Elder Goh Kee Tai

Religious fasting in the Bible

In the Bible, fastings were often the religious channel for a mixed expression of the whole gamut of godly emotions of grief and sorrow for sins, repentance and remorse towards God. Religious fasting with total or partial denial of food and water for a limited period of time was an exercise that bespoke genuine inward humiliation and contrition for sins. In Old Testament times, fastings meant putting on of sackcloth and ashes and were identified with real penitential emotions of sorrow, hopelessness and despair, deep humility and repentance, either by individuals or on a national scale. On special occasions, this religious exercise enjoined prayers on those fasting to seek God’s forgiveness and blessings. The ultimate aim was the soul’s cry for God’s pardon, mercy and deliverance.

By the Lord’s divine power, Moses’ episodal 40 days and 40 nights fasting on Mount Sinai was sustained where he had to commune directly with God to receive His instructions concerning the tabernacle and the Decalogue for Israel (Ex 24:18; Deut 9:9). The people had made a golden calf for worship in Moses’ absence. This rebellion stoke Divine fury and all Israel would have been destroyed were it not for the intercession of Moses who built a tent at the foot of Mount Sinai and made intercessory prayers for Israel and Aaron for 40 days and 40 nights (cf. Exodus 33:8-11; Deu. 9:18-21). It was the need of the hour in this dire circumstance where only the pardon and mercy of the Lord could bring healing to Israel and this necessitated Moses to fast: ‘And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the Lord was wroth against you to destroy you. But the Lord hearkened unto me at that time also’ (Deu 9:18,19). Because this humble servant of God, of extraordinary devotion, deep humility and contrition of heart, bolstered his prayers with intense agony for the transgression of His people, not all Israel was annihilated.

Public fast instituted under Mosaic law
The only annual fast prescribed by Mosaic law was on the Day of Atonement: ‘And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever’ (Lev16:29-31).

On this day of holy convocation, burnt sacrifices were offered by the high priest for atonement of all the sins of Israel as well as cleansing of the sanctuary (Num 29:7-11).

Fasting or ‘affliction of soul’ (Ps 69:10) was required from the evening of the ninth day to the evening of the tenth day (Lev 23:27-32). This was the Lord’s prescribed period of self-denial and mortification of the flesh as an expression of godly repentance and inward regret and sorrow on account of sins and transgressions of the people.

Public fasts instituted by men in the Scriptures
Four other annual national fasts introduced by men were also publicly observed by the exiled Jews in Babylon and for some time after their return. These fasts were not observed for atonement of sin, but in commemoration of notable disastrous events in the history of Israel.

On the Jewish calender, the fast in the fourth month was to remind them of the conquest of Nebuchadnezzar – the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.; the fast in the fifth month commemorated the burning of the Temple in 586 B.C. (2 Ki 25:1-10); that in the tenth month was to commemorate the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem in 588 B.C. (Jere 52:4,5); and the fast of the seventh month was a memorial observed for the assassination of Gedaliah, the Jewish puppet governor of Judah under Nebuchadnezzar (2 Ki 25:22-26; Jere 40:13-41:3).

Another public fast instituted during the time of Queen Esther was the Feast of Purim on the twelfth month of the Jewish calendar. Purim was a feast which commemorated the deliverance of the Jews from the diabolical scheme of Haman, that wicked minister in the Persian empire. Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, had offended Haman by not bowing in obeisance to him. For that, Haman was determined to destroy not only Mordecai, but also have a genocide of Jewry in Persia. By his subterfuge, this tyrant had the king issue a decree for the total extermination of the Jews. It was a critical moment in history and Mordecai and the Jews wept bitterly, put on sackcloth with ashes and fasted (Est 4:1,3). Esther’s help was sought and she requested Mordecai and all the Jews in Shushan, the capital city, to hold an emergency fast and refrain from food and drink for three days and nights, before she would risk her life to come before the king to make an urgent appeal for the people ( Est 4:16). This fasting coupled with prayers was the focal point in their agonising supplications for the Lord’s deliverance. The Jews’ only way out of this imminent and diabolical massacre was their hearts’ incessant renderings of pleas for Divine preservation. After their deliverance, Esther and Mordecai enjoined fasting for all the Jews at the Feast of Purim. ‘To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry’ (Est 9:31).

Fasting - a channel for multifaceted purposes for petitions to God
We learnt of David who mourned and fasted upon the deaths of Saul and son Jonathan who were dear to his heart (1 Sam 31:13; 2 Sam 1:12); Ezra for the transgressions of the exiled Jews who had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple (Ezra 10:6); and Nehemiah on news of the severe afflictions of the Jews and destruction of the walls of their beloved Jerusalem (Neh 1:4).

The oft-repeated vicious alternating cycles of Israel’s rebellion and sin against the Lord and their subsequent turning away from their sins back to God run throughout the Bible and God’s prophets would exhort Israel and rally them to a solemn time of mourning and fasting and weeping (Joel 1:14; 2:12) to avert many a national disaster.

So also was Divine deliverance so graciously bestowed whenever Israel was under imminent invasion by her enemies and the nation fasted and wept and prayed for God’s succour (1 Sam 7:6; 2 Chron 20:3,4).

The ‘chaff’ of fasting
Winnowing the chaff from the germ of fasting is the crux in this religious exercise. Public fasting, with good intentions by the people of Israel, more often than not was peppered to some degree with self-righteousness (Zech 7:5,6). What was lacking was a genuine sorrow for sin. This was the germ of fasting which was crucial in bestowment of His blessings. The Lord condemned the Jews for their religious hypocrisy and pretences in fastings, prayers, burnt sacrifices and festivals (Isa 1: 10-15). Going through the motion of external observance of fasting without genuine repentance and godly sorrow and righteous deedswere merely vain legalism and utter hypocrisy (Is 58). For Jeremiah’s intercessions for Judah for her sins and God’s pardon and mercy, the Lord told Jeremiah to stop praying! Judgment and Divine anger was certain on the false prophets and rebellious who chose to ignore the truth to believe a lie (Jere 14:11,12). Their external display of religious piety was but a sham and hypocrisy.

Christ’s teaching on fasting
In preparation of His ministry, Jesus Christ led and undergirded by the Holy Spirit, fasted 40 days and 40 nights to be tempted by Satan (Mt 4:1-2).
The first time Jesus spoke about fasting was when He warned His disciples of the hypocrisy of fasting by the Pharisees. Besides those scheduled fasting seasons, the Pharisees were also infamous for their weekly fasts which was but an outright pathetic display of outward piety and godliness which they thought God would take great notice of for their pious service.

Their hypocrisy and self-righteousness was justifiably condemned by Christ Himself (Mt 23:13-36). Our Lord clearly gave the specifics for a genuine fast. It is to be a personal private act of a true heart of devotion to God: ‘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 fast, 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’ (Mt 6:16-18).

Fasting with prayers from a devout heart with the right motive was pleasing to God. Anna with her total devotion to God was a good example: ‘And she…....departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day’ (Lk 2 :37). Cornelius, the Gentile proselyte, by his prayers and fasting in pursuit of the one true living God, obtained salvation (Act 10:30).

It was noteworthy to His disciples that the annual fasting and animal sacrifices on the Day of atonement had become irrelevant since Christ, the perfect sacrificial Lamb has come (Jn 1:29; Heb 9:26; 10:5-10). By His atoning death for the sins of both Jews and Gentiles, He has reconciled all His redeemed to God (Heb 2:17).

Jesus also instructed His disciples that to cast out the demons of an epileptic, when previous attempts failed, called for extraordinary faith with fastings and earnest prayers, humiliation of souls and denial of the flesh: ‘Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting’ (Mt 17:21). Their lack of faith in seeking God’s power was their failure. This was also echoed by Paul in overcoming Satan’s temptation (1Cor 7:5).

The early apostolic church leaders fasted and prayed especially on specific solemn occasions for the election and ordination of those in the ministry, e.g. as when Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Act 13:2,3) and the ordination of elders of the infant churches (Act 14:23).

Conclusion
Public fasting is not a requirement of discipleship. There is no specific biblical instruction prescribed for believers on the observance of fasting. Imperative to note is that Jesus places greater emphasis on prayer than on fasting as demonstrated by His life. Specific instructions are in the Scriptures on how we ought to pray (Mt 6:5-15).

Nonetheless, fasting may be carried out in private with fervent prayers when a believer, either by the providence of God, or on special occasions, fasts under the direction of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This ought to be a time of personal, sincere, intimate solemn consecration and devotion to God in deep contrition and humility, piety and self-discipline with denial of daily bread. This soul searching exercise helps in deepening a believer’s spiritual life in Christ and in strengthening his faith in Him. Fasting elevates praying to a spiritual height of intense devotion with importunity and fervency that the believer is sustained by God’s power and not by morsels of bread. Fasting indeed is never an outward show of piety for self glory nor a forgoing of prayers and the denial of other biblical teachings to our hurt. Fasting definitely is not a means to manipulate God to fulfill our carnal desires. Amen.