Biblical Fasting

In these days many questions and confusions arise in the minds of many brethren because of the excessive and unbiblical emphasis that some place on fasting.

From a natural and human point of view, fasting has been practiced in all times and in all nations, especially in times of grief and affliction, for the constitution of the human body, under such circumstances of pain, refuses food. (Jonah 3:5).

Jonah 3:5

So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

Jewish Fasting

In the ceremonial law given by God to the Hebrew people through Moses, God established one day of fasting per year for the whole nation, the Day of Atonement. (Leviticus 23:27-32).

Leviticus 23:27-32

Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God.

For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.

Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.

In the time of the Prophet Isaiah, that is, a thousand years after the law of Moses was established, the Jews had already failed the purpose and spirit of fasting, and God had to rebuke them. (Isaiah 58:3-4).

Isaiah 58:3-4

Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

From these verses we can clearly see that they fasted, yet at the same time murmured; they fasted, yet at the same time did their own pleasure, their own will; they fasted, yet at the same time oppressed; they fasted, yet at the same time contended and debated over who fasted more days; they fasted, yet at the same time hurt others.

Fasting in this way, no matter how many days one fasts, has no value, nor does God hear.

In the time of the Prophet Zechariah, that is, twelve hundred years after the Law of Moses, the Jews had four main fasts per year, instead of one. (Zechariah 8:19) God asked them through the same Prophet: "Have ye fasted unto me?" (Zechariah 7:5).

Zechariah 8:19

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.

Zechariah 7:5

Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me?

And in the time of Christ, that is, five hundred years after Zechariah, the Jews had one hundred and four fasts per year. That is why the Pharisee whom Christ mentions in (Luke 18:12) prayed, saying: "I fast twice a week."

Luke 18:12

I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

With this marathon of one hundred and four fasts per year, merely for fasting, they grew in the letter of the Law, but not in the grace or righteousness of God, for they were not justified. Fasting itself, or the number of days one fasts to make mention or boast of it, has no validity in the presence of God.

For this reason, God, through the prophet Jeremiah, tells them: "when they fast I will not hear their cry" (Jeremiah 14:12).

Jeremiah 14:12

When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.

Biblical Fasting

Biblical fasting means abstaining from food to devote the time to God. (It is not stopping eating and devoting oneself to something else.)

Biblical fasting humbles the soul before God. (Psalms 35:13). It crucifies the appetites and denies their desires to give all the time to God and to prayer. (2 Samuel 1:16-23; 1 Corinthians 7:5).

Psalms 35:13

But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.

2 Samuel 1:16-23

And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord's anointed.

And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:

(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)

The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!

Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.

From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.

Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

1 Corinthians 7:5

Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

Prayer on many occasions needs biblical fasting for its victory and effectiveness. Biblical fasting has achieved great victories, combined with prayer and faith. Biblical fasting is a biblical doctrine. (2 Chronicles 20:1-25).

2 Chronicles 20:1-25

It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court,

And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?

Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?

And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,

If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.

And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;

Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.

O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.

And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation;

And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.

To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.

And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.

And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.

And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.

And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

There is only one biblical fast. There is no fast of Jehovah, nor a fast of the Lord, nor a fast of the Holy Spirit.

What is biblical fasting like?

Our Lord Jesus Christ offers specific instructions on what biblical fasting is like. (Matthew 6:16-18).

Matthew 6:16-18

Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

That is, no one should know that we are fasting, much less should anyone know how many days we have been fasting or how many we had to fast. Jesus says that making mention, promotion, boast, or drawing attention to fasting or the many days of fasting we have done is hypocrisy and Pharisaism.

Jesus says how we must practice biblical fasting. (Matthew 6:18).

Matthew 6:18

That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

All Christians must practice biblical fasting. The Bible, especially the New Testament, offers no rules as to how long the fast should be, or how often, or for how many days. This is determined by the person in secret with God and according to his or her desire and need.

According to the Word of God, we can clearly see that fasting must have a defined purpose; it must be practiced for defined needs. For this reason in the Bible we have cases when God through the prophet called the people to fasting and repentance before the imminence of judgment. For the same reason it is biblical and correct for the pastor, by divine direction, to call the church to fast for some needs of the church itself.

On one occasion when the disciples could not heal a demon-possessed man, they asked Jesus. (Matthew 17:19-21).

Matthew 17:19-21

Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Here the main reason the Lord gave was their little faith. Faith needs prayer, and prayer needs fasting. Through prayer and fasting, and meditation on the Word of God, faith is strengthened, and then miraculous results will be manifested. That is, fasting, or the many days of fasting one may do, is not to earn merit, nor to set a fasting record, nor to break Christ's record, nor to impress God or the demons.

One fasts for the cultivation and strengthening of one's own spiritual life. Whoever fasts one day, or whoever fasts forty-one days, must not be proclaiming it. The Lord emphasizes that this must be a private, secret matter. (Matthew 6:18).

Matthew 6:18

That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Excessive fasting without purpose that breaks one's health and causes neglect of the family, and thereby gives rise to scandals, is contrary to the good testimony of the Gospel. I know well a case of one of those so-called prophets, who prophesied to a pastor that he had to stay home fasting without coming to church for several months. The foolish pastor believed the false prophecy and within a week had to leave his seclusion because the false prophet was dividing the church.

A radio preacher said that a certain brother had been fasting for twenty days, and that he was going to pray for that brother and that the brother was going to come out dancing in the Spirit, so that everyone would see that after twenty days of fasting there is still strength to dance.

We have already said that true biblical fasting is not to accumulate days, nor to see who lasts longer, nor to compete, nor to see who has more strength, nor to put on a show. The Lord says that nothing must be shown to men: whether you fast, or how many days you fast, or whether you have strength, or whether you do not. The reward of one who fasts while proclaiming it is that everyone knows he is fasting, knows how many days he fasted, that he keeps physical strength, etc.

But he who fasts for the Heavenly Father who is in secret, the Heavenly Father who sees in secret will reward him openly. Fasting itself, nor the number of days of fasting one does, is not what really counts before God, but the motives of the heart and the spirit with which it is done.

The Pharisee fasted twice a week, that is, one hundred and four fasts per year. (Luke 18:11-12). Through his many fasts he wanted to appear more spiritual than anyone. The publican did not fast, and if he fasted he did not mention it. It must not be mentioned. (Luke 18:13-14).

Luke 18:11-12

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

Luke 18:13-14

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

It is a sad fact repeated in the experience of many, that when fasts are undertaken that are not according to the Bible, there is the danger of straying from sound doctrine, the danger of hearing voices, of receiving strange visions and revelations that are also not according to the Word of God.

In (1 Timothy 4:1-3), it says, "that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils."

1 Timothy 4:1-3

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

These seducing spirits and these doctrines of devils do not present themselves as such, but with much cunning, skill and imitation, saying things that seem good, correct, biblical, etc.

In that same passage the Bible tells us that those seducing spirits, in an attempt to appear holier and purer than the Bible itself, "forbid to marry." "Do not marry so that you may be holier." The unwary believes it. But marrying or not marrying adds nor takes away holiness from anyone. The Bible says: "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled." What is dishonorable and vile is adultery and fornication, and God "will judge" such persons. (Hebrews 13:4).

Hebrews 13:4

Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

The same passage also indicates that these seducing spirits "command to abstain from foods." I have known many who began to fast following seducing spirits and have had terrible failures.

Some time ago a newly converted brother at the Evangelistic Center told me that he felt led by the Lord to fast forty days enclosed in a glass urn in Columbus Plaza in San Juan, so that everyone would see him and repent. I guided him, showed him from the Bible that this could not come from the Lord; he understood and lives grateful for the guidance received.

We must always be careful with those who take prayer and fasting or the many days of fasting they do and proclaim them as a means of self-promotion to gain ascendancy over the people.

Let us see what the Lord our God says; weary of so much marathon fasting, so much competition and so much ostentation about fasting. (Isaiah 58:4-7).

Isaiah 58:4-7

Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?

Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

Yes, beloved, it is necessary to pray always and not faint, it is necessary to pray without ceasing. Prayer is good, necessary, vital; but there is a correct and biblical way to pray, and an incorrect and unbiblical way to pray.

Jesus censured a class of people who prayed much. (Matthew 23:14).

Matthew 23:14

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

In the same way, it is good and necessary to fast, but there is a correct and biblical way to fast and an incorrect and unbiblical way to fast.

In everything we must conform to the Holy Word of God, for as we have seen, everything incorrect and unbiblical brings confusion, disorder, apostasy and condemnation.

Let us pray and fast, but as God commands.

And it must be so, as God commands in His Word, because one may be sincere in what one believes and does, but may be sincerely mistaken. We cannot govern our Christian life and conduct merely by following visions, revelations, experiences, feelings that we may have, much less if they are visions, revelations, experiences and feelings of others.

Our Christian life must be governed according to the Holy Word of God; it must be "as the Scripture says."

May God help us not to be seduced by so many seducing spirits and doctrines of devils that are appearing and proliferating so much in these last days.

Questions

1. What was Jewish fasting like?

2. How many kinds of fasting are there?

3. What is biblical fasting like?

4. When and for how many days should we fast?

5. What purpose should fasting have?