“‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (Isaiah 58:3-7)
Fasting is not just a physical act. We sometimes skip a meal because we are busy or sick; that’s not what the Bible views as fasting. Fasting involves the inner man, not just the mouth and the stomach.
““Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” (Joel 2:12-13)
Rend your heart and not your garments. Our faith is not about going through the motions. Christianity is not about punching a time clock at church every Sunday. Fasting isn’t about skipping meals. It’s about self-denial, abstaining from food in order to dedicate ourselves more to the things of God. While it has physical benefits, that’s not where the value of fasting lies. When the abstention from food is accompanied by a fasting spirit, we will truly learn the worth of fasting.
{photo by yenhoon on sxc.hu}
“Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists”
See there, this is a warning, when I get hungry, I get mean. :)
Ha! You made me laugh, Laymond. Have a great weekend.
Matthew Henry says about Enoch- he walked with God so much and so far that one day God just said You’re closer to my home than yours – come on home with me.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we got one morning started our prayers and then that evening we ended our prayers having served God all day long AND we were so busy being about our Father’s business that we didn’t even think of ourselves long enough that one day to stop and feed our physical bodies?
That’s a great thought. I forget who the guy was that talked about trying to make every moment a time of prayer. That’s the sort of thing that fasting is about. Thanks Don.
I am really challenged by your posts on fasting, Tim, and all the comments. I am convinced it is something I need to add to my spiritual discipline. Up until now, I have really not heard much about it – I don’t know if you remember but I asked a while back on my blog about it, and didn’t get much response, at least not much that I didn’t already know and not much that helped me grow. I feel like I need to speak up and teach others about it too! It IS one of those things we don’t talk about much – probably because we love our food too much.
I have to confess that fasting is something I practiced much more in my younger days. Part of the reason I’m writing this series is to encourage myself to retake this spiritual practice.