Matthew 6:16-18 – “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face
18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
We have come to the section in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus decides to talk about fasting. At the beginning of Matthew 6, Jesus says, “But WHEN you give alms…” (Matthew 6:3). Sounds like he is expecting his people to be givers. He didn’t use the word, IF you give. Then he moves to prayer and says, “And WHEN you pray…” (Matthew 6:5, 7). We can all agree that Jesus expects his people to pray, since he also did not use the word IF. Then Jesus moves to the topic of fasting in Matthew 6:16-18. In good Jesus form, he again uses the word “WHEN you fast…” (Matthew 6:17 – WHENEVER is used in Matthew 6:16).
The first place we need to stop is to ask the question, “What in the world is fasting and why is Jesus talking about it?”
Usually, fasting is the abstaining from food for a certain period of time. There are different types of fasting in the Bible, however, and not all of them involve food. Many people in the Bible fasted, including Moses, David, and Daniel in the Old Testament and Anna, Paul, and Jesus in the New Testament. Many important figures in Christian history affirmed the value of fasting, as do many Christians today.
Biblical fasting is often closely linked to repentance, as in the examples of David, the nation of Israel, and the city of Nineveh. Fasting is also related to passionate prayer, as in the examples of King Jehoshaphat and Queen Esther. Biblical fasting comes from a humble heart seeking God (Isaiah 58:3–7).
In Matthew’s context of the Sermon on the Mount, apparently Jesus noticed something in the way the religious leaders exercised their spiritual disciplines. They seemed to fast with impure motives, seeking the attention of the people around them more than the God for whom they were fasting. But, before we get too hard on the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, let’s go back about 700 years before Jesus to see what the people were doing in their fasting.
Isaiah 58:1-8 – (NLT) – “Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast. Shout aloud! Don’t be timid. Tell my people Israel of their sins!
2 Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me.
3 ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’ “I will tell you why!” I respond. “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers.
4 What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.
5 You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?
6 “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people.
7 Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
8 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
Did you get all that? Perhaps you already checked out because this chapter is all about fasting and you are not a fast-er, so this is all about OTHER people. But I want you to exchange the word FASTING with WORSHIP and see if any light bulbs come on for you.
These people in Isaiah’s day were playing church, they were not really committed to their God. They showed up because of tradition and habit, not because they were seeking the face of God. To put it bluntly, as we learned in the Communication Experience on April 1, these people were seeking the HAND of God rather than the FACE of God. They were chasing after what God would GIVE them rather than chasing after the God who redeemed them, and therefore, giving to God what he desires the most, a people who were sincerely and holy devoted to God for WHO he is rather than for WHAT he can do for them.
Wow, that seems harsh to say all that about God’s chosen people some 2700 years ago. But maybe, just maybe, we feel it is harsh because we see OURSELVES in this indictment, and these words are making you very uncomfortable right now. When we finally “get it,” WE feel guilty because we are not as sold out to Jesus as we first believed or have come to realize.
While I am not an expert on the topic of fasting, I am quite diligent at research, so I created a booklet on Prayer and Fasting, and updated it for this occasion.
I am also going to share with you a few things that I discovered while reading a book on fasting by Elmer Towns (pastor, writer, educator, and co-founder and past vice president of Liberty University in 1971).
THE FASTS GOD CHOOSES:
From the beginning people have sought after God. They wrongly built the Tower of Babel to reach Him (Genesis 11:1-9). They rebelliously carved images to please God. They arrogantly conceived and lived by legalistic laws to impress God. They constructed monasteries and isolated themselves to please God. They even fasted wrongly in an attempt to divert His attention from other things they should have been doing but were neglecting.
Religious practices such as fasting have always been less important than actually doing God’s will. Micah 6:8 tells us what the Lord truly requires of us: “To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Fasting is not an end in itself; it is means by which we can worship the Lord and submit ourselves in humility to Him. We don’t make God love us any more than He already does if we fast, or if we fast longer. Even if we wanted to, we could not manipulate God. We fast and pray for results, but the results are in God’s hands.
GOD’S PURPOSE FOR FASTING:
I already read a well-known and often quoted passage on fasting (in Isaiah 58), which gives a veritable laundry list of warnings as well as positive results that can occur when we submit ourselves to the discipline of fasting.
It is very important to learn from this passage the kinds of fasts that do NOT please God as well as those fasts He wants. God’s people in Isaiah’s day had been fasting, but without results. The reason, God says, is that they ignored the way fasting should change their lives, treating it as an empty ritual:
3 ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say. ‘Why aren’t you impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and you don’t even notice it!’ “I will tell you why!” I respond. “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers.
4 What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. (Isaiah 58:3-4, NLT).
Like so many Christians today, God’s people considered worship to be merely a private and inward act. All of the focus on fasting was on the personal dimension. Listen to God’s rebuke:
5 You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord? (Isaiah 58:5, NLT).
The purpose of all worship, including fasting, is to change the WORSHIPER in ways that have social and interpersonal impact. We worship not just to please ourselves, but also to become empowered by God to change ourselves and the world! God goes on to specify the kind of fast He DOES want:
6 “No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people.
7 Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
8 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. (Isaiah 58:6-8).
God wanted the people to continue fasting, but to extend the result of their fasting through their actions in everyday life.
I discovered in Isaiah 58, a model for the FRUIT that God expects to see from genuine faith and devotion and fasting. Rightly used, fasting can help us present God with those fruits.
Therefore, as I learned from Elmer Towns, Isaiah 58 presents NINE kinds of fasting Christians should rediscover today–not just for their own benefit, but for the benefit of other people.
NINE FASTS GOD CAN USE:
To better illustrate and reveal the significance of these nine reasons for fasting, Towns shares (and I want to pass on to you) nine biblical characters whose lives personified the literal or figurative theme of each of the nine aspects highlighted in Isaiah 58:6-8. Each fast has a different name, accomplishes a different purpose, and follows a different prescription.
1. The Disciple’s Fast
Purpose: “To loose the bonds of wickedness” (Isaiah 58:6, NASB) – freeing ourselves and others from addictions to sin.
Key Verse: “But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:21, NASB).
Background: Coming down from the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus cast out a demon out of a boy whom the disciples had failed to help. Apparently, they had not taken seriously enough the way Satan had his claws set in this young man. The implication is that Jesus’ disciples COULD have performed this exorcism had they been willing to undergo the discipline of fasting. Modern disciples also often make light of “entangling or ensnaring sins” (Hebrews 12:1) that could be cast out if we were serious enough to take part in such a self-denying practice as fasting, so, the term used here is “The Disciple’s Fast.”
2. The Ezra Fast
Purpose: To “Undo the bands of the yoke” (Isaiah 58:6, NASB) – to solve problems, inviting the Holy Spirit’s help in lifting burdens and overcoming barriers that keep ourselves and our loved ones from walking faithfully with the Lord.
Key Verse: “So we fasted and sought our God concerning this matter, and He listened to our entreaty.” (Ezra 8:23).
Background: Ezra the priest was charged with restoring the Law of Moses among the Jews as they rebuilt the city of Jerusalem by the permission of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, where God’s people had been held captive. Despite this permission, Israel’s enemies opposed them. Burdened with embarrassment about having to ask the Persian king for an army to protect them, Ezra fasted and prayed for an answer.
I have discovered three causes of problems that might need an Ezra Fast:
(1) Change causes problems – the early church had to change their strategy and sent out missionaries, so after they fasted and prayed, they appointed Paul and Barnabas to the work (Acts (13:2-3)
(2) Differences cause problems – people are different ethnically, doctrinally, politically, socially… Ezra gathered the people at the river to show them the threatening wilderness; then they could have a united front to work on the problem.
(3) Circumstances cause problems – whether these situations are personal, family, marriage, small group, community, or church problems that arise out of circumstances.
3. The Samuel Fast
Purpose: “To let the oppressed (physically and spiritually) go free'” (Isaiah 58:6, NASB) – this is about revival and reaching a lost world, to identify with people everywhere who are enslaved literally or enslaved by sin, and to pray to be used of God to bring people out of the kingdom of darkness and into God’s marvelous light.
Key Verse: “They gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” (1 Samuel 7:6).
Background: Samuel led God’s people in a fast to celebrate the return of the Ark of the Covenant from its captivity by the Philistines, and to pray that Israel might be delivered from the sin that allowed the Ark to be captured in the first place.
This is a formal fast that has necessary steps to carry it out:
(1) Call the body together – Samuel had to gather the people from 12 tribes, who were are divided on many topics (spiritual, internal, political, military, social)
(2) Demonstrate true repentance – Samuel used the word IF in 1 Samuel 7:3, “IF you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods … from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”
(3) Separate from secret sin – this is more than being convicted of sin while you’re here at church but being convicted that the sin you’re doing is really wrong, that it goes against God’s Word, and that you repent of it.
(4) Have a corporate confession of sin – the people in Samuel’s day cried out, “WE have sinned against the Lord.” They didn’t cast blame onto someone else.
(5) Acknowledge the power of God’s Word – earlier 1 Samuel 3:1, we are told that the Word of the Lord was rare (or precious) in those days. Last weekend at the presentation of the play about Jonah, we were reminded of that 1-line message from God (40 days and Nineveh will be overthrown). The power of God’s Word would bring the entire wicked city to repentance.
4. The Elijah Fast
Purpose: “To break every yoke” (Isaiah 58:6, NASB) – conquering the mental and emotional problems that would control our lives, and retuning the control to the Lord.
Key Verse: “He himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He arose and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights” (1 Kings 19:4,8).
Background: Although Scripture does not call this a formal “fast,” Elijah deliberately went without food when he fled from Queen Jezebel’s threat to kill him. After this self-imposed deprivation, God sent an angel to minister to Elijah in the wilderness.
In Elijah’s case, his mental health was in crisis, so maybe this fast is for those needing to break negative attitudes and bad emotional habits. We know that Don is skilled at dealing with the emotional and mental health of people, but we all can read about Elijah and notice his fear and depression.
Although Elijah had a tremendous victory over the prophets of Ba’al, he was exhausted ran for his life when Jezebel said he was going to be a dead man. Perhaps he had some insecurities and chose to run away.
Noah preached against the drunkenness of a whole generation yet his own children were judged and cursed because of his drunkenness. Abraham trusted God by faith, yet lied about his own wife. Moses was the most humble man on earth yet was not allowed to enter the promised land. Peter experiences the Last Supper and within 24-hours, he denies he even knows the Lord.
I guess the moral to this story is, be careful after a spiritual victory, because the enemy will come at you without remorse. As Paul tells us, “If you think you’re standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
5. The Widow’s Fast
Purpose: “To divide your bread with the hungry” and to care for the poor (Isaiah 58:7, NASB) – to meet the humanitarian needs of others.
Key Verse: “The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke through Elijah.” (1 Kings 17:16, NLT).
Background: God sent the prophet Elijah to a poor, starving widow–ironically, so the widow could provide food for Elijah. Just as Elijah’s presence resulted in food for the widow of Zarephath, so presenting ourselves before God in prayer and fasting can relieve hunger today.
This poor widow was willing to go without food to feed the prophet of God, basically, she met a humanitarian need in the life of another person. While fasting is not specifically mentioned here, the spirit of giving is consistent with that of those who deprive themselves of something for the benefit of others.
Paul experienced this with the churches in Macedonia: “that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. 3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, 4 begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, (2 Corinthians 8:1b-4)
Since I brought Paul into the conversation, let’s go there next…
6. The Saint Paul Fast
Purpose: To allow God’s “Light [to] break out like the dawn” (Isaiah 58:8, NASB), designed to bring clearer perspective and insight as we make important decisions.
Key Verse: “And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.” (Acts 9:9).
Background: Saul of Tarsus, who became known as the apostle Paul after his conversion to Christ, was blinded by the Lord while in the of persecuting Christians. He not only was without literal sight, but he also had no clue about what direction his life was about to take. After going without food and praying for three days, Paul was visited by the Christian Ananias, and both his eyesight and his vision of the future were restored.
God provides guidance through reading his Word and hearing it preached, and studying it in a group context. Here are a few Scriptures on God’s guidance:
(1) He directs through the counsel of friends (Proverbs 11:14)
(2) He sovereignly guides his people (Romans 8:28)
(3) He directs us inwardly (Acts 16:6, Romans 8:14)
(4) He directs us by opportunities (1 Corinthians 16:9)
(5) He directs when we have a yielded spirit (Romans 12:1-2)
(6) He directs through our spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 7:7)
(7) He directs through our common sense (Proverbs 16:9)
(8) He guides us through prayer and fasting (Acts 13:2-3)
The point is, when you have to make a big decision, perhaps we need to add fasting into our prayer life.
7. The Daniel Fast
Purpose: So “your recovery will speedily spring forth” (Isaiah 58:8, NASB) – to gain a healthier life or for healing.
Key Verse: “But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank;” (Daniel 1:8).
Background: Daniel and his three fellow Hebrew captives demonstrated in Babylonian captivity that keeping themselves from pagan foods God had guided them not to eat made them more healthful than others in the king’s court.
When we pray and fast for healing, we must always remember that it is the Lord who heals (Exodus 15:26). The Daniel Fast might be done for two reason: (1) as therapy when we are sick and need healing, and (2) as prevention to keep us from getting sick.
Preventative fasting might be abstaining from certain “bad” foods, like sugar, fatty foods, desserts, alcohol, salt, or most anything found in the center area of the grocery store.
Curative fasting can affect the fast-er or someone else, like in James 5:15, “and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”
8. The John the Baptist Fast
Purpose: That “your righteousness will go before you'” (Isaiah 58:8, NASB) – that our testimonies and influence for Jesus will be enhanced in front of others.
Key Verse: “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.” (Luke 1:15, NASB).
Background: Because John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus, he took the “Nazirite” vow that required him to “fast” from (or avoid) wine and strong drink. This was part of John’s purposefully adopted lifestyle that designated him as one set apart for a special mission.
The believer’s righteousness (which comes from the righteousness of Christ) or the believer’s testimony will extend far beyond physical limitations. A John the Baptist Fast enables us to ask God to reach those who do not know him. Perhaps seeing us (or the Jesus in us) they might be drawn to God. If we want this sort of influence on other people, the Holy Spirit needs to be prominent in our lives.
How can we be filled with the Holy Spirit?
(1) Empty sin from your life.
(2) Yield yourself to God.
(3) Ask the Spirit to be evident in your life.
(4) Have faith that God will come through.
(5) Obey God’s revealed Word.
(6) Walk consistently in the Spirit.
(7) Allow the Spirit to empower you.
It only makes sense that God wants us to influence the world toward salvation in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Pray that we can surrender, submit, and sacrifice ourselves to allow Jesus to shine through our lives.
And finally…
9. The Esther Fast
Purpose: That “the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. (Protecting us from the evil one) (Isaiah 58:8, NASB).
Key Verses: “Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maidens also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16) AND “When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight;” (Esther 5:2).
Background: Queen Esther, a Jewish woman in a pagan court, risked her life to save her people from threatened destruction by Xerxes, king of Persia. Prior to appearing before the king to petition him to save the Jews, Esther, her attendants, and her cousin Mordecai all fasted to appeal to God for His protection.
We go through many dangers in this life, many are just because we are followers of Jesus. There are places all around the world where it is illegal to preach the gospel or even have a Bible. When Satan attacks, perhaps the Esther Fast is in order.
This fast is not designed to exorcise demons or break a bondage of sin, although it could be used as a protection against demonic forces.
This fast is not for daily protection from the temptations of life. The protection here is similar to the protection God provided as the children of Israel fled Egypt (the armies of Egypt chasing after them) and wandered through the desert for 40 years. Peter reminds us that the devil is out to get us (1 Peter 5:8 – the roaring lion).
Something to remember in this Esther story:
(1) Fasting did not change the decree (so your fasting may not produce any magical wonders).
(2) Fasting did not make the king call the queen into his presence.
(3) Fasting did not guarantee her life would be spared.
(4) Fasting did not solve the crisis.
But we know the end of this story, the Jews were saved from extermination.
SO, PRAYER AND FASTING, AND A GUIDE TO HELP YOU:
I mentioned this guide earlier. In this guide you will find various articles about fasting and other teaching on the topic. It is to be a resource for you in case you want to experiment in the spiritual discipline of fasting. By the time you get to page nine, perhaps you will be ready to commit to this spiritual exercise for any of the nine reasons and types of fasts that I mentioned today.
- What are you being asked to do?
- What is the conditional nature of prayer?
- What promises can you embrace?
- What are the conditions to answered prayer?
- What is prevailing prayer?
- What is a plan to begin or grow your prayer time?
- What can we pray over? Included is a list of specific things for which we can pray.
- What are some good prayer Scriptures?
- What are the seven steps to fasting?
As we conclude here, what is God impressing upon you? What changes need to be made in your life? Or will you just check worship attendance of your list and not even remember what was talked about today?
Let’s pray…
Lord God, we are your children, those who have chosen to walk on the path of discipleship and spiritual maturity. Forgive us of our complacency and apathy in our spiritual lives, May we NOT be those people of whom Isaiah writes in chapter 58. Don’t allow us to play games in your church. May we continue working toward living the Great Commandment and fulfilling the Great Commission. Convict us of sin. Mend our broken relationships. Listen as we cry out to you. May we fulfill the vows we have made to you and recommit ourselves into your service. As we stand and sing these words, Lord Jesus, have thine own way Lord. Amen.
