"DISCIPLINES FOR THE DISCIPLE"
The Discipline Of Fasting
INTRODUCTION
- For this series we have defined spiritual disciplines as...
- Spiritual exercises that bring one closer to God, to become more
godly in character and behavior
- Spiritual activities such as prayer, meditation, fasting, singing,
giving, etc.
- Previous studies examined the disciplines of...
- Prayer - especially the value of secret, simple, and steadfast
prayer
- Meditation - contemplating on God, His works, His words, and
things worthy of virtue
- A discipline closely tied to prayer in the Scriptures is that of
fasting...
- Practiced by men of God - Ezr 8:21; Neh 1:4; Dan 9:3; Mt 4:2
- Observed by the early church - Ac 13:1-3; 14:23; 2Co 6:5; 11:27
- But some questions may come to mind...
- What exactly is fasting?
- Why would Christians fast?
- When would Christians fast?
- How should Christians fast?
[A detailed study of fasting can be found here. This study will simply summarize
the answers to such questions...]
- FASTING IN THE BIBLE
- IN THE OLD TESAMENT...
- Only one fast was commanded in the Law of Moses - Lev 16:29;
23:27-29; Num 29:7
- The phrase "afflict your soul" refers to fasting - cf. Psa
69:10
- Note also Ac 27:9 (where the Fast refers to the Day of
Atonement)
- But the Israelites (and others) fasted on many other occasions
- In war, or at the threat of it - Judg 20:26; 1Sa 7:6
- When loved ones were sick - 2Sa 12:16-23; Ps 35:11-13
- When loved ones died - 1Sa 31:13; 1Ch 10:12; 2Sa 1:12
- When they sought God's forgiveness - Jon 3:4-10; Dan 9:3-5;
Neh 9:1-3
- When faced with impending danger - 2Ch 20:3; Ezr 8:21; Neh
1:4; Es 4:3,16
- To commemorate certain calamities - cf. Zec 7:3; 8:19
- The purpose of fasting
- Some fasting was a natural reaction to grief over the loss
of a loved one
- More often, fasting was done purposely to "afflict the soul"
- Lev 23:27-29
- The purpose was to "humble" or "chasten" the soul - Psa
35:13; 69:10
- By so humbling themselves, they hoped to incur God's favor
- Ezr 8:21-23; cf. Isa 57:15; 66:1-2
- Because they sought God's favor, fasting usually was
accompanied with prayer
- The nature of fasting
- Fasting generally involved abstaining from food but not
water
- Sometimes the fast was partial - a restriction of diet, not
total abstention - cf. Dan 10:2-3
- On rare occasions there was the absolute fast - Jon 3:5-10;
Es 4:16; cf. Ac 9:9
- The absolute fasts of Moses and Elijah must have been
miraculous - Deut 9:9; 1Ki 19:8
- The length of fasting
- A fast was often for one day, from sunrise to sunset, and
after sundown food would be taken - Judg 20:26; 2Sa 1:12;
3:35
- A fast might be for one night (hence the term, "breakfast")
- Dan 6:18
- The fast of Esther continued for three days, day and night,
which seems to have been a special case - Es 4:16
- At Saul's burial, the fast by Jabesh-Gilead was seven days
- 1Sa 31:13; 1Ch 10:12
- David fasted seven days when his child was ill - 2Sa 12:16-18
- The longest fasts were the forty day fasts by Moses, Elijah,
and Jesus - Exo 34:28; Deut 9:9; 1Ki 19:8; Mt 4:2; Lk 4:2
- Warnings regarding fasting
- Fasting can easily turn into an external show and ceremonial
ritualism
- When it did, God and His prophets spoke out against it - Isa
58:1-9; Zec 7:1-14
-- Though subject to abuse, fasting played an important role in
the life of Israel
- FASTING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT...
- In the life of Jesus
- He fasted forty days in the wilderness - Mt 4:1-2; Lk 4:1-2
- He taught concerning fasting in His sermon on the mount - Mt
6:16-18
- He implied His disciples would fast after His death - Mk 2:18-20; Lk 5:33-35
- He spoke of the combined power of fasting and prayer - Mt
17:14-21
- In the life of the early church
- Members of the church at Antioch served the Lord with
fasting - Ac 13:1-2
- Elders were appointed in the churches of Galatia with
fasting - Ac 14:21-23
- In the life of Paul
- He fasted prior to his baptism - Ac 9:9
- He fasted as part of his ministry - 2Co 6:4-10; 11:23-28
- He described how fasting might be appropriate for others
- 1Co 7:5
- In the lives of others
- Anna - Lk 2:36-37
- Cornelius - Ac 10:30-31
-- Through both precept and example, the New Testament has much to
say about fasting
[Both Jews and Gentiles, Christians and non-Christians, practiced the
spiritual discipline of fasting in Bible times. Should Christians fast
today? I believe there is a place for fasting today...]
- WHY WOULD CHRISTIANS FAST?
- PEOPLE FAST TODAY FOR VARIOUS REASONS...
- Some purposefully, for health reasons
- Some without thinking, in times of grief and sorrow
- Others, in an effort to gain some kind of self-control
-- But these are not reasons Christian should fast in their
service to God - Col 2:20-23
- CHRISTIANS SHOULD FAST TO SEEK GOD'S HELP...
- This is consistent with the majority of fasting in the OT
- In times of war or at the threat of it (Israel)
- When loved ones were sick (David)
- When seeking God's forgiveness (Ahab, Daniel)
- When seeking God's protection (Ezra)
- This is consistent with the examples of fasting in the NT
- When dealing with temptations (Jesus)
- When serving the Lord (Antioch)
- When beginning a work for the Lord (Antioch)
- When selecting and appointing elders (Galatia)
-- There is certainly apostolic example for Christians to fast
today
[If fasting has a place in the Christian life, then let's look more
closely at...]
- WHEN WOULD CHRISTIANS FAST?
- WHENEVER CIRCUMSTANCES REQUIRE GOD'S HELP...
- These may be occasions on an individual level
- When faced with difficult temptations
- When faced with the serious illness of a loved one
- These occasions might be on a congregational level
- As when appointing elders
- As when sending out missionaries
-- Not as some ceremonious ritual, but when appropriate for the
occasion
- WHENEVER CIRCUMSTANCES CALL FOR MUCH PRAYER...
- Is not God more likely to answer our prayers if we are
persistent? - cf. Lk 18:1-8
- Is not God more likely to respond if we fast in the proper
manner? - cf. Mt 6:17-18
-- This may be why fasting is frequently joined with prayer in the
Scriptures
[Whenever there are matters requiring much prayer, fasting along with
prayer is appropriate. Finally, let's take a look at...]
- HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS FAST?
- SOME BIBLICAL WARNINGS...
- Not to be seen of men - Mt 6:16-18
- Not as some regular ritual - cf. Mt 9:14-17
- Not without true repentance - cf. Isa 58:3-9
-- To be effective, fasting must take such warnings seriously
- SOME PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS...
- Don't fast just because it sounds like a neat thing to do
- Take the subject seriously
- Fast only when the occasion is a serious one
- One in which you deeply desire God's help
- If you have never fasted before...
- Start slow, fasting only for brief periods of time
- End slow, gradually breaking your fast with fresh fruits and
vegetables in small amounts
- Fast when you have time to spend in prayerful meditation
- Remember the purpose for fasting
- To humble oneself in God's sight
- To seek favorable answer to prayer for some important
plea
- Thus fast when you have time
- To pray
- To meditate
- Remember fasting can be:
- Partial abstention from food, not necessarily complete
- Just for one day or night, not necessarily for days and
nights
-- Fasting is not an end, but a means to an end; a way to humble
oneself before God
CONCLUSION
- Views about fasting have often been extreme...
- "Some have exalted religious fasting beyond all Scripture and
reason, and others have utterly disregarded it." - John Wesley
- Some consider fasting unnecessary, therefore to be ignored; others
think fasting is to be bound as a matter of faith (like baptism)
- For the Christian, fasting is left primarily to individual
discretion
- When properly understood, fasting can be a valuable spiritual
discipline...
- A way to humble oneself before God
- When joined with prayer, a way to solicit God's help
As we seek to exercise ourselves unto godliness (2Ti 4:7), consider the
practice of fasting as an appropriate complement to prayer and
meditation...