Bible Class: Lesson 33

Motives for fasting

Persons may fast with different and wrong motives. They may put on a show to impress on others. They fast but their lives are not right with God. Their fasting becomes worthless. Jesus condemned that behaviour.

• Isaiah 58:3-4
  “Why have we fasted, and You have not seen? Why have we humbled ourselves, and You have not noticed?” “Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as you please, and you oppress all your workers. You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice be heard on high.
• Jeremiah 14:11-12
  Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Instead, I will destroy them with the sword, famine and plague.”
• Matthew 6:16-18
  “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

National fast

A national fast is the abstinence from food by a country for a period. After Esther had saved the Jews, a national fast was put in place.

• Esther 9:30-33
  And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of Xerxes’ kingdom words of goodwill and assurance to establish these days of Purim at their designated times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them, and as they had established for themselves and their descendants about their times of fasting and lamentation. Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, and it was written down in the records.

Fasting and national crisis

When countries face national crisis, they will call on their citizens to fast, to seek forgiveness and help from God. The Kings of Assyria and Judah called a national fast. Esther called on the Jews to fast.

• Esther 4:15-17
  days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” So, Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.
• Joel 1:12-15
  The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree all the trees of the field are dried up. Surely the people’s joy is withered away. Put on sackcloth, you priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God. Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD. Alas for that day! For the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.
• Joel 2:15
  Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.
• 2 Chronicles 20:1-4
  After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat. Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi). Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.
• Jonah 3:5
  The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

The length of fasting

How long should a person fast? There is no biblical rule. Yes, God works with numbers, but he did not command anyone to fast for a specific number of days. The length of time may depend on the person, the objective and circumstances. Jesus and Moses fasted for 40 days. Why 40? The number 40 generally symbolizes a period of testing, trial or probation. Some persons may choose to fast for an hour, a day, a week or a month. The persons who were sailing to Rome and encountered a terrible storm at see fasted for 14 days. There are some who believe that the Jonah Fast is the ideal. They say that the fast lasted for 3 days.

• Matthew 4:1-2
  Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
• Exodus 34:27-28
  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant the Ten Commandments.
• Acts 27:33
  Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food you haven’t eaten anything.
• Jonah 3:1-10
  Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.” Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

Fasting and prayer

In some situations, fasting is combined with prayer. The two can be a powerful force to address situations and seek the attention of God.

• Acts 13:1-3
  Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with 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.” So, after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
• Acts 14:23
  Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
• Daniel 9:1-3
  In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So, I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

Fasting, sins, forgiveness and humility

A time of fasting can play an important role in considering the seriousness of sin in our lives. This may call for us to humble ourselves and ask God for forgiveness.

• Nehemiah 9:1-3
  On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads. Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God.
• Psalm 35:13-14
  Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered, I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother.
• Psalm 69:10
  When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting, That became my reproach.

Fasting and seeking answers

Fasting may be needed to meditate and contemplate on serious situations. Daniel had a vision that was serious. He fasted as he meditated on the vision.

• Daniel 10:1-3
  In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war. The understanding of the message came to him in a vision. At that time, I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.

Fasting in serious conditions

Paul and persons who sailed to Rome encountered a storm at sea. Their lives were in danger. They fasted. Persons may engage in fasting because they are facing serious situations in life; they may want to address problems in their lives, or they may want to accomplish things.

• Acts 27:20-24
  When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved. After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’

Private fasting

Fasting as mentioned in the bible was done by individuals. A person may choose to fast for different reasons. As a private decision and action; Anna, Cornelius and Paul fasted.

• Luke 2:36-37
  There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.
• Acts 9:9
  Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So, they led him by the hand into Damascus.
• Acts 10:30
  So, Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

Public fasting

Churches do engage in fasting. Church members are called upon and encouraged to fast for situations. Paul and Barnabas were sent out to preach, there was a fast by the church. Elders and church leaders were appointed in Asia, the church fasted.

• Acts 13:1-3
  Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with 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.” So, after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
• Acts 14:23
  Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.

Serious conditions may call for serious actions

Jesus taught the disciples a practical and important lesson. There are somethings in life that calls for serious actions and divine intervention. We will have to intercede with serious prayer and fasting. All prayers are not the same. There is, prayer, prayer and prayer. Jesus prayed all the time. When he faced death, the prayer was more intense. Also, the words of the Psalmist, explain the understanding of the phrase, there is prayer, prayer and prayer. “Hear my cry o God and attend unto my prayer…, when my heart is overwhelmed”

• Matthew 17:14-16
  When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Howbeit this kind do not out but by prayer and fasting.
• Luke 22:44
  And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
• Psalm 61:1-4
  Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth, I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy.