{"id":835,"date":"2011-03-01T16:14:30","date_gmt":"2011-03-01T21:14:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.fbclafayette.org\/?p=835"},"modified":"2011-12-12T09:28:14","modified_gmt":"2011-12-12T14:28:14","slug":"what-is-fasting-and-should-we-be-fasting-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/what-is-fasting-and-should-we-be-fasting-today\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Fasting and Should We Be Fasting Today?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Fasting, simply defined, is the withholding of food for a given period of time with an expressed purpose. <\/strong> In this definition, it should be noted that many elements of the fast are voluntary and a fast does not eliminate the possibility of water.<\/p>\n

Let me begin by saying that we are not going to discuss the potential benefits or problems with fasting for the purpose of looking better.\u00a0 While it may be that losing a few pounds would be a wise decision, that is not the purpose of biblical fasting.\u00a0 Instead, fasting is a deeply spiritual idea.\u00a0 In fact, fasting in the Bible normally revolves around three occasions (it should be noted that the only commanded fast was on the day of atonement. Cf. Lev 16:29-31, 23:27-32; and Numbers 29:7).<\/p>\n

Fasting Occasion #1:\u00a0 Grief<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Many of us have experienced such grief in our lives that eating did not sound appealing.\u00a0 In the Bible, we find in 1 Sam 31:13 (cf. 1 Chron 10:12) that the people fasted in grief having learned of Saul\u2019s and his sons\u2019 deaths.\u00a0 At the moment, the nation was grieving and a fast seemed the most appropriate activity accompanying the grief.\u00a0 Nehemiah fasts after learning of the condition of Jerusalem (Neh. 1:4).\u00a0 We even find wicked and pagan kings fasting, such as Ahab (1 Kings 21:27) and Darius (Daniel 6:18).<\/p>\n

Fasting Occasion #2:\u00a0 A Passionate Request from God<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Three biblical fasts explain this point particularly well.<\/p>\n

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  1. David fasts (2 Sam 12:16-23) while begging God for the life of his son. God does not grant David\u2019s wish, and after the baby dies, David returns to taking nourishment.\u00a0 The point however, is that David fasts while he is entreating God for his request.<\/li>\n
  2. Ezra calls a fast for protection in a journey (Ezra 8:23) in part because Ezra had already explained to the king that God cares for those who seek him.\u00a0 In other words, Ezra and his companions were crying out to God and seeking God in the midst of the fast for his protection.<\/li>\n
  3. In Acts 13 and 14 we find fasts associated with the calling of God\u2019s servants and the sending them off for ministry (Acts 13:2-3, 14:23).\u00a0 Fourth, Jesus fasts at his temptation (Matt 4:2) and while the text does not explain the purpose of the fast, its location in the narrative suggests it has something to do with his upcoming public ministry.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In other words, sometimes people fasted in order to make a specific, impassioned request from God.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Fasting Occasion #3:\u00a0 Repentance and Confession<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Fasting is also associated with repentance in several passages of Scripture.\u00a0 The nation fasts due to its foolishness in Judges 20:26. In 1 Sam 7:6 the people fast confessing their sin of idolatry to God. The post-exilic community fasts and confesses the sins of the nation in Nehemiah 9:1 (see also Psalm 35:13, Jonah 3:5, & Is 58:3).<\/p>\n

    Daniel 9:1-6 is also an important passage under this heading.\u00a0 Daniel is reading Jeremiah 29 and he makes the connection between the 70-year period of exile (which is coming to an end) and what it means to seek the Lord (see Jer. 29:11-14).\u00a0 In this text, Daniel equates seeking the Lord with a fast, with clothing changes, and prayers of confession<\/strong> (cf. Joel 2:12).<\/p>\n

    In each case, fasting is associated with something deeply personal and important.<\/p>\n

    Jesus’s Teachings on Fasting<\/h2>\n

    We have seen that fasting occurred in both the OT and NT.\u00a0 What is one to do with the teachings of Jesus on fasting in Matthew 6:16-18 and 9:14-17?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Just so this article does not last forever, let me highlight three points from the text.<\/p>\n