I’d like to return to the subject of fasting, and essentially I’m returning to the lesson that I gave you before. But here it is with a different twist – earlier it was the Lord who was fasting, and here it is the hypocrite. There are many ways to study hypocrisy, but perhaps one of the most concise is in this context of fasting. This is the third time that the Word of God records Christ using the word “hypocrite.” Verse 2 – “When thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” And verse 5 – “When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” Hypocrites give to God or to others in order to be seen, and hypocrites pray in order to be heard by men. Furthermore hypocrites make sure that everyone knows that they are fasting – if they are. Despite the repetition, I feel led of the Lord to think about fasting once again, but not from the standpoint of the Lord Jesus’ fast prior to the attack of Satan. Rather, if we decide to fast, we need to make sure that it is not in order to score points with the brethren. Ideally, if we are fasting then no one but family members should know that we are doing it. As I said seven months ago, fasting is a Biblical subject, but I’m not sure that it’s a Biblical doctrine. But here it is in our scripture so that once again, we shouldn’t ignore it – especially in this new context.
Once again, let’s reconsider some of the BIBLICAL background to fasting.
According to my unofficial count there are approximately fifty scriptures which refer to fasting. As I read through all those references I tried to take note of several things: First, I counted how many were Old Testament scriptures and how many were from the New Testament. Then I was wondering how many verses contained commands, exhortations and instructions on fasting. I wanted to see how many godly characters fasted in comparison to the wicked and hypocrites who did. I was wondering if the Lord ever rebuked people for fasting, and if so why. And I was looking for reasons to exhort you to fast, and what we might expect as the results.
First, I could not find a single reference to fasting prior to Moses. So I have to conclude that fasting is not a eternal principle and essential to the proper worship of Jehovah. If it wasn’t good enough for Abraham maybe it is not necessary for you and me.
Then I was not able to find a single reference to fasting anywhere in the writings of Moses. In other words, fasting is not a requirement under the law of God. If the Lord didn’t make fasting incumbent upon Adam, our first father, upon Abraham the father of the believers, or upon Israel either, can we be sure that it is a duty for any of us? And yet, we know that our Lord Jesus fasted.
All right then, WHERE THEN DO WE FIND these fifty scripture references to fasting?
About a dozen of them are found in the New Testament, leaving us with forty or so from the Old Testament. The first reference to any Biblical subject is important, because it often lays the foundation for further study. We find the very first reference to fasting in Judges 20. There we read about an uncivil war within Israel and the near destruction of the tribe of Benjamin. Actually, the little tribe of Benjamin was putting the hammer to the rest of the nation. “And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah … and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword. Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.” The first reference to fasting is in the seventh book of the Old Testament. After Israel fasted and prayed the Lord gave her a method of attack to bring Benjamin to its knees. But where did Israel get the idea to fast? We are not told that God commanded them to fast. And we aren’t told that Phineas, the High Priest, told them to fast. It needs to be remembered that the days of the Judges were often summarized with the words: “And in those days there was no king in Israel, and every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Could it be that Israel learned fasting from the heathen? And could it be that the Lord would have given His guidance about Benjamin even without their fasting? Perhaps, but we will never know. And this passage certainly doesn’t give us a lot of essential instruction on fasting.
The second Biblical reference to fasting provides a little more information. Foolish and sinful Israel had taken the Ark of the Covenant into battle with the Philistines. The enemy had won the day and taken the Ark home with them. But after the judgment of God fell upon them, they sent the Ark back to Israel on a new cart pulled by some milk cows. Now, listen to I Samuel 7:3-6 – “And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only. And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD. And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.” Did Samuel command Israel to fast? That they fasted is not disputed, but Samuel didn’t command them to fast, nor did he condemn them for fasting.
I won’t trouble you with any more examples from the historical books of the Old Testament. Suffice it to say that all the references to fasting in those books are mere statements of fact. Even the three references in the Psalms are like that: 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.” Psalms 69:10 – “When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.” Psalms 109:24 – “My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.” This last reference suggests that there is physical danger in fasting too much. It reminds us that some people could probably do very well to fast for a couple of days, but another person could get in serious physical trouble if he fasted for even a single day. This is one reason why I think that fasting is not an ordinance of God.
It’s not until we reach the prophets that we begin to hear the Lord commending fasting. For example in Jeremiah the Lord makes a simple statement that the people had regular fast days. It’s only when we finally come to Joel that we hear our first and only exhortation to fast. Joel 1:14 – “Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.” And Joel 2:12 – “Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly.” These are the only Old Testament exhortations to fasting that I could find – save one.
There is one passage which suggests God’s approval of proper fasting, but it is actually in a context of condemnation. Listen to Isaiah 58:3-7 – “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. 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.”
What can we conclude from this and from the rest of the Old Testament scriptures on fasting? God doesn’t command it, but He approves of it when it is done with the intent of drawing nigh unto Him. But as He does with everything else, He hates its abuse. And it appears that fasting is something which can be easily abused. As the Lord Jesus tells us here in His mountain-top sermon, fasting is one of the playgrounds of the hypocrite.
So what does the NEW TESTAMENT teach us about fasting?
In addition to this evening’s scripture we have Matthew 9:14-15 – ”Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, then shall they fast.” This is also found in Mark 2 and Luke 5. In Luke 18, the Pharisee who went into the Temple with the Publican claimed to fast twice in the week. And in Mark 9 while the Lord Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration, the disciples were struggling with a demon-possessed child. Later they asked the Saviour why they couldn’t cast the demon out, and Jesus said, “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”
This is it; other than our text, these are all the references to fasting in the four Gospels. And what do they teach us? Well, again, we don’t read of any commands to fast coming from the lips of the Lord Jesus. But neither do we hear Him condemn those who fasted, except to say that it can be abused. And in reference to John the Baptist He teaches us that fasting is connected to mourning.
Now we come to a critical piece of the fasting puzzle: There is only one reference in all the New Testament epistles. John doesn’t refer to it, nor does Peter or James. It is interesting that James 4:8-10 has the opportunity to speak of it, but doesn’t: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” The only place in the epistles where there is a reference to fasting – that is not the primary subject: “Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. 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.” Just as it was with the Lord Jesus, Paul seems to say that fasting is fine, but he doesn’t command it.
And that brings us to the Book of Acts. There are four passages in Acts which speak about this subject. In Acts 10 Cornelius was fasting when the Lord told him to call for Peter. Peter on the other hand was hungry, but he wasn’t fasting. Then at the conclusion of the first missionary journey, as recorded in Acts 14 we read: “And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.” In chapter 27 there is a reference to the people fasting during the storm that drove Paul’s ship onto the island of Melita, but it is debatable that was religious fasting. And the only other references to our subject are found in Acts 13. “Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”
So what sort of CONCLUSIONS should we draw in regard to fasting?
I’m not sure that we should use the word “conclusion” at all. “Conclusion” carries with it the idea of finality. And I’m not sure that the Bible gives us any closure on this subject.
So let me share what I think that I’ve seen. In the case of the Lord Jesus, His fast was a part of the preparation for His battle with Satan. In fact we might summarize the subject by saying that fasting is often a battlefield in itself. Do we have enough self-discipline to give ourselves wholly to God for twenty-four or forty-eight hours? If you plan on fasting for a day or two, be prepared for a battle with the flesh and perhaps more. It appears to me that God neither commands or condemns fasting. He does condemn fasting as a status symbol and for seeking to impress God or men. When abstinence is for the purpose of self-denial or in order to focus our attention on the Lord, fasting can be a useful tool. But when we use anything religious to try to earn the praise of other men, we become a kind of idolater. When we use our musical talent, even in church, to draw the praise, the back-slapping, the glory of others, we have corrupted the gift which God has given us for His glory. And when we fast with the intention of being recognized by others, the effect of our self-denial is totally negated – our self-denial become self-glorification. Hypocrites love to fast; spiritual people may fast, but they will not be recognized as such.
Fasting can be an instrument or tool to bring us closer to the Lord. Through our choice not to eat for a while, and through our concentration upon the Lord, we may draw closer to the Lord whose blessings we desperately need. But fasting may, or may not, be necessary tool in our desire for this blessing. And fasting certainly doesn’t prove that one person is more spiritual or pleasing to the Lord than another. Sometimes fasting is linked to repentance. Sometimes it is linked to prayer. Sometimes it is linked to other forms of service to God. But repentance, prayer and service do not require fasting to be scriptural or acceptable to God. We should be able to do all the above to the glory of God with, or without, fasting.
If you are in the habit of fasting, or you are thinking about fasting, then I commend you. But at the same time, I don’t want you to tell me about it. Because the moment you start talking about your fasting, it will most probably become a thing of pride. In fact there is a great danger that it will incite pride in you even if you don’t talk about it. “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.”
As I said before, if I was forced to summarize my thoughts on fasting I’d have to say: “Be slow to fast.” As in the case of Christ Jesus, fasting may be the first step towards temptation. And then we have the Lord’s injunction here: “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.”