Is Fasting Biblical? (Part 2)

Yesterday, we “introduced” this blog series on fasting and I got a number of readers they were anticipating the rest of the series – for which I am thankful. Fasting is a Christian practice not discussed or written about very often. In fact, the only book in my library of 1,500+ volumes on fasting is John Piper’s book A Hunger for God. With that in mind, today’s posting is reserved for simply defining the practice of fasting.

What is Fasting?

Fasting is a practice you’ll find in every major religion in the world. It is more than a crash-diet for the body; it is abstinence from physical needs for spiritual purposes. It isn’t just dieting from specific foods or doing without food for health reasons. Just because you deny food in fasting doesn’t mean that you believe that food is evil of you deny the provision of God in providing it. Rather, you demonstrate by your fasting that having more of the Provider – God – is more important that the gift – food. It is a reflection of Jesus words to Satan during His time in the wilderness: “… Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4). When we fast, we are saying to God, “Not by bread alone, but by you, Lord.”

Fasting is a voluntary discipline and incorporates denying anything that would be considered a normal function. You can choose to fast from anything you like. Some fast from T.V. or the telephone or even sleep. John Piper has written,

“Fasting is a test to see what desires control us. … A periodic – and sometimes decisive – declaration that we would rather feast at God’s table in the kingdom of heaven than feed on the finest delicacies in the world.”

It is an abstinence from our physical blessings and focusing upon the Source of those blessings.

Fasting was consistently practiced in Israel in the O.T. You have many examples of times that called for fasting.

• The people fasted in order to mourn their sin on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16; 23).

• Hannah fasted and begged God to give her a son and He did – Samuel (I Sam 1).

• When Moses received the Law from God on Mt. Sinai, he fasted 40 days and 40 nights (Exod 34).

• When Elijah was hiding in the wilderness from Jezebel, he fasted 40 days (I Kings 19).

• Esther fasted with all her maidens in Esther 4 when danger was imminent. Another example of fasting when danger was imminent is II Chronicles 20.

• Sometimes fasting was a part of preparing for war, as Saul commanded his army to do before battle with the Philistines (I Sam 14). Other examples of fasting in order to prepare for war are Judges 20 and I Samuel 7.

• Sometimes it was proclaimed as a sign of mourning the dead, which is what occurred for 7 days when Saul was killed in battle (I Sam 31; I Chron 10).

• Fasting occurred when someone was seeking God’s forgiveness (I Kings 21; Neh 9; Dan 9; Jon 3).

• There is even a time when fasting occurred for the simple reason that someone was sick (II Sam 12)

By the way, on those days where fasts were 10 days or longer, they would just abstain for certain types of foods. We know someone would probably die if they hadn’t eaten that long.

The N.T. also has examples of fasting.

• It was religious tradition that the Day of Atonement would be accompanied by a fast (Acts 27).

• Jesus endorsed fasting once by His example when he fasted in the wilderness 40 days and 40 nights before His temptation (Matt 4).

• There were even demons apparently that could only be exorcised through prayer and fasting (Mark 9).

• We even have an example of an unsaved Gentile fasting: Cornelius before the he was granted salvation (Acts 10).

• In Acts, fasting was implemented whenever missionaries or elders were to be selected (Acts 13-14).

What they did in the early church with the food they would save from not eating during a fast is give it to the poor.

There are also some extra-biblical examples of fasting as well. History documents the pilgrims on the Mayflower fasted the day before they left the ship to get off on American soil. Jonathan Edwards before he preached his well-known sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” fasted for 22 hours.

Today it’s only the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches that make fasting an obligation. In all other denominations, including our own, it is only recommended and rarely preached or discussed. Defining fasting and exposing it’s biblical practice is not the difficult issue to consider when dealing with this topic. It is the next question: it is an obligation? Do we live in disobedience if we don’t fast? Tomorrow, we will deal with that question.