Village Schools of the Bible

ABSTINENCE (Fasting) WITHOUT PASSION IS DISPLEASING TO GOD
by Monty Sholund

Editorial Comment: Various religions have periods of organized "fasting." Muslims have their forty days of Ramadan, Jews have their period of fasting during Yom Kippur, Christians have what is called "lent", a period of fasting. Since we are warned in Matthew 6:17, 18 that our fasting should not be obvious to other people, it seems important to examine a strong chapter in Isaiah 58 on the true meaning of fasting.

J.P. Lewis, in his article on Fasting in the Zondervan Bible Encyclopedia introduces us to the psychology of fasting by writing:

"Abstinence from food and/or drink in times of distress is practiced among many peoples. In Scripture refusal to eat when under violent emotions such as jealousy, anger, and vexation is seen when Hannah would not eat when provoked by her rival (I Sam 1:7); when Jonathan abstained from eating in anger when his father cast the spear at him because of his relationship with David (20:34); and when Ahab refused food because he could not have Naboth's vineyard (I Kings 21:4). This type of abstinence has nothing to do with religious fasting." - Volume Two, page 01

In the Scriptures we find 'fasting' referred to in eighteen of the Old Testament books, but only in the Gospels and the Acts in the New Testament. The Day of the Atonement was in ancient times and in present times a day of fasting (Lev.22:27-32). Israel fasted at Bethel in the war against the Benjamites (Judges 20:26); fasting was sometimes imposed on warriors in a campaign (I Sam. 7:6). The psalmist speaks of fasting for sick friends (Psalm 35:13). We find fasting referred to several times in the reigns of the Kings of Judah.

In the New Testament we find fasting referred to frequently in the Gospels and in the Acts. Certain demons could be cast out only by fasting (Matt 17:21); Paul fasted after his vision on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:9). Paul and Barnabas were sent out on the first missionary journey after the church leaders had fasted (Acts 13:2,3). However, other than a few other cases in the Gospels and in the Acts, there is nothing in the New Testament epistles about fasting. It seems that there was, in the early church, an increasing awareness of the danger of seeking some merely physical, external manifestation of spiritual testimony.

Fasting, by its very visible nature, lends itself to external show and it was this feature which roused the condemnation of some of the prophets and possibly it was no longer practiced in the early church, with its constant emphasis that true holiness comes from the heart and not for what is merely visual. Romans 2:25-29 is for example, a valuable comment on the irrelevance of circumcision if it is only external. Paul says that a "man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly, and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code."

Some have found help in associating, in the above passage, the word 'circumcision' with the word 'baptism', replacing the word 'Jew' with the word 'Christian.' "A man is not a Christian if he is only one outwardly, nor is baptism outward and physical. No, a man is a Christian if he is one inwardly, and baptism is baptism of the heart, by the Spirit, and not by a written code." In other words, externals by themselves cannot change a man's heart or his attitude. This must come about by becoming a 'new creation' (2 Cor. 5:14-16).

Therefore, are we to conclude that fasting is no longer significant for the New Testament believer? Let's look at a remarkable Old Testament chapter, which deals strongly, with contemporary significance, with this matter of fasting. Isaiah 58 makes it clear now, as then, that fasting, if it is an end in itself, is of no value at all. The purpose of fasting, of abstinence, is to direct our energies in a constructive way, toward the breaking of the shackles of bondage, to clothe the naked, to feed the hungry. There are invaluable principles in this chapter regarding true fasting.

Note the prophets strong call: "Shout it aloud, do not hold back, raise your voice like a trumpet, declare to my people their rebellion" (58:1). Then he astonishingly begins to describe what to us seems like a wonderful church. He describes the people as those who "day after day seek God out.... who seem eager to know His ways, like a nation who always did what was right and never forsook the commands of God." In other words, they were proud of their religious faithfulness, their moral excellence and their steadfast adherence to the rules of right-living. He describes them as people who "seem eager for God to come near them."

Then he quotes their plaintive inquiry, "Why have we fasted and you haven't seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves and you haven't noticed?" (58:3). And one is impressed by this benign description of a people who "seek God out daily, who do what is right, who never forsake the commands of God, who seek for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them." This is a stirring description of a Godly people, commendable in all their ways, apparently an ideal local congregation.

But then the prophet tells them exactly why their prayers are in vain, their gatherings are a kind of mockery of worship. He says that even when they are fasting, they "do as they please"(vs. 3-5). They exploit their employees, their gatherings are marked by quarreling and even strife, and sometimes, in their anger, they come to blows. And God tells them, "You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high." And he points out where their fasting was wrong. It was "day-centered", a special occasion, perhaps a few days or weeks a year, and it was "appearance centered", seeking to let everyone know, by bowing one's head, by wearing sack-cloth and ashes, that they were fasting (vs.5).

Our Lord Jesus refers to this proud display of humility in his statement in Matthew 6:16-18, "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." It is so easy for us, in subtle ways, to let people be impressed by how 'spiritual' we are. And our religion becomes a matter of fulfilling days-of-obligation. When it becomes a series of rituals which display our 'fervency' of faith, when it becomes a rigorous pursuit of self-denying practices marked by strenuous, noble actions of zeal, then our religion is in vain, for as the Lord says, we have already 'received our reward in full.'

Isaiah then gives us wonderful instruction as to the nature of true fasting.

a. We are to loose the chains of injustice (vs.6). This includes refusing to tolerate distinctions in the way minority groups are treated in our courts. It includes evil abuse of little children, unable to protect them selves. It includes the wrong use of power for personal gain, even when such leaders are where they are by the democratic process. It refers to any social situation where people are bound by situations which are not of their own making, and which are manifestly unfair. We, if we are those who wish to truly fast, must break these shackles.

b. We are to untie the bonds of the yoke. This refers to enabling our neighbor, our brother to be free from the bondages of addiction, of moral enslavement, of habits that restrict and destroy. Where there is love, there is freedom. And where anyone is shackled, love can never be fully known.

c. We are to set the oppressed free, to break every yoke. So strongly does Isaiah see the tragedy of any human being shackled by lust, by drugs, by domestic enslavement, by social repression that he says no Christian can be indifferent to such a situation. True fasting demands that we seek to set men free.

d. We are to feed the hungry, to provide the poor wanderer with shelter, to clothe the naked, to turn, in love, toward those around us in need. (vs.7)Here is an area where we evangelicals have been sadly remiss. Somehow we have concluded that since salvation brings redemption to our souls, it is not concerned with our bodies. Where this dichotomy has arisen is difficult to know, but it is tragically present in our world where many people are hungry, where they need shelter, where they need clothing and where they need the love that closeness to them brings.

Of course salvation extends to the world to come. We are saved by hope. But between the now and then are generally many years which are given us so that we can reveal the love of Christ in more than abstract terms and hymns. He is indeed the eternal Savior, but salvation must also be revealed in time, else it is nothing more than a metaphysical pacifier.

Note, finally, the results mentioned in Isaiah 58 which flow from true fasting:

a. Your light will break forth like the dawn. (vs.8) So often we feel ineffective and conclude that we can never really witness for Christ. The reason is simply because we have not prefaced our witnessing with the right kind of fasting. Our witness is ineffective because it is so far removed from the world of bondage, of suffering, of need. Once we correctly fast, our light will shine like the dawn.

b. Your healing will quickly appear. This verse suggests that in this kind of fasting, the reaching out to the shackled, the sick, the needy, we find our own healing. How often this has happened. When a person sincerely, selflessly seeks to help a brother in need, that very action brings cleansing and refreshing and joy to the one who is doing the ministering.

c. Your righteousness will precede you, in other words you won't need to tell anybody you belong to the Lord Jesus. People will have heard about it already.

d. "The glory of the Lord will surround you, in front and behind." Your presence will reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus, who came, not for those who are well, but for those who are sick (Matthew 9:12,13).

e. You will call and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help and He will say, "Here am I." Prayer will become a real thing for you, because you are constantly confronted by the enormity of human need, a need which only God can provide. Isaiah gives us some valuable prerequisites to true fasting. He says we ourselves must get rid of injustices in our own lives which oppress people we know, with whom we work. He says we must put away pointing fingers at people and gossiping about them maliciously. We must "spend ourselves" on the hungry, so as to satisfy their needs, and not live merely to satisfy our own. If we do these things, Isaiah promises that "then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noon-day."

f. The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your own needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your body. "You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. ...You will be called a Repairer of Broken Walls, a Restorer of Streets with Dwellings." (vs.11,12) I like to translate that, "a Repairer of Broken Hearts, a Restorer of Streets filled with Homes." The Lord Jesus longs to use us to repair the broken, to bring lost people home. He will use our love and compassion as "bridges" across which the Gospel of His saving, enabling grace can be carried, so the deepest needs of the heart can be met!

He closes this great chapter by shouting, "If you honor the Lord's holy day not by going your own way, not doing in it as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land..." This is what we want, to be filled with joy in the Lord's presence. We then discover that God is no man's debtor, one can never outgive Him. As we determine to cooperate with His instructions in His Word, not out of duty but in delight, not out of sterile obedience but in joyous cooperation, then our own problems will fade into insignificance and we will experience, from day to day, the blessing of Him who came that the lost may be found, that the dead may live, that the world may know that God indeed is the Lord of all.

If we are willing to 'fast' in this way, to deprive ourselves of the little toys that increasingly preoccupy our lives, so that others may be fed with the Bread of Life, if we are willing to experience this kind of true abstinence, then we will find our lives flooded with the passion which not only burns, it blesses, which not only thrills, it fills other lives with God's greatness. This is the true intertwining of passion and abstinence. These are the two wheels, on which travels the chariot of the man of God. May we never forget to focus our lives with the energy the Holy Spirit rejoices to give. Then we will enjoy the Lord forever. Even more, He will enjoy us, too.

Return to The Philogian Archive