Psalm 69:10 – Chastens your soul
[31] Ezra 8:21-23 – Fast and humble yourself before God for answers
[32] Isaiah 58:8-14 – Benefits
of Fasting
[33] 2 Timothy 4:2 - Be instant whether it’s convenient or not.
[34] 1 Kings 21:27-29 – King
Ahab tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, fasted and humbled himself before his people -- Daniel 6:18 – The King went WITHOUT FOOD or
ENTERTAINMENT
-- Ester 4:1-3 – He tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes and
Mourned loudly and bitterly before the people
[35] Matthew 6:16-18 – Don’t
let it be obvious you are fasting.
[36] Isaiah
58:14 - I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor
Jacob. I, the LORD, have spoken!”
No comments:
Post a Comment