Introduction on Fasting
Few disciplines for godliness go so radically against the flesh and the mainstream culture as fasting. We tend to emphasize the exceptions of those who can’t fast because of medical or health reasons so much that no one fasts at all! Yet remember that Christ taught fasting and He fasted, setting us both precept and example? Therefore we ought to fast! We should pray and fast because there are situations that require both (Luke 2:37; Acts 13:3; 14:23 Mark 9:29)
What is Fasting?
Fasting is a Christian’s abstinence from food or other fleshly appetites for spiritual reasons. Martyn Lloyd-Jones has a very succinct definition of fasting:
To make the matter complete, we would add that fasting, if we conceive of it truly, must not only be confined to the question of food and drink; fasting should really be made to include abstinence from anything which is legitimate in and of itself for the sake of some special spiritual purpose. There are many bodily functions which are right and normal and perfectly legitimate, but which for special peculiar reasons in certain circumstances should be controlled. That is fasting. There, I suggest, is a kind of general definition of what is meant by fasting.
John Wesley would not ordain a man to the ministry who did not fast regularly!
Types of Fasting:
1. Normal fasting – abstinence from food, but to drink water or perhaps fruit juices. E.g. Jesus’ fasting speaks of eating nothing, of being hungry. Nothing is said of not drinking. The body cannot function without water/fluids for more than 3 days.
2. Partial fasting – is a limitation of the diet, or withdrawing from certain foods but not all foods. E.g. Daniel and his three friends in Babylon (Dan. 1:12); John the Baptist who only ate locusts and wild honey (Matt. 3:4)
3. Absolute fasting – abstinence from all food and liquid, even water. E.g. Ezra ate no food and drank no water, because he continued to mourn over the unfaithfulness of the exiles. (Ez. 10:6) Esther also solicited a similar fast in Esther 4:16. After Paul’s conversion incidence on the Damascus road, he did not eat or drink anything for the three days he was blind (Acts 9:9)
4. Supernatural fasting – Moses’ encounter with God on Mount Sinai, allowed him to stay on the mountain forty days and forty nights without eating any bread or drinking any water (Deut. 9:9). This was also true of Elijah. See 1 Kings 19:8
5. Private fasting – The Lord taught that when we fast, it should be private not to draw the attention of others in Matthew 6:16-18.
6. Congregational fasting – Joel 2:15-16; Acts 13:2-3; 14:23. This is especially necessary when the whole church devotes a day to call upon the Lord in order that He may give them godly, faithful, mature, qualified and sufficiently gifted to serve them as their Elders. Our confession of faith recognizes this in Chapter 27 paragraph 9, where we read,
The way appointed by Christ for the calling of any person, fitted and gifted by the Holy Spirit, unto the office of bishop or elder in a church, is, that he be chosen thereunto by common suffrage of the church itself (Acts 14:23) and solemnly set apart by fasting and prayer, with imposition of hands of the eldership of the church, if there by any before constituted therein (1 Tim 4:14); and of a deacon that he be chosen by the like suffrage, and set apart by prayer, and the like imposition of hands (Acts 6:3,5,6)
7. National fasting – 2 Chronicles 20:3; Nehemiah 9:1; Esther 4:16; Jonah 3:5-8. Such nations like Britain and America have in the past proclaimed days of national fasting.
8. Regular fasting - God required every Jew to fast on the Day of Atonement. Leviticus 16:29-31; Zechariah 8:19
9. Occasional fasting – this occurs on special occasions as need arises. Like the need of the day demanded Esther to call the unusual fasting. King Jehoshaphat did the same. See the teaching of the Lord on this one in Matthew 9:15
I do not intend this list of types of fasting to conclusive although these nine types are the clearest for my finite thinking and observation from the Scriptures.
Why do we fast?
Matthew 6:16-18. Here is an explicit passage where the Lord has seen it fit to instruct us on fasting. There are things we must not do when fasting and others that He expects us to do. We have two lessons:
Jesus expects us to fast
The Lord says,
“And when you fast…” (v.16)
“But when you fast…” (v.17)
You may compare this with both giving and prayer, “And when you pray… But when you pray… And when you pray… Pray then like this… “ (vv. 5, 6, 7).
Consider the response that Jesus gave to the disciples of John the Baptist who were not pleased that the disciples of Jesus were not fasting. He said,
And Jesus said to them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. (Matt 9:15) Empasis added
Jesus plainly said that a time was to come when His disciples ‘will fast’. When is that time? It was after the Lord had withdrawn physically on the earth. As long as the Bride-groom of the church has not returned, we are expected to fast.
How do we fast?
We must not be hypocritical in fasting
Fasting must not be noticeable by the public. Religious hypocrites do it for the people to see how religious and spiritual they are. We must not fast in a way that will draw the attention of other people. We must not look gloomy or sombre – people will notice. We must not disfigure our faces – other people will see us and congratulate us.
Therefore, when you fast, it should not be obvious to every Tom, Dick and Harry that you are fasting. Because if they notice and laud you for it, they you will receive your reward from them and not from God. Therefore, be careful not to neglect your appearance when you are fasting.
Present yourself well outwardly when fasting. Anoint your head, wash your face. This way, your fasting will not be obvious to everyone. Present yourself so well that no human eye can see that you are fasting. Let your fasting be visible to God.
God promises to reward fasting. Your Father who sees in secret will reward you. There is a high level of certainty of reward based on the promise that God has given in His Word.
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