Classic Episode - To Fast or Not to Fast

To fast or not to fast is that really the question. Today we are going to look at the biblical definition of fasting in the context of both the Old and New Testament. So as we come to the text, let us remember that God does everything out of love to empower us to receive and believe. He reaches down to the lowest point of humanity to raise us up. He works with our lack of faith, the pride of our flesh and even any false belief. All He requires is a willing mind and an open heart.  

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Transcript

00:00 Intro music and voice over.

Welcome to jesus loves the world podcast. For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name! 

00:21 Speaker

Today's classic episode is To Fast of Not to fast.

To fast or not to fast is that really the question. Today we are going to look at the biblical definition of fasting in the context of both the Old and New Testament. So as we come to the text, let us remember that God does everything out of love to empower us to receive and believe. He reaches down to the lowest point of humanity to raise us up. He works with our lack of faith, the pride of our flesh and even any false belief. All He requires is a willing mind and an open heart.  

Let us begin with the Biblical definition of fasting. It literally means to cover over the mouth–to abstain from food. 

In the Old Testament days in a time when the people did not hear directly from God, fasting was a symbolic religious practice, of denying self food in order to seek God. To seek His will.

Also they knew the condition of their heart was corrupt and had chosen to be distant from Him. Therefore fasting was often linked to a change of mind and a renewed desire to connect with God. Especially in times of conflict and battle, they wanted to know that God was with them.

Let us look at the context of some of the verses where fasting occurred.

Ezra 8:21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions.

As the nation of Israel continued to rebel against God inwardly in their hearts, there was always a remnant, a small group or individuals who chose to be one with God. Ezra was one such individual. He called a fast to seek God’s will.

Nehemiah was another. He mourned for the rebellious people. For him fasting was linked with the  confession that they had turned away from God and needed a change of thinking to return to Him.

Esther’s fasting was associated with mourning which was common throughout the nations of the ancient east. During Esther’s time as wife to the king an edict was sent out for all the people of Jewish blood to be slaughtered. Upon hearing this news they mourned and fasted. 

The prophet Isaiah received a deep revelation of God and His heart for the people. But the rebellious people of the Ancient Israelites fasted in an attempt to manipulate God, to get what their selfish desires wanted. This was a corruption of the religious practice that was brought in to help them receive and believe in Him. They were blinded by their own selfish pride not able to see their own hypocrisy they declared to God ‘we have fasted why have you not seen and acted.’ Let us read God’s reply to this false accusation.

Isaiah 58:5-8 Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the Lord? “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Powerful words indeed. God goes right to the heart of the matter. 

The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. 

Another prophet Jeremiah calls a day for fasting for the rebellious people, so they can prepare their hearts to receive the word of the Lord. Once again the condition of their heart is the heart of the matter.

Daniel in exile fasted and mourned for the rebellious people. He identified with the shame of Ancient Israel. Out of his heart condition of humility before God, in that time of mourning, Daniel received a prophecy of the future hope. 

Daniel did not receive this prophecy because he fasted. He received the prophecy because God so loves. God entrusted Daniel to write down the prophecy for all to hear and read. Even today God’s word and prophecy continues to bring encouragement. God revealed to Daniel and to us His heart. 

He will eradicate evil and humanity’s kingdoms that set themselves up against Him, for He is good, just and so loves.

In the book of Joel fasting is linked to weeping and mourning over the people’s rejection of God. God’s desire is that no one should perish and His heart breaks for the lost and found who are still in bondage. For the lost to come to Him and for the found to live in the fullness of Him. 

In the New Testament context of fasting Jesus speaks into the Jewish mindset about the condition of their heart. They had turned the religious act of fasting into a prideful exhibition.

Jesus’ response to the prideful religious was that when you fast, it is between you and God and should be done in private. Jesus went to the heart of the matter, the matter of their heart.

They were abstaining from food to feed their prideful flesh with the self glory. Glorifying in their ability to deny their flesh! Yet Jesus exposes the deceptions of their flesh and heart. For it is the inward thoughts and desires that corrupt.

Let us look in detail another instance that fasting is mentioned in the New Testament. The situation was that Jesus’ had already given His disciples His power and authority to cast out demons and cure diseases. 

This is very important key point to remember. Therefore Jesus sent them out on a training mission to preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick and cast out demons in His name. 

The disciples went through the towns, preaching the good news of the kingdom of God. In Jesus’ name, power and authority people were healed. Upon return they reported back that even the demons were subject to them. 

As they journeyed with Jesus they had already seen and experienced His miracles.So this is the context of this time. When Jesus and His Father in heaven were to reveal more of their glory. 3 of the 12 went with Jesus up the mountain top. They experienced a greater intimacy with Him and the Father. They saw the glory of Jesus.

Intimacy comes from spending time together in that secret place away from the crowds and constant distractions.

As the 3 were experiencing intimacy with Jesus and God the Father up on the mountain, another drama was taking place with the 9 of the disciples down in the valley. 

A desperate parent had brought his epileptic son to the 9 disciples to be healed. Sadly these disciples in the valley did not see God’s healing. This is a very vivid picture of a powerless church. That is disciples knowing of Jesus, doing life with Him, thinking they are diligently following Him, yet are experiencing no transformation within the heart and. mind. They are not having intimacy with God. As a result they are spiritually dry even though they are in relationships with Jesus remain in bondage to their selfish desires. 

Also during this time the disciples had been arguing amongst themselves, as to who was the greatest. There were even times forbidding children to be blessed by Jesus and had wanted to bring down divine judgement upon an unresponsive village.

The disciples could not heal the boy. Conflict and chaos arose. The religious scoffed and cause a dispute. The father of the boy, his only son remains desperate. Amongst accusations and unbelief, scepticism and cynicism, failure and shame, Jesus comes down from the mountain and everything changes. 

Matthew 17:14-21 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” 

Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. 

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

This is not a passage about prayer or fasting. However Jesus links fasting to their flesh and unbelief. Remember they had been given the power and authority to cast out demons, yet they had not surrendered their flesh or selfish desires and unbelief. Remember they had been given the power an authority to cast out demons. They even confessed that demons were subject to them. yet they had not surrendered their selfish desires and ambitions. They were leaning on their own ability that they had been given by God, instead of leaning and trusting on the one who gave them that ability. Trusting in the One in whose name and identity the demons have to bow.

Prayer and fasting in this context is earnestly engaging with the Living God, being one with Him and by implication in a heart and mind condition of surrender of self will.

All we do should be from of a place of surrender of our selfish desires in worship and wonder of Him. Remember Jesus had just come down from the mountain top. A place where His Father, God our Father in heaven spoke to the 3 disciples who were there in His presence. 

Jesus also includes fasting in His statement about the kind of bondage that the boy needed to be free from. The disciples needed to be free from the bondage of their own selfish desires, trusting in God instead of themselves and be intimate and one with Him. 

Jesus is speaking to their lowest point of need to help them receive and believe. So that they can live in the fullness of His identity, power and authority.

In the early church fasting and prayer was very closely linked to serving the Lord by ministering to others. 

Acts 13:2-3 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. 

To prepare their hearts for the sending out of Barnabas and Saul they fasted and prayed. They heard from God and followed His will. God reached down to their point of need and as they ministered to Him by ministering to others, His will was done. 

God does everything to help us receive and believe. Do we need to fast to hear from Him. No. But when we do fast, let it be for the right reasons. 

Prayer and fasting is not to get God to do what we want. It is not declaring things of self will into existence. It is seeking Him, His will, His face out of a place of worship, knowing Him and His heart, and as a result trusting in Him. Trusting in who He is and who we are in Him is to abide.

To summarise, in the Old Testament fasting was a religious practice to help break the bondage of the selfish desires and to seek God’s will in a time when His people did not hear from Him or want to be with Him. 

In the New Testament fasting is hardly mentioned. Jesus says to the religious that when you do fast, it is to be intimate and between you and God. It is something to be done in private, in a heart mind condition of surrender. 

Jesus also mentions fasting in the context of the selfish desires of His 9 disciples who were not with Him on the mountain and were in the valley unable to cast out the demon in the boy. 

Human efforts and religious striving cannot accomplish the work of God. They cannot change the heart and mind of self or others. However God uses everything to help us receive and believe the fullness of Him and His victory over our selfish desires. 

Through journeying with Jesus, knowing His heart and will, worshiping and honouring Him in surrender to the Father’s will, by His Spirit the bondage of self or the flesh is broken.

So the question is not to fast or not to fast, but why do you fast? 

The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart.

19:40 Outro music and voice over. 

For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name!