All You
Need to Know About Biblical Fasting
Based on Matthew 6:16-18
Khen Lim
Source: Grammy.com
During the Eighties, American songwriter, singer and fellow
Christian, Dolly Rebecca Parton (b.1946) was interviewed by the People magazine
and was asked, “Where do you get such a strong character?” That’s when Dolly recounted
how faith was central to her entire family, beginning with her grandfather who
was a preacher.
“I quote the Bible real good!” she answered.
Undaunted by such an answer, the interviewer then asked, “What
about psychiatry?”
“So many people find the need to get counselling especially in
the stresses of show business.”
“No,” Dolly replied, “I don’t see a psychiatrist. I fast
instead.”
That response hit the interviewer like a ton of bricks.
“You what!?”
“I fast!” Dolly replied.
“Is that like a diet?!” the stunned interviewer asked.
“No!” she said, “I do it to get in touch with God! Sometimes,
I’ll fast 7, 14 or 21 days… I don’t drink nothing but water and I don’t ever
say when I’m on a fast… Scripture says you’re not supposed to.”
Dolly went on to say that no major decisions including
song-writing ever gets done before fasting and prayer. In fact, she revealed
that she always returns to the mountains and does her fasting there before she
writes any new music. Now 73 years old, the country music legend sets aside
quiet time to get spiritually comfortable because she fully believes that doing
so helps set her creative mind in gear all the time.
“One of my favourite things to do in the world is to have time
set aside, like two or three weeks, to say I'm just going to write,” she said.
The interviewer was completely astounded by Dolly’s response.
Yet the truth remains and that is, Jesus doesn’t command but He nonetheless expects
us to fast. When we fast, we invariably come in view of the very contours of
our souls that gives our characters an inherently sharp definition. In that
moment, we become who we really are before God.
Hunger
strikes aren’t fasting
Source: The Asian Post
Many people actually think that hunger strikes are a form of
fasting. A simple search of the Internet reveals how both have come to be the
one and the same. One of the titles say, “Gandhi begins fast in protest of
caste separation.” Another one says, “Fasting as a Method of Public Protest in
India.”
A LiveScience article bears the title, “What Happens on a
Hunger Strike | Fasting.” In a July 2009 article, the Guardian newspaper
describes the imprisoned suffragette Marion Wallace Dunlop who went on a hunger
strike. The journalist called it, “three and a half days of fasting.” BBC
online pretty much said the same thing. In fact, Wikipedia defines hunger
strikes as “a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which
participants fast as an act of political protest…” Some others equate hunger
strikes to ‘protest fasting.’
The short answer is, yes, it is a form of fasting but it
certainly isn’t biblical. From scriptural standpoint, hunger strikes and
biblical fasting are not the same thing. As Wikipedia defines, hunger strikes
are acts of political protests but they are also a form of self-starvation with
a real risk of killing oneself. As in other cases, killing oneself is
categorically suicide, though it’s not how many would be inclined to call it
that.
I don’t know where the Protestant Church’s view is on hunger
strikes but the Catholic Church has made it clear that peaceful protest against
any cause by way of a hunger strike for a few days is deemed acceptable mainly because
they have no teachings for or against such conduct so long if it does not
compromise the person’s health.
On the other hand if a hunger strike bears a
real risk of committing suicide should the person’s demands not be met, then
the Catholic Church cannot but condemn it. Like I said, I’m unsure if this is
the view shared by the Protestant Church.
Source: Evening Echo
Consider that the Lord Mayor of Cork Terence MacSwiney (above) died 74
days in Brixton Prison after his self-imposed hunger strike against the British
during the Irish War of Independence in 1920.
Would that be suicide? If he knew
that he would face death if he continued, why didn’t he stop? Wouldn’t that be
considered taking one’s own life even if he’d thought it was for a noble cause?
Would God consider it a noble cause? If I were to go on a hunger strike to
protest against the government’s ill-treatment of my father and then I die,
would God approve of my motive even though it became deadly?
Of course, MacSwiney wasn’t the only one to die from a hunger
strike. Over the many years, hunger strikes have voluntarily claimed numerous
other Irish political prisoners in the Eighties including many others elsewhere
in the world.
(Note: The online National Review has a terrifying March 2010 article by
Jay Nordlinger entitled, ‘Death by Hunger Strike’ that describes the conditions
by which those who died of hunger strikes. Perhaps those of us who are too
harsh in our views of those who die from them might want to read it.)
The biblical aspect of fasting has no suicide component
because that is not what it’s about. Hunger strikes can lead capriciously to
death by suicide because they are imminently powerful tools for so-called
peaceful resistance in our flawed society. Just because in some cases, hunger
strikes may appear to have some ‘religious’ motive does not make them any more
acceptable from a biblical standpoint.
Unlike hunger strikes, fasting is also not a form of
sacrificing for others. Hunger strikes are well known for being political
causes but biblical fasting has no such agenda. And it shouldn’t have no matter
how well intended it might be or how noble the cause. So for what reasons then
should Christians fast?
1. Fasting
in repentance of sin
The Bible offers at least three reasons why believers fast.
The first is Repentance. People fasted because they know they
have sinned and they need to feel and understand the contrition. Essentially, they
have wronged God and they knew it. It’s a way to say, “I’m awfully sorry and I
want to make amends.” It’s an opportunity to put things right in God’s
presence.
Many years ago, I witnessed a friend of mine and his wife
disciplining his little boy for something he did wrong. He began by asking the
boy what he thought he did that was wrong. Gradually, he coaxed out of the
child the whole story plus the part that mattered the most.
The father made
sure the boy understood the significance of his wrongdoing. Reiterated and
reiterated until without question he felt the gravity of his mistake, this
little boy of no more than 6 years old felt terrible about his conduct. He actually
understood that he had done wrong by his father.
With his head down, it was obvious the boy was downcast and very
sad. Tears welled in his eyes the more he thought of how his actions disappointed
his father. And then, the father asked if the little one understood why he had
to be punished. Sobbing quietly with tears streaking down his cheeks, the boy
nodded in agreement.
After a moment’s pause, the father then asked him how he
should be punished. And with that came the wait. To the father’s surprise, his
little boy asked to forego supper for two nights in a row. The father raised an
eyebrow and gently asked if he really thought that was an adequate punishment considering
the seriousness of his transgression.
For a more drawn-out pause, the little boy stooped and thought
hard about his father’s question. Sheepishly, the boy summoned his courage and
told him that maybe, just maybe, he would have to give up accessing the
Internet for a week. When asked if he knew what that meant, the boy cried a
little harder but nodded.
The father tugged at the boy’s arm and quickly without
thinking, he gathered himself into his arms. And they hugged like there was no
tomorrow. The boy buried his head in the crook of his father’s arm and cried.
And cried. And cried as if his burden had finally lifted because the
confrontation was over. It was an expression of regret and willingness to
repent that helped him reconcile with his father. And in this case, the little
boy put things right by making amends that the father agreed to.
On March 30 1863, the Iowan Senator James Harlon introduced to
the Senate the Resolution that asked President Abraham Lincoln to proclaim a
national day of prayer and fasting. This was in response to the U.S. Civil War
that was tearing at the seams of the nation.
Grief stricken, Lincoln called on
all his fellow Americans to gather together on Thursday, April 30, to use that
day to collectively fast and pray. Here is part of the Proclamation that Lincoln
himself wrote (bold emphasis is mine):
“It is the duty of nations
as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to
confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to
mercy and pardon; and to recognise the sublime truth, announced in the Holy
Scriptures and proven by all history that those nations only are blessed whose
God is the Lord.
“And insomuch as we know that, by His divine law, nations like
individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may
we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates
the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous
sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People.
“We have been the
recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these
many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and
power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God.
“We have
forgotten the gracious land which preserved us in peace and multiplied and
enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness
of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom
and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too
self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too
proud to pray to the God that made us!
“Now, therefore, in
compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I
do, by this my proclamation, designate and set apart Thursday, the Thirtieth
day of April, 1863, as a day of national
humiliation, fasting and prayer.
“And I do hereby request all the People to
abstain, on that day, from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite, at
their several places of public worship and their respective homes, in keeping
the day holy to the Lord and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious
duties proper to that solemn occasion.”
Such a powerful call to pray and fast can only come from
someone who has a deep desire to do right by God. Lincoln asked the people of
the United States to humble themselves by committing to prayer and fasting.
Even as the National Day of Prayer had continued to this day and upheld by most
(though not all) of America’s recent presidents, they are all, by comparison,
hollow and to some extent, meaningless, particularly in light of Lincoln’s
exceptional proclamation.
A. A
repentant David fasted
Source: blog.elpals.com
From Scripture, a repentance-led fasting is evident. The first
example comes from David with his infamous encounter at the palace rooftop one summer’s
evening with someone else’s beautiful wife supposedly having her bath in
private (2 Sam 11:1-12:25).
Enchanted by Bathsheba’s beauty, he schemed to have her to his
own, leading him to lure her to his bed. Once he realised that he had made her
pregnant, David thought to bring her husband Uriah the Hittite home from battle
in a hope that by reuniting them, they would sleep together. Using that as a
cover, the pregnancy could be easily explained but then, Uriah chose celibacy
and not enjoy his wife for two straight nights while his men were risking their
lives in some battlefield.
Realising that his cover could now be easily blown, David’s
conspiracy moved up a gear when he instructed Joab to send Bathsheba’s husband
to the front lines of battle. The idea was to get the front line to suddenly
fall back, leaving him entirely exposed to enemy attack. Needless to say, it
worked. Uriah ended up killed. And with that, David assumed he’d gotten away
with his adulterous conduct. Being a king has its privileges, he thought.
Soon thereafter, he married Bathsheba and a son was born to
them. But as we know, “the thing David had done displeased the Lord.” With the
child born, God sent His servant, the prophet Nathan, to confront the royal
adulterer. He did so, using a parable of a rich man who took a poor man’s only
sheep and had it killed, even though he had many flocks of his own.
Being a former shepherd himself, David understood the
injustice and in his anger, said, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did
this must die!” giving the irony that “he did such a thing and had no pity.” Of
course, he thought this was a true story.
And with that, the prophet pointed at David, sternly saying:
“‘You
are the man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of
Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and
his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been
enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised
the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah
the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife.
“From this time
on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised Me by taking
Uriah’s wife to be your own. This is what the Lord says: Because of what you
have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give
your wives to another man before your very eyes and he will go to bed with them
in public view. You did it secretly but I
will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.” (2 Sam 12:7-12, NLT, m.e.)
Stunned, he collapsed in grief, realising that God not only
knew of his lie but had just confronted him with it. He was now acutely aware
that God’s judgement was upon his family in the form of cursed violence. In
Psalm 51, we learn of David’s repentance. From Nathan, we also know that God
would take away his sin and that he would not have to die but instead, there
would be no reprieve for his newborn son who died a week later though not
before David pleaded with Him.
In a later verse, we read of David’s prayer and fasting in a
bid to repent:
“David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on
the bare ground.” (2 Sam
12:16, NLT, m.e.)
Many other translations prefer to use the word ‘fast,’ which
is more specific. In fasting, David struggled in his repentance, seeking out God’s
mercy and forgiveness.
B. A
repentant Ahab fasted
Source: jw.org
Next, in 1 Kings 21, is the story of Naboth the Jezreelite whose
reputation, life and property were all stolen from him by king Ahab and his
wife, Jezebel. Naboth was the owner of a vineyard, which Ahab had coveted. Located
not far from his own palace in Jezreel, he yearned to turn it into a vegetable
garden and so, he made an offer to either buy over the vineyard or swap with
him a better one somewhere else.
Since this was an inheritance from his forefathers, Naboth
turned Ahab down no matter how attractive his offer was. From God’s viewpoint,
he had done the right thing because the Lord had said that a family’s
inheritance must not be sold (Lev 25:23, Num 36:7). In other words, while
Naboth had obeyed God’s law, it was Ahab who preferred to ignore it.
Upset, Ahab retired to his palace, “sullen and angry” because
he couldn’t get what he wanted from Naboth. He sulked and refused to eat, not
that he ever considered fasting! Having been told of the encounter, Jezebel said
to him that as king, he could do whatever he wanted before adding that she
would bring Naboth’s vineyard to him on her terms.
In her plot, she first forged letters from Ahab that directed
the noblemen and elders of the city to “proclaim a day of fasting and seat
Naboth in a prominent place among the people.” After that, she had two connivers sit close enough to him who, acting on Jezebel’s instructions, falsely
accused him of cursing God and the king. She needed two because the law of the
land could not accept only one witness (Dt 17:6).
In other words, Jezebel abused
the law to her advantage to send someone to die needlessly and committed her
lies, theft and murder. Not surprisingly then, Naboth was dragged out of the
city and stoned to death for something he never did.
To cover her murderous intent, she first schemed to make
Naboth appear the depraved (and not Ahab) and secondly, made a holy impression of herself by proclaiming a day of fasting. Once Naboth was confirmed dead, she hurried
Ahab to quickly possess the vineyard, which he was only too happy to comply.
This shocking conspiracy was so repugnant that God sent a message to them by
way of the prophet Elijah.
Just as Ahab was delighting in a tour of his ill-gotten
vineyard, the prophet appeared before him, saying, “Have you not murdered a man
and seized his property?” And with that, the king heard God’s condemnation on
his life: “This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up
Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood; yes, yours!” But it gets worse.
Elijah prophesied that God would heap even more grief on Ahab’s family.
According to the prophecy, every male offspring in his
household would not only die but would also be denied any proper burial. Gruesomely
instead, their corpses would be torn apart by wild beasts. As Ahab quaked in
his legs, the prophet said his wife would not be spared for the dogs would also devour her. In David’s case, his sin cost him his newborn son while his family
was befallen with tragic violence. But in Ahab and Jezebel’s case, it was more
terrifying and humiliating.
Frightened by what he heard, Ahab repented of his actions and
criminal complicity. He “tore his clothing, dressed in burlap and fasted” (1
Kgs 21:27, NLT). Scripture tells us he went as far as to sleep in his burlap
(sackcloth) and committed himself to deep mourning. To that, God said to
Elijah:
“Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because He has done
this, I will not do what I promised during his lifetime. It will happen to his
sons; I will destroy his dynasty.” (1 Kgs 21:29, NLT)
C. The repentant
Assyrians fasted
Source: rainbowtoken.com
We all know how Jonah had initially fled from God following His
command to preach against the wickedness of Nineveh. Instead of going to where he was told to, he preferably sailed for Tarshish, which was even
further away from his home of Gath-hepher near Nazareth. At more than 2,500
miles apart, Tarshish was five times the distance compared to Nineveh to the
west. His idea was probably to distance himself as far away as he could from
the Assyrians in occupied Nineveh at that time.
Jonah had no desire whatsoever of relaying God’s warning to the
Assyrians. To him, these were very idolatrous, proud and ruthless people who did
nothing but lay conquest on and be a living threat to Israel. No surprise then
that when God had an errand for him to warn them, he baulked. His fleeing was to ensure that God’s mercy would not be extended to the Assyrians who were,
after all, Israel’s enemies.
But of course, it was all futile. Like everyone else, Jonah could
not run away from God (Jer 23:24). Instead, He was with him literally wherever
he went including the time he spent inside the cavernous stomach of a huge
fish.
Finally when God spoke to him the second time, he obeyed and headed for Nineveh
where he issued His warning to them, shouting, “Forty days from now, Nineveh
will be destroyed!” Very likely, Jonah was surprised by the Assyrians’ willingness
to not only heed the warning but to repent of their sins. The Bible says:
“The people of Nineveh believed God’s message
and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow.” (Jon 3:5, NLT, m.e.)
In fact, Jonah’s warning was so effective that the king
himself got off his throne, removed his royal robes, then donned on burlap and
seated himself “on a heap of ashes.” Not unlike Lincoln in modern times, he
proclaimed to his people, saying:
“No one, not even animals from your herds and
flocks may eat or drink anything at all. People and animals alike must wear
garments of mourning and everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and
stop all their violence. Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change His
mind and hold back His fierce anger from destroying us.” (Jon 3:7-9, NLT, m.e.)
On seeing that literally everyone in Nineveh had halted their
wickedness and turned to fasting and repentance, God “changed His mind and did
not carry out the destruction He had threatened” (Jon 3:10, NLT).
D. Israel
the nation still fasts
Source: Ibtimes.com
Fasting is such a predominant feature in Jewish life that it is very
much an integral part of the nation itself, Israel. In fact, the Jewish state today
observes three broad types of fasts, including firstly, those decreed in the
Bible or instituted to commemorate the actual biblical events or secondly, those
called for by the rabbis or thirdly, those conducted on a personal and
individual basis.
As for those that are biblically sourced, they are as follows:
1.
Yom Kippur (more on this later)
as specifically ordained in the Pentateuch
Other name: Day of Atonement
Purpose: Commemorates the day when Moses returned from Mount
Sinai after praying to God to forgive Israel of her sins including the grave
sin of worshipping the Golden Calf
Source:
Lev 16:29-31, 23:27-32 and Num 29:7)
2.
The Ninth of Av
Other name: Tishah be-Av
Purpose: Day of mourning to observe the destruction of the
First and Second Temples
Source:
Jer 52:12-13
3.
The Seventeenth of Tammuz
Purpose: To commemorate the breaching of the Jerusalem walls
during the period of the First Temple
Source:
Jer 39:2
4.
The Tenth of Tevet
Purpose: To commemorate the siege of Jerusalem by the
Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar
Source:
2 Kgs 25:1-2, Jer 52:4 and Ezek 24:1-2
5.
The Third of Tishri
Other name: Tzom Gedalyah, Fast of Gedaliah
Purpose: To observe the slaying of Gedaliah and his men
Source:
Jer 41:1-2, 2 Kgs 25:25
6.
The Fast of Esther
Other name: Ta’anit Ester
Purpose: Observed on the Thirteenth of Adar, the day prior to
Purim, to remember Esther’s call on all Jews to observe fasting for three days
Source:
Est 4:16
Of these, without a doubt, the paramount one is the Day of
Atonement or Yom Kippur. This comprises four days of fasting that were observed
as far back as the Second Temple period. This was when the prophet Zechariah
prophesied that one day, they would be transformed into days of joy and
gladness (Zech 8:19).
For Yom Kippur, the Jews observe fasting as literal abstinence
from food and drinks from sunset to nightfall on the following day. On the
other three days, fasting lasts from before dawn until nightfall within the
same day. Other than those whose health is at risk or in cases of pregnant and nursing
women (under certain conditions), fasting is an expectation.
Source: CNN
As a fasting event, Yom Kipper has no precedence. It is
Israel’s holiest and most solemn day every year. On our Western calendar, it
falls between September 14 and October 14.
It commemorates the day when Moses
returned from Mount Sinai after forty days of praying to God to forgive Israel
of her sins. It was upon his return that God forgave His Chosen People of the
grave sin of worshipping the Golden Calf. As such, it is also an event that
centres on two important themes, which are Atonement and Reconciliation, which
in themselves are worthy of separate in-depth study.
Yom Kippur is so important to Israel that on the four days,
there would be neither any form of media communication nor functioning public
transport. No shops or businesses will also be opened.
Little wonder that Israel’s
neighbouring Arab enemies, Egypt and Syria, chose this day to launch a surprise
attack in what is now called the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
With most
Israelis praying in synagogues or at home atoning, massive Egyptian and Syrian
armies crossed ceasefire lines from two opposing directions and respectively entered the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan
Heights into the Jewish State.
Because Israel was completely unprepared for war, annihilation was a
distinct but unsavoury reality but as it often is with God’s Chosen People,
there were incredible miracles abound.
Many recounted the one where Israeli troops were looking at
withdrawing from confrontation with the massive Syrian army when their
commander realised, to his horror, that they were all trapped in a heavily
loaded minefield. Aware that only a miracle could save them, he ordered his
troops to crawl on their bellies while using their rifle bayonets to try to
locate the mines without detonating them.
Right at that moment, one Israeli
soldier uttered a heartfelt prayer. All of a sudden, a windstorm blew in,
forcing the soldiers to hunker down. Miraculously, the winds removed the top
soil and once they subsided, the soldiers could then see all of the mines exposed,
making it easy enough for every one of them to escape unharmed.
In another incredible story from the war, a small Israeli force had spent
four days holding back a huge Syrian army from advancing in an area known as
“the Valley of Tears.” Unbeknownst to its commander at the moment of collapse, the
Syrians actually retreated! He didn’t know this until he was told after the
war.
In the end, due to a number of similar miraculous occurrences
– not unlike those of previous wars – Israel emerged victorious in the face of
insurmountable odds. As the war came to a close and ceasefire declared, more
than 2,000 died on Israel’s side. Compared to previous conflicts with their
Arab neighbours, this was a massive loss but nowhere compared to the toll suffered by their
enemies.
Not only did the combined Egyptian-Syrian forces not succeed
in destroying Israel, they actually had at their disposal, more than twice the number of
troops as well as tanks. As they say, the numbers told a story of miracles that
can only be explained by the hand of God.
On the Day of Atonement right at the
heart of the country’s holiest day of repentant fasting and reconciliation, God
delivered at the expense of the Arab Muslims and blessed His Chosen People even
when they unknowingly had their backs to their rampaging enemies.
2. Fasting
to remember tragic lessons
Scripture tells us that the second reason people fasted was to
Remember. For the Jews, remembering is a very important virtue. Remember, God
was persistent in reminding His people to never forget.
For example, in His
creation of life itself, God set aside the seventh day as a holy day of rest
and… remembrance. As creation is the mark of His sovereignty on all of life, it
was also a reminder of His right to rule as the One True God (Ps 96:5, Jer
10:10-12 etc.)
Remember too that God also spoke of giving man His Sabbath as
“a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that
sanctify them” (Ezek 20:12). In Deuteronomy, God recalled how He brought His
people out of bondage in the land of Egypt and commanded them to remember that
they were once servants enslaved by the Egyptians. It was only by His
sovereignty that they were freed (Dt 5:14-15).
Perusing the Bible, one will come across numerous other
instances where God commands us to remember and from that point, comes our second
reason to fast.
A. David’s
remembrance fast
Source: Pinterest
From 1 Samuel, we read of how Saul and his son Jonathan
together with the latter’s two brothers met their fate in a later battle with the
Philistines. Grievously wounded and facing death, Saul wanted his armour-bearer
to finish him off rather than to allow his enemy to mutilate and parade his
body in humiliation.
Seeing his unwillingness, Saul decided to fall on his own sword, an
action that so aggrieved the armour-bearer that he too suicided. To put
that into stark contrast, Jonathan’s righteousness, even in death, overshadowed
his own father, for he did not die on his own sword.
2 Samuel begins with the terrible news brought by an Amalekite
messenger to David’s camp. When asked how he knew that Saul and Jonathan were
dead, the Amalekite retold the time while watching the battle, he witnessed Saul
turning to him, asking to be killed. He then confessed to not only killing him
but that he also took his crown and armlet, which he then presented to David.
This was, of course, totally untrue because Scripture recorded
that Saul took his own life (1 Sam 31:4). Whichever way it was, David was taken
aback by the news. He “took hold of his clothes and tore them and so did all
the men who were with him” (v.11).
Despite Saul wanting him dead all this
while, David still expressed his deep and profound grief for God’s
anointed. And for that, he and the whole of Israel “mourned and wept and fasted
all day for Saul and his son Jonathan… because they had died by the sword that
day” (2 Sam 1:12, NLT).
With the mourning over, David asked the Amalekite how
it was that he wasn’t afraid to kill Saul. It was an important question because
as someone anointed by God, his life wasn’t for anyone but Him to take. With
that, the Amalekite paid for his foolishness with his life.
David’s decision to mourn and fast the whole day for someone
who long wanted him killed is precisely because just like him, Saul was also
God’s anointed. Even though the prophet Samuel had decreed that God had
eventually removed the kingdom from Saul and had given it to David instead, the
young king remained devoted towards his predecessor. There are possibly four
reasons for this.
Firstly, Saul was many young Jewish boys’ hero, David
included. When David was just a mere reedy young shepherd boy, Saul was already
famously popular for his victories over the Philistines. He restored confidence in
Israel. He made every Israelite feel hopeful once again. David knew all this and
his admiration for Saul likely never ceased and even till the days he was
hounded by him, he remained in admiration of his hero.
Secondly, David saw in Saul a father figure with good reason. In
the early years, Saul had taken in the young David in accordance to God’s will to
groom into his lieutenant. Later, he married the Israelite king’s daughter
Michal to become his son-in-law. So, not only was Saul a hero he admired but he
was also someone he grew to respect and love as a son would a father.
Thirdly, given that they had a close-knitted relationship, David
could see into his heart of struggles. Remember that he was often called to play
the harp to soothe Saul’s often jangled nerves when he was most vulnerable. In his court, he had
the privilege of witnessing his daily struggles to cope. Torn between forces of
good and evil, David could probably understand his pain and remorse better than
anyone else, especially after succumbing to temptation.
Lastly, David’s fear of the Lord is reflected in his
acceptance of Saul being His anointed. Saul’s kingship was, as he witnessed,
the doing of God’s hand. An anointing such as this was for life and therefore,
it was not for anyone to take. In David’s eyes, to attack or kill God’s
anointed was to want to attack and kill God Himself.
In all the four possible reasons, David perfectly understood
the need to remember not just God’s anointed but in so many ways, his dearest
and closest friend (apart from Jonathan, that is). It was his way to honour father and son in death.
It perfectly demonstrated David’s heart and how sad
he was that Saul died before he had his opportunity to repent. And so, the very
best way to bestow the highest possible honour to both Saul and his son
Jonathan was to call on the nation of Israel to remember them and grief in a day of fasting.
B. Daniel’s
remembrance fast
Source: Bible Series Guide
When he read the holy Scripture, the prophet Daniel was
reminded of the seven decades of desolation of Jerusalem that Jeremiah prophesied
(Jer 25:11, 29:10). These were prophesies to be fulfilled in which Daniel understood
God’s vengeance against the house of Nebuchadnezzar. Yet he saw no evidence that
his fellow Israelites would be delivered despite how Jeremiah foretold (Dan
9:2).
Not comforted by this, Daniel resorted to prayer and fasting. And
so facing Jerusalem, Daniel prayed, seeking God’s favour on behalf of his own
people. Pairing the use of the words “prayer and fasting” (Dan 9:3, NLT)
underlines the earnestness of Daniel’s deep desire in seeking the Lord’s mercy.
To him, Jeremiah’s writings were as significant as they were
bleak. His description of the calamities that would befall Jerusalem and its
temple were too troublesome to ignore but they did offer him an irrepressible
impression of how sinful his people would become. All this meant that the
occasion was too important for him to overlook or dismiss so much so that a simple pray
would not suffice.
Given what was at stake, Daniel felt it more proper to fast as
well by humbling himself before God and reviewing the sins of a nation so beloved
of God for which they now suffered. Fasting was, in his mind, the only
reasonable means of presenting himself humbly.
C. Israel’s
remembrance fast
Source: oneyearbibleblog.com
Despite the prophet Jeremiah’s earlier warning, King Zedekiah chose
not to heed but struck an alliance with Pharaoh Hophra (also called Apries or
Wahibre Haalbre) and launched a revolt against Babylon. Sure enough, as it
turned out, Nebuchadnezzar II was annoyed enough to return and rout the
Egyptians before he laid siege on Jerusalem in what was the horrific
destruction of 587 BC (2 Kgs 25:1–2).
In that siege, Nebuchadnezzar not only obliterated the city’s
surrounding walls using the Chaldean army but he also burned the Holy Temple to
the ground and razed the homes of Jerusalem’s illustrious citizens including
its king. In the process, Zedekiah was captured alongside his sons who were
then executed in his presence.
Already devastated, he was then blinded and placed
under the watchful eye of Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard before he was delivered
to Babylon while the rest of the others including the deserters and the
remaining multitude stayed on in the city (Jer 52:10-11, 2 Kgs 25:9-12).
From
Zedekiah’s foolishness and ignorance, the state of Judah lost its independence
and became no more than a Babylonian province. To add insult to injury, the
Babylonians gave it a new name, calling it Yehud.
Looking back then, the desolation of the Lord’s Temple was a
painful experience in the history of the Jews. Scripture records some significant
items that the Babylonians wrested from the Temple such as the elaborately
crafted 27-foot-tall pillars, water carts and basins all of which were fashioned in bronze.
Other things ransacked from the Temple before being burned to the
ground also included ash buckets, shovels, lamp snuffers, ladles, incense
burners, basins and other bronze
articles meant for performing sacrifices. Articles crafted from gold and silver
were also pilfered and carted off to Babylon.
Not long after, Babylon appointed Gedaliah, a native Judahite,
as Judah’s first governor in captivity (2 Kgs 25:22). Diligently, he reached
out to his fellow Jews who, by now, had sought refuge in neighbouring but
unfriendly countries like Moab, Ammon and Edom, to return home. It is fair to
say that he was quite successful in turning Jerusalem’s fortune around.
But even with prosperity restored to some extent, he and his
Babylonian advisors as well as most of the Jews who joined him were all murdered
some two months later by a group of ten of the leaders and officials of Judah
led by Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, a surviving member of the royal family who
now craved the throne.
Less than two days after the massacre, eighty
men arrived in Jerusalem with shaven beards and torn clothes as a show of
sorrow for Judah’s destruction but they had no inkling that Gedaliah was already murdered. Taking advantage of their ignorance, Ishmael impersonated the
murdered governor and greeted them before leading them to a place where they met their death.
After their murder, the bodies were discarded in a pit and
buried to hide news from Babylon of their massacre as well as the earlier deaths of
Gedaliah and his advisors. However, ten of the men were spared their lives
because they were allowed to harvest the crops from which they could then pay
Ishmael a ransom (Jer 41:8).
As for those whom Nebuchadnezzar left behind in
Jerusalem, Ishmael moved them to some land that the Ammonite king, Baalis,
claimed following the destruction of Israel. There, in agreement with Baalis,
he had looked forward to establishing his own kingdom, looking like some
power-sharing pact between the two.
Seemingly some leaders did escape and they sought Johanan, son
of Kareah who was loyal to Gedaliah so that they could all be united in hunting
Ishmael down and freeing his captives. They managed to do that but although
the captives were rescued, Ishmael and eight of his men managed to escape and
retreated to the Ammonites.
Fearing fierce and swift retribution from
Nebuchadnezzar (should he find out of the murders in time), an exodus of Jews –
including Jeremiah himself – fled to Egypt for protection, thus establishing the
first Jewish Diaspora by the end of the second decade of the 6th century.
Understandably, many Jews at that time considered this a
shocking event not unlike a Holocaust because Ishmael’s orchestration just
about wiped out their entire race. This alone made it the saddest and most
mournful day in the Jewish calendar.
Called Tisha B’Av (or the Ninth of Av,
since this is what it means), it is a day to remember the destruction of the First
Temple as mentioned above but it is also a commemoration of the Second Temple
destruction in 70 AD by the Romans.
In fact, the root source for Tisha B’Av can actually be traced
back earlier to the days prior to the Israelites entering the Promised Land.
The Book of Numbers recount how they decided to despatch reconnaissance spies to scour the
land. It was on the Ninth of Av that the spies returned with negative reports
and thus betrayed their faith in God.
The repercussions were swift and the
punishment harsh for the unbelievers except for Caleb and Joshua. Not only were
the people forbidden from entering but God also decreed that it would be
another forty years before their chance would come again, meaning only another
generation who would be able to enter. As the Israelites wept for false
purposes on this day, God made this a day of weeping for true misfortune
forever (Num 13-14).
What is even more tragic about Tisha B’Av is that many other
modern catastrophes have since fallen on this day for the Jews, making this an
even more profoundly important day of mourning for the nation of Israel.
These are all
historical but tragic events including the eviction of Jews from England in
1290, from Spain in 1492, the Nazi’s approval in 1981 of the Final Solution
that ultimately led to the Holocaust that killed 6 million Jews and not least, the
1942 en mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland to Treblinka
where they were all murdered en masse. Remarkably, all of these fell on the Ninth of Av.
As such, most if not all pleasurable activities are curtailed
with numerous restrictions in place, making it somewhat similar to Yom Kippur.
In remembrance and mourning, Tisha B’Av comprises a full day of fasting where even
the brushing of one’s teeth (or bathing) is not permitted. According to the
Hebrew calendar, this year’s Tisha B’Av will fall on Saturday, August 10 2019.
There is no question that these are all terrible events. But
in fasting, Jews around the world take these commemorations as an opportunity
to never forget the pain and hardship.
3. Fasting
to refocus on God
Very often, I find myself struggling to keep my attention on the work I had to complete. Invariably, it’s the sermons that take up the most
of my attention because I have this difficult habit of trying to do three
things when it’s my turn to share from the pulpit. I not only have to prepare
what I need to say but I also have to put it into writing so I can upload the
article on to my website (where you’re now reading it) not to mention that
there is also the slideshow to complete for use during the Sunday sermon. All
of that makes for quite a challenge to get everything done perfectly before the deadline.
Invariably when that fateful weekend begins to come into view,
it’s always pandemonium in my family. As strange as it sounds, it always takes
place about a week or less before I have to present my sermon. There will be
umpteen distractions and upheavals to deal with. Little Heather invariably
demands my attention.
And no less than the same with her twin sister Bridget. Both
will end up jostling just so I am forced to have to choose one over the other,
except that’s not what I really want to do lest I intend to unwittingly start a
civil war! That’s just twins for you.
Once the fighting boils over, the screaming and the scuffle will
soon blow open the roof. Next, the crying will start with
accusations and counter-accusations from the two little girls.
Before long, there’s no
telling which part of the house the earthquake will destroy. Being twins mean
that the sharp wailing will come in full Sensurround stereophonic effect. Inevitably,
all I want to do is to cup my ears with my palms if only to save my eardrums from
rupturing. Sure enough, something will crack.
From the kitchen, I will hear my wife raising her voice over
the mayhem, asking what in the world is going on while she too tries to get her
own act together. So now, I have to contend with multiple voices at top volume
coming from three women all at once with two in devastatingly piercing high
pitch.
In and amongst all of this, the nearest television is loudly blaring out
whatever is supposed to be that the kids are told to watch except that
they’re not watching but busy orchestrating a full-scale war to end all wars.
By now, it doesn’t take much to realise that I have completely
lost track of what it is that I was thinking, let alone typing out my sermon.
The notes might be there but I have just lost my proverbial train of thought. Whatever
great idea I had germinating in my head is now fully evaporated. Like vanishing vapour,
it’s all lost. Naturally I get frustrated but
I know that at this point in time, I can really become a wrecking ball if I’m not careful.
And so I now have to take a pause by closing my eyes. And
refocus. To do that, I must drown out all the ambient noises that threaten to muddy
my own thoughts. I have to detune from everything around me in order to
tune in to what I’m desperately trying to do. With everything that is seemingly
getting out of control, refocusing means gathering my thoughts, rearranging my
priorities and knowing precisely what I need to get done first.
If that sounds familiar, that’s because we all go through similar motions in our complex modern lives in our own different ways. And this is precisely what we all
have to deal with in our relationship with God. We get so worked up with all
the mess around in our lives that they threaten to crowd God out. We’re
constantly inundated with so many things to do, many people to attend to, many
chores that are mounting up, many problems to solve and many decisions to make
that it’s easy to lose track of Him.
A.
Esther pleads for her people
Source: jw.org
The story of the Persian Queen Esther revolves around not just
her hidden Jewish identity (Est 2:10) but how she was placed in such an
influential position “for such a time like this.” In other words, she was not a
queen by accident but instead, God has set her up to rescue His people by
outmanoeuvring Haman who was poised to orchestrate a Jewish genocide in the
land.
Haman was an Agagite who was given great authority and honour by
King Xerxes but he was also someone who had an attitude problem plus a serious grudge against the
Jews. Esther’s cousin Mordecai was another person whom
the king recognised and credited because his information had stopped an
assassination plot against his life, resulting in the execution of two conniving guards (vv.21-23).
The problem between the two came to a head when Mordecai
refused to bow to Haman even though the king had issued a command for his
officials at the gate to kneel in his presence (3:5). In all probability, that
command could have included Mordecai as well, since he too worked at the gate
but as a Jew, he’d only bow to the Lord God of Israel (3:5).
Enraged by his
refusal, Haman dug into Mordecai’s background, looking for dirt, which was when
realised he was a Jew. In his anger, he plotted not just Mordecai’s
execution but also the extermination of every one of his like in the kingdom of
Xerxes (v.6).
And so Haman sought the king’s audience in order to convince him that all the Jews were against his royal rule (a lie) and by that,
they should be killed. Having been granted the order with an authorisation
date in hand, Haman now had the king’s edict to launch what would amount to
mass murder of Holocaust proportion.
When Mordecai caught wind of the edict, he mourned in burlap
and ashes (4:1). It wasn’t long before Esther heard of her cousin in mourning
though ignorant of Haman’s plot. So she despatched her
eunuch to ask why he was so sorrowful.
Mordecai passed the eunuch a copy of the
edict, hoping that she could understand the plight that was to befall her
people. His hope was that Esther could plead the king for mercy and spare every Jew in the land (v.8).
Gripped with fear, she was reluctant. To approach the king
uninvited for whatever reason was to court death (vv.9-10). As she sat on the decision, the eunuch returned to Mordecai
with her response. Crestfallen to hear of his cousin’s inaction, he sent word
back to her, telling her that there was nothing comfortable about not doing
anything. Neither would she and her family escape death.
Still, as he explained, God’s will be done and His people
would nonetheless be delivered even if she refused to do anything and then ultimately
gets killed in the end. In ending his message to her, Mordecai made sure that
she understood why she had come to her royal stature “for such a time as this”
(vv.13-14). Her place in history had to be for a reason. It was time that she
understood what that reason was.
And with that, Esther had to somehow work around the Persian law that forbade access to the king even if thoughts of death
hung over her head. In that sense, she realised, “If I perish, I
perish” (v.16).
In true Jewish stoic sense, she called on all Jews in the land to join her to pray and fast for three days and
three nights. Only then she would have God’s blessing to go before the king
with her pleading.
After the fasting was over, she sought out the king and
invited him and Haman to join her at a banquet she’d planned the following day
(5:1-4). Accepting her invitation, the king decided to wait till the next day to
ask what her request was.
Yet somehow that didn’t materialise, leading to
Esther asking for their presence again at a second banquet on the second night in a row. As he was unaware that Esther was a Jew, Haman was only too pleased to
enjoy the company of royalty for not one but two banquets in two straight nights.
On his way home and feeling happy at how things were going for him, the Agagite stumbled across Mordecai at the king’s gate. He noticed
that he was impervious to the edict because he hardly behaved like one who should be in fear. Worse, on seeing him, he still didn’t bow in his presence (v.9). Filled
once again with rage, Haman then ordered the construction of an imposing 75-foot-tall
gallows so that he could gleefully once and for all watch Mordecai swing off it by his neck (v.9).
That night after the first banquet, the king found himself sleepless and restless. Wide awake, he rose from his
bed and ordered his chronicles to be read to him. It was then that he realised Mordecai
was not duly rewarded for previously saving his life.
To rectify that, Haman was
summoned to the palace where the king asked what he would do, in his opinion, for someone whom
he delighted in. Setting aside his desire to get the king to seal Mordecai’s fate, he figured that the king was referring to him whom he found favour in. Without hesitation, he advised the king that only extravagant gifts and honour
would suffice for someone like that.
Much to his complete dismay, the king then ordered him to
immediately take Mordecai through the streets of Susa as a fitting tribute to his good
deed (6:10-11). Accompanying him on such a parade was the last thing he could ever find pleasure in doing for an enemy like Mordecai. And so Haman failed to gain the king’s permission to have
him hanged.
If that incident was humiliating enough for Haman, it got far
worse on the following night at the second consecutive
banquet. Not surprisingly, the king asked Esther to finally reveal her request. As
God would have it, she finally called him to rescue her and her people from the
annihilation that the nefarious Haman had planned behind his back (vv.3-6).
Having now uncovered the plot, a furious King Xerxes subjected
Haman to death using the very same gallows he had built to hang Mordecai. In the cruellest of ironies, Haman was hanged to death while the Jews were cleared of all wrongdoing.
In overcoming the evil plot, Mordecai was once more rewarded with a promotion
that made him second in rank to the king (10:3).
When Esther felt the burden of her people and acknowledged the need to
reach out to her king, she did the one thing that was important – she fasted
and also asked all the Jews of the land – including her own maids – to do the same alongside her as well. In doing
so, she focused on what it was that God wanted her to expressly do. And as
His plan unfolded, it was clear how amazingly He responded to Esther’s
pleading.
B. Ezra
plans his journey home
Source: dwellingintheword.wordpress.com
The prophet Ezra was the second of three key leaders to depart
from Babylon and return to rebuild Jerusalem. Scripture tells us that while
Ezra restored worship, the other two – Zerubbabel and Nehemiah – reconstructed
the temple (Ez 3:8) and rebuilt the walls (Neh 1-2) respectively.
Continuing where 2 Chronicles ends, the Book of Ezra records
the decree issued by Persian King Cyrus that paved the way for Jews in his
kingdom to return home after a banishment that lasted seventy years. In His
sovereignty, God used unbelievers like Cyrus just as He did with Artaxerxes to
fulfil His plans. With Cyrus, the Jews had permission to return. With
Artaxerxes, God used him to authorise and fund the return home for His people.
Although Ezra had his work cut out for him, he probably wasn’t
ready for disappointments. He’d assumed that his people, upon return, would
be glad to serve the Lord but that left him sad and frustrated.
Still, he did not relent but instead, doggedly trusted
God to bring changes to an otherwise intractable situation. Ezra’s whole
priority was centred on making the Jews aware of the importance and
indispensability of the Word of God.
At the same time, not every Jew in the land returned to Jerusalem
(Ez 1:5-6). Even though King Cyrus offered freedom to all the Jews, it seems
only those “whose hearts God had moved” did go home. They were essentially family
heads of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin as well as the priests and Levites. The
others who stayed back “assisted them with
articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock and with valuable gifts,
in addition to all the freewill offerings.”
That sounds fine on the surface but the real story was
somewhat different. Quite apart from those who were too old, too infirmed or
too incapacitated to travel that far, there were those who simply had no
intention to because Babylonian creature comforts were too hard to resist.
Leaving for a place they knew nothing about – especially those of exilic birth
– was unthinkable if anything else.
Then there were also those who, having earned sufficient rank
and file under Cyrus, felt they belonged in such an established society. The
others were just too overwhelmed by what they felt was too much hard work to
restore a broken nation because other than Jerusalem
requiring a complete rebuild, its city walls also needed to be put up to protect
against foreign adversaries. For all these, it was probably too difficult to
expect them to change their minds.
But there, too, were those who might really have wanted to join
up but had cause to be concerned due to personal safety. After
all, they were also bringing home with them sufficient baggage of silver and gold including
livestock and valuable gifts on the 900-mile trek into the land of Judea to bring to the attention of robbers along the way. In other words, the risks were simply too perilous.
Set against this backdrop was Ezra’s unwillingness to ask for
Persian state protection throughout the journey. He said:
“I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of
soldiers… since we had told the king, ‘The hand of our God is for good upon all
that seek Him, and the power of His wrath is against all that forsake Him.’” (Ez 8:22, NLT)
Having made such a bold statement about God’s protection, he,
too, was now nervous about making the trip given that his people were going to
be truly exposed and vulnerable. It was because of this concern that Ezra called upon his
people to fast in order to humble themselves before God and seek His help
(v.21). For this reason, he could then say:
“The hand of God was upon them and He
delivered them from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes on the way.” (Ez
8:31, NLT)
Insofar as spiritual leadership is concerned, Ezra’s action is
as impeccable as the other Old Testament patriarchs. From 2 Chronicles, he laid
claim to God’s promise, using it when he and his people were most susceptible
to harm. This is where God’s words rang so true for him:
“If My people who are called by My Name
humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, I
will hear from heaven.” (2 Chr 7:14, NLT)
Two things ring true here. Firstly, we are to humble ourselves
(v.21) and secondly, we are to turn our backs on sin and seek Him in earnest
prayer (v.23). Only then God hears and avails His forgiveness, healing and
protection. So, from Ezra comes an invaluable lesson about fasting where he
said:
“I proclaimed a fast so
that we might humble ourselves.” (Ez 8:21, NLT)
The link between the two is a precious one – fasting is – and must be – a way to humble ourselves. Without humility, there is no
sense in fasting. But when a person humbles himself, fasting is a natural thing
to do. Indeed, fasting is an opportunity for us to go before God, humbled by
His presence and overwhelmed by His love.
In fasting, we basically say to the Lord that, burdened by our
sins, we knowingly do not deserve our daily bread. Instead, we deserve nothing
but punishment from Him. With fasting, believers have the chance to help us reconnect
to a merciful God who will hear our prayers and deliver us from our plight.
C. Jesus’
focus on His public ministry
Source: romancatholicman.com
While we’re not exactly certain of how far apart the two
incidents were, we do know that after John had baptised Him, Jesus committed
Himself to fasting just that once in the desert. In other words, apart from
this one time, there is nowhere else in the Bible that reveals He fasted often.
In fact, His detractors would rather criticise Him for His “eating and
drinking” (Mt 11:19).
For those interested in this subject of Jesus’ fasting, then
you’ll enjoy reading Ian Paul’s article in his blog called Psephizo at https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/how-often-did-jesus-and-his-followers-fast/
or click
here.
For Jesus’ post-baptismal fasting, the apostle Matthew wrote
that the Son of Man was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where for
forty days and forty nights, He ate nothing (4:1).
As many of you may know, the
number ‘forty’ is significant because it is indicative of God’s plan to save humanity
like when Noah and his family weathered through torrents of rain that
sent the world awash for forty days and forty nights. The same was evident when
Moses fasted for the same duration atop Mount Sinai to seek forgiveness for the people and receive from God the Ten
Commandments.
In the case of the Jews having been released from bondage in
Egypt, they too spent forty years in wilderness before God ultimately led them
to the Promised Land. In the same way, Jesus’ flesh was at its most susceptible
through the forty days and forty nights of fasting because it was then that
Satan persistently tempted Him with attractive worldly alternatives in
deference to the Father’s plans.
Satan’s plan wasn’t just to lure Jesus’ fleshy desires
(including ours) but it was also to play havoc with His identity as the Son of
God (4:3). Having said that, God turned the incident around, making it more of
an opportunity to shape Jesus’ 3-year world-changing ministry in several ways.
Remember,
Jesus’ fasting was not an isolated event that bore no worthwhile cause. Instead,
by enduring the desert for this long, He received, as a Man, a very physical
and spiritual training that helped him to face the challenges that were to come
in His life on Earth. In other words, He was simply equipping Himself for the
ultimate battle between good and evil.
In a similar vein, God took forty days and forty nights to rid
the Earth of debauchery before He began a new covenant with Noah. Similarly, the
second lot of forty years that the Jews spent in the desert before they could
enter the Promised Land was God’s retribution as well as part-preparation.
So for this to happen, Jesus found strength in the Word of God
to overcome Satan’s temptations and be victorious over sin and in doing so, gave
us good evidence that when we fast with humility, we allow the Holy Spirit to
draw us closer to the Lord.
After the fast, Satan did depart from Jesus and
then the “angels came and attended Him” (4:11). From thereon, He returned to
Galilee, fully empowered by the Spirit to attain mastery over His human nature
(Lk 10:21).
Not only had He conquered temptation, He’d readied Himself for
the very purpose that the Father had in store for Him. Armed with the power of
the Holy Spirit, Jesus now did not have to rely on His humanity to perform
miracles or deliver the oppressed or even overcome death.
At a stretch of forty days and forty nights, Jesus’ fast is equal
in drama as Moses’ in all of Scripture. It’s obviously major enough that all
the Synoptic Gospels picked up on it. Some assume that being the Son of God
meant that fasting for this long shouldn’t be problematic.
After all, we’re
talking about the One who multiplied fish and loaves of bread, who refilled a
whole drum of red wine, brought a dead man back to life and so on and so forth.
In other words, a forty-day-forty-night fast should be a no-brainer, right?
That might be so but we should note that all the Gospel
writers were at pain to point out that He did not perform any miracles to
endure the forty days and forty nights of fasting. Yes, Jesus could’ve
performed miracles to get through His fasting but He refrained from doing so.
Instead, He chose to set an example that led Him to feel the same hunger pangs
as any of us:
“Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,
returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness,
where He was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.” (Lk 4:1-2, NLT, m.e.)
When Scripture says that Jesus “ate nothing,” it doesn’t mean
that He also drank nothing. In other words, He would’ve survived on water just
like any of us. What we can draw from this is that fasting can just simply
imply not eating. It was for this very reason that Satan taunted Jesus:
“Then the devil said to Him, ‘If You are the
Son of God, tell this stone to become a
loaf of bread.” (Lk 4:3, NLT,
m.e.)
Satan said that because it was obvious to him that Jesus was
getting hungry. It was an acknowledgement that He had a body as human as ours.
It was also a confirmation that he was focused on Jesus’ hunger and not thirst.
Perhaps this was evidence that he was aware that He drank water.
Without a miracle, there is no way for any man to go forty
straight days and nights without consuming any water and that obviously
included Jesus. On the other hand, in the case of Moses, it was the Lord who
sustained him for the same number of days and nights with neither food nor
drink on Mount Sinai (Ex 34:28).
Even so, that doesn’t necessarily mean we must all comply with
a forty-day-and-night water-only fast. Although with careful practice and
planning – and wisdom in place – we can all do that but remember, it is not a
mandatory thing even for Christians. Remember that Jesus did not command us to
fast and since that’s the case, where do we really go from here?
The fact is He expects His followers to follow Him but it was
not a tacit command. Clearly, it wasn’t an order as in, “Do it or else…” What
it is, is an anticipation. It is something Jesus looks forward to us
participating with Him. But at the same time, He made it clear that we are not
to “do our good deeds publicly” (Mt 6). Here’s the warning:
“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as
the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and dishevelled so people
will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only
reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your
face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who
knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward
you.” (Mt 6:16-18, NLT)
Fasting is a private affair. It is between you and God. It has
nothing to do with anyone else. Jesus warns against acting up or even looking
the part in order to win brownie points with people.
When we fast, we are not
to garner admiration and neither should we be posting it on Facebook just to
get ‘Likes.’ We are not to bathe ourselves in glory, looking to become a
backyard celebrity. We are also not to crave for or attract attention (v.2).
When praying, either be discrete or go somewhere where only the Father can see
you (vv.5-8).
What
the Bible says about fasting
Source: hookedonthebook.com
Not only does Scripture reveal sparingly about Jesus fasting, in
no part of the New Testament does it ever say that His followers are to be
commanded to do so. We’ve said it enough earlier in this article that it was
less a command than it is something that Jesus anticipates (Mt 6:16-18, Mk
2:20).
In the Old Testament, it was only on the Day of Atonement (Lev
23:27, 29, 32) that Jews were instructed to fast. That’s merely one day in the
whole year. In fact, any rabbinical leader who issues a command to fast or to
restrict the consumption of any particular food does so without any biblical validity.
Yet, Jesus did fast as we know from the previous section (Mt
4:1-11). And because He implicitly expects His believers to follow suit, the
question must then revolve around a proper approach to fasting. For that, the
Bible does reveal details beginning with the following four different types:
Fasting that is limited to a certain type of food
Dan 1:8-14
|
Fasting that forbids consumption of all foods
Dan 10:2-3
|
Fasting that forbids all forms of foods and water
Lk 4:2, Acts 9:9
|
Fasting that places limits on certain activities
Ex 19:15, 1 Cor 7:5
|
It goes
without saying that this means the approach (to fasting) will vary accordingly.
Yet there are certain things about fasting that don’t change regardless.
Here
are a few to get started:
1. Never shy from seeking God’s wisdom
“If you
need wisdom, ask your generous God, and He will give it to you. He will not
rebuke you for asking. But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in
God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as
a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should
not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” (Jms 1:5-7, NLT)
Ask Him how He wants you to fast and for how
long.
|
2. Like Esther, set a time frame
“‘Go and
gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for
three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though
it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must
die.’ So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.”
(Est 4:16-17, NLT)
When fasting, we are to place ourselves in God’s
will like Esther did.
|
3. You must be clear as to why you wish to fast
“And there
by the Ahava Canal, I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves
before our God. We prayed that He would give us a safe journey and protect
us, our children and our goods as we travelled… So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us
and He heard our prayer.” (Ez 8:21, 23 NLT)
Given the risks his people faced, Ezra called on
God to help by fasting and humbling themselves and seeking Him.
|
4. Fasting must be more than just a focus on
food
“Moses
remained there on the mountain with the Lord forty days and forty nights. In
all that time, he ate no bread and drank no water. And the Lord wrote the
terms of the covenant – the Ten Commandments – on the stone tablets.” (Ex
34:28, NLT)
When we fast, our focus must not be on anything
of the world but God and that includes even the food (and water, in Moses’ case)
we have decided to forego. As many in Scripture attested to, fasting has
proven to be a very effective way to draw close to God.
|
Scripture
reveals that different people fasted and prayed for various reasons. Some
wanted something specific to happen. Certain others like Paul wanted God to
change them. Some others like Esther wanted their circumstances to be different.
A few others like Moses wanted God to reveal something to them. People like Ezra
wanted God to help and protect them.
It’s important at this stage to say that fasting might not be
for everyone. Those healthy enough won’t have much of a problem but if you have
certain medical conditions, caution must be exercised and if you’re unsure,
consult your doctor beforehand. You may be eager or desirous in fasting but if
you’re medically limited, you need to abide by what advice your doctor gives.
Here’s another thing you should be wary of: the Internet. It
may be a veritable source of limitless information but that doesn’t mean
everything you read is true. In my research on uncovering what medical
conditions would prevent one from fasting, I almost came up with nothing.
Pages
after pages of search results proved futile in my search because more often
than not, people are actually saying that fasting can actually ‘cure’ diseases
or ‘improve’ medical conditions, which I personally think we should be careful not to believe every one of these claims.
There are many different types of medical conditions that will
require you to be careful about fasting or even prevent you from doing so. At
the very least, your doctor’s clearance to commence fasting is very important. Listed
here are just the few that I can find (though I suspect there are more):
Diabetes
|
Unhealthy
diets (eg anorexia)
|
Liver
condition
|
Kidney
issues
|
Pregnancy
(any stage)
|
Wasting
diseases (eg malnutrition)
|
Dysfunctional
immunology
|
Cardiac
arrhythmia
|
Hepatic-biliary
(renal) problems
|
Take
note that the above is only a guide. No doubt there are other medical
conditions not listed here that one needs to exercise caution or abstain from
fasting. As I’ve said earlier, talk to your doctor if you’re unsure. Remember
that there is no biblical command that as followers of Christ we must fast. In
other words, if a medical condition prevents you from fasting, don’t be too
sad.
For those who wish to fast, make sure your motives are in the
right place. If you’re fasting because you think it’ll help you to diet, go
ahead but that’s not what we’re talking about here. Neither is fasting in order
to manipulate God because that just won’t work.
Similarly if you intend to fast
because it will help your particular medical condition, that’s alright but,
again, we’re not talking about this. Fasting will not move God to do anything
that is not in His will to do so.
In case you aren’t aware, fasting is more about us than the
Lord. It concerns the inward changes that God wants us to make so that we may
then be able to carry out His will. Therefore our decision to fast must hinge
on our willingness to submit to God’s will rather than ours. As the Book of
Proverbs says:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and
lean not on your own understanding; in all that your ways, submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.” (Prov 3:5-6, m.e.)
In our submissiveness, we surrender our will so that His will
be done. And in that very sense, His plans become our plans and His plans are,
in Jeremiah’s words, stupendous:
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’
declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you
and not to harm you, plans to give you
hope and a future.’” (Jer
29:11, m.e.)
Once we become a vessel for God to use, we will have availed
ourselves to changing inwardly so that we may better reflect Christ in our
lives. In fact our lives recede and in its place, Christ lives (Gal 2:20, Jn
3:30, Php 1:21). The apostle Paul’s words in his letter to the Romans also puts
it best:
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters,
in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the
pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and
approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Rom
12:1-2, m.e.)
Despite the Bible’s sparing instances of Jesus fasting, the
practice itself has clear spiritual benefits. Apart from the examples cited
earlier, there are others that are worth a notice:
[NOTE: Related verse is shown followed by the number of days
of fasting; where N/A is shown, that means Scripture does not provide such information.]
General (Acts 13:1-3); N/A
Spirit led, the Antioch church elders prayed and
fasted before sending out Paul and Barnabas for special work as the first
missionaries
|
General (Acts 13:2, 14:23); N/A
Believers fast in order that they may hear from God
when it comes to important decisions they are expected to get right, let
alone make
|
Daniel (Dan 10:1-3); 3 weeks
Fasting for three weeks, Daniel also prayed for
understanding of a vision that revealed what would happen to God’s people in
the future
|
Darius (Dan 6:4-9, 18, 25-28); N/A
Darius fasted for his friend Daniel’s safety after
he was thrown into a den of deadly lions after he himself was handily tricked
by his own conniving lawmakers
|
David (2 Sam 12:1-23); 7 days
David mourned his child’s illness, praying and
fasting to the day he died, after which he cleaned himself up, ceased his
mourning and began to eat again
|
Elijah (1 Kgs 19:4-8); N/A
The prophet Elijah prayed and fasted while
escaping from Jezebel’s deadly clutches after she discovered his victory over
her prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel
|
Esther (Est 4:15-17); 3 days
Esther prayed and fasted for three days, calling
on all Jews to follow suit to seek God’s leading in averting Haman’s planned
genocide
|
Ezra (Ez 10:6-17); 3 days
Ezra prayed and fasted, mourning over the sins
of his people as they began their long and precarious journey home to
Jerusalem
|
Jesus (Mt 4:1-2); 40 days/nights
Jesus prayed and fasted for forty days and
nights after His baptism in readiness by the Holy Spirit for Satan’s temptations
in the desert
|
Moses (Dt 9:9-18); 40 days/nights
Moses prayed and fasted for forty days and forty
nights before receiving the Ten Commandments
|
Paul (Acts 9:1-9); 3 days
Following his personal encounter with Christ and
subsequent conversion on the road headed to Damascus, the apostle Paul prayed
and fasted for three days
|
|
By no
means is the above compilation exhaustive but one notable thing we can gather
from these examples is that fasting and praying go hand in hand (Lk 2:37, 5:33).
The second notable point is that depending on the person, fasting can last
anywhere from days to weeks or even slightly more than a month.
Other than
Jesus and Moses whose fast lasted 40 days and 40 nights, many did it for far
shorter periods. Thirdly, fasting wasn’t always done in full as some were
partial and at least in one other example, selectively. While Moses’ fast was
absolute (meaning, both food and water was abstained), others included water.
Nonetheless, anything sacrificed for temporary abstinence is still considered a
fast (1 Cor 7:1-5).
Importantly,
don’t use a long fasting period to claim hero status. A long-period fast might
actually be bodily harmful. While fasting is an effort to focus on God, it
should not be used for punitive self-abasement. Neither should it be seen as a
dieting opportunity because your sole purpose to fast is to draw closer to a
deeper and more meaningful fellowship with God.
Connecting
fasting to praying
Daniel praying (Source: dwellingintheword.wordpress.com)
There
is no doubt that fasting and praying are somehow interconnected although
Scripture doesn’t offer any specific explanation for that. What we do know is
that in many if not all cases, when one fasts, one also prays. However, the
reverse may not always apply; when one prays, he may or may not have an
accompanying fast. Yet without question, fasting doesn’t exist without praying
at least as far as biblical examples go.
In
other words, praying seems to be the most natural companion activity when a
person fasted likely because it helps the fasting person to hone his attention
towards God probably out of sheer need and dependence in times of adversity. We
see that very often with David, Esther, Ezra and others.
In
David’s case, praying and fasting were not enough. For the grievous sin he
committed, he naturally also mourned and repented over his critically ill baby
boy (2 Sam 12:16) to the point of weeping (vv.21-22). It was also the same with
Nehemiah who was in similar despair over the desolation of Jerusalem.
After
being informed by his brother, Hanani, of how the returnees were deeply
troubled by their discovery, he “mourned, fasted and prayed to the God of
Heaven” (Neh 1:4, NLT). We see this so noticeably in his prayer that is
punctuated by desperation, remorse and humility not to mention, also, emotional
distress, outpouring of deep concern and heartfelt pleadings (vv.5-11).
The
other prophet Daniel was similarly impacted over the same problem with
Jerusalem. His response was to turn “to the Lord God and pleaded with Him in
prayer and fasting” (Dan 9:3, NLT). Furthermore, his prayer has identical
overtones as those of Nehemiah’s (vv.4-19). And like him, Daniel also fasted
and prayed. Check out Daniel’s devastatingly humbling prayer here:
“We have sinned and done
wrong. We have rebelled against You and scorned Your commands and regulations.
We have refused to listen to Your servants the prophets, who spoke on Your
authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the
land.” (Dan 9:5-6, NLT)
Looking to pluck up her courage in what she feared was a
terrible risk, Esther secretly rallied her fellow Jews in the land – including
her own maids – to fast and pray together with her. The purpose was to petition
God to clear a way for her to reach out to King Xerxes and appeal for the lives
of her people (Est 4:16). After all, the only real way she could overcome the
risk was by way of God’s intervention. Nothing but a miracle was her only
solution.
That all may be true but in the New Testament, fasting and
praying aren’t so inextricably connected with mourning and repentance. In Luke
2, for example, the prophetess Anna “never left the Temple but stayed there day
and night worshipping God with fasting and prayer” despite her ripe age of 84.
This was part of her service to the Lord as she lived almost purely to
anticipate the presence of the Saviour (Lk 2:37, NLT). Many years later in an
Antioch church, the people were fasting and praying as they were worshipping
when all of a sudden, the Holy Spirit came and spoke, directing them to God’s
plan to use Paul and Barnabas for mission work.
Even if it appears (so far) that fasting is an integral part
of Jewish worshipping practices, there is absolutely no scriptural evidence
that God answers prayers better or more effectively because we choose to fast.
That is simply untrue.
Fasting simply offers us the opportunity to express our
sincerity and desire for God to help us address whatever predicament or
challenge we find ourselves in. There’s no question that fasting expedites our
ability to articulate our focus on Him but that doesn’t mean He will respond
any faster.
To illustrate this point, let’s look at an example from Mark
concerning Jesus’ encounter with a possessed young boy in which He casts out a
demon. The narrative between the boy’s father and Jesus goes like this:
“One of the men in the crowd spoke up and
said, ‘Teacher, I brought my son so You could heal him. He is possessed by an
evil spirit that won’t let him talk. And whenever this spirit seizes him, it
throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his
teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked Your disciples to cast out the evil spirit,
but they couldn’t do it. Jesus said to them, ‘You faithless people! How long
must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to Me.”
(Mk 9:17-19, NLT)
The above dialogue alone underlines how crucial our faith is
even as God has given us the authority over unclean spirits. Following from
Jesus’ rebuke, the Gospel tells us that He sent the evil spirit packing. As the
boy healed and recovered, the disciples asked Him why they had failed. Jesus
answered:
“Afterwards when Jesus was alone in the house
with His disciples, they asked Him, ‘Why couldn’t we cast out that evil
spirit?’ Jesus replied, ‘This kind can
be cast out only by prayer.”
(vv.28-29, NLT, m.e.)
Now, that was what the apostle Mark wrote. In Matthew, we have
more information of the same incident:
“‘You don’t have enough faith,’ Jesus told
them. ‘I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed,
you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move.
Nothing would be impossible. But this
kind of demon won’t leave except by prayer and fasting.’” (Mt 17:20-21, NLT, m.e.)
NOTE:
Allegedly, some translation manuscripts don’t include verse 21. In some cases,
the word ‘fasting’ is missing such as in the case of Mark 9:29
Like Mark, Matthew confirmed that the demon in this case was
quite a challenge to exorcise, which explained why Jesus said only “by prayer
and fasting” can it be forcefully repulsed. Such a tough adversary can only be
met with an equal dose of gritty faith undergirded “by prayer and fasting.” As
Christians, we should know that there aren’t anything comparable in power terms
as a determined prayer. As far as spiritual weaponry goes, it is unprecedented:
“Put on salvation as your helmet and take the
sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times
and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all
believers everywhere.” (Eph 6:17-18, NLT)
In the context of his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul
penned an outline of the whole armour of God where the ‘helmet’ and the ‘sword’
are just two of a few features he was using to describe spiritual weaponry. In
this case, the sword epitomises the Holy Spirit.
Therefore to pray in the
Spirit is as imperative as to do it with persistence and alertness. Just as we
pray determinedly, we can add to it fasting for its effect in helping us
concentrate our prayers to God.
Even though no biblical demands have ever been made to compel
us to fast, Christians should view it as a striking opportunity for undivided
single-minded self-expression to God. As far as the welfare of our spiritual
life is concerned, fasting is a powerful though not mandatory conduit. It is a
devotion that, if done correctly, offers us an uninterrupted communion with the
Father away from the distractions of the world at large, food and drinks
included.
Different
fasting approaches
Source: parrocchiadironcaglia.it
It’s no rocket science when people assume fasting is nothing more
than not eating food for a certain spell. Some others will add that drinking
water during a fast is also acceptable and they’re not wrong too. But there’s a
lot more to it than just that. The Bible presents a few variations to fasting
where not everything revolves around food.
While Scripture reveals how people fast for different reasons,
in most cases, the motivation is repentance. Apart from David, the entire
ancient nation of Israel including the Assyrian-occupied city of Nineveh all
prayed and fasted in sheer contrition.
In the separate cases of Jehoshaphat and
Esther, fasting was accompanied by passionate but humble prayers in pursuit of
God. The key operative word here is ‘humble.’
To drive home that point, let’s revisit the Parable of the
Pharisee and the Tax Collector:
“Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was
a Pharisee and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by
himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank
You, God, that I am not like other people – cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector!
I fast twice a week and I give You a
tenth of my income.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared
not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead he beat his chest in
sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this
sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who
exact themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be
exalted.” (Lk 18:9-14, NLT, m.e.)
In his commentary on Isaiah 58:3-7, John MacArthur said
something quite similarly but very profoundly:
“The people complained when God
did not recognise their religious actions but God responded that their fastings
[sic] had been only half-hearted. Hypocritical fasting resulted in contention,
quarrelling and pretence excluding the possibility of genuine prayer to God.
Fasting consisted of more than just an outward ritual and a mock repentance. It
involved penitence over sin and consequently humility, disconnecting from sin
and oppression of others, feeding the hunger and acting humanely toward those
in need.”
Of all the different variations, the most obvious one is
Regular Fast. This is because it is the most common form featured in the Bible.
This is a complete abstinence of all types of solid and liquid foods although
water is still permitted. It’s the kind of fasting that Jehoshaphat carried out
once he realised that Judah was about to be besieged (2 Chr 20:3). Through his
heartfelt prayer, God overcame the enemy (vv.24-27).
No differently, the prophet Ezra exhorted the returnees to
pray and fast so that God may protect them throughout their journey home (Ez
8:21). As He prepared Himself to be challenged by Satan, Jesus too fasted in a
similar way after He was baptised by John the Baptist (Lk 4:2).
The second type is the Partial Fast. Needless to say, the word
‘partial’ gives it away. In the Book of Daniel, the young prophet freshly
captured and delivered to Babylon commenced a three-week fast where he refused
to consume the meat and wine as per the king’s instructions (Dan 10:2-3). He
also avoided the use of any skin lotions, meaning the oils that would’ve
otherwise kept him refreshed.
Daniel’s fasting approach is today simply known as the ‘Daniel
Fast.’ It has become quite popular among the different fasting variations. Its
origins are rooted in Daniel’s early days of captivity in Babylon at the defeat
of King Jehoiakim (1:1-2) with his repudiation of the royal food and wine.
Instead he sought permission from the chief official to withdraw from partaking
such meals from the palace. Under normal circumstances, such behaviour would
have been a straightforward death wish but God moved the official to not only
grant him favour but to actually express concern for Daniel’s welfare.
Said the official, “I am
afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If
you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the
king will have me beheaded” (Dan 1:10, NLT).
In response, Daniel assured the attendant appointed by the
official that it would not come to that.
“Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water. At the
end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are
eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” (vv.12-13,
NLT, m.e.)
Quite unusually, the attendant agreed to Daniel’s terms.
Daniel and three of his friends were part of the selection of
young people that was to enrol in a three-year Babylonian training programme
designed to eventually induct them into royal service. They were chosen because
they complied with the stipulation that only “strong, healthy and good-looking
young men” (v.4) among the captives applied. For that, they were also given new
Babylonian names by the chief official (v.7).
Inductees like Daniel and his friends were to be trained and
familiarised with local Babylonian culture including its laws and practices,
beliefs, traditions, language and literature. The earliest problem to strike
Daniel and his friends was the incompatibility between Babylonian culinary
habits and those defined by the Mosaic Law that they were brought up on.
It was
because of this issue that Daniel could not eat meat that was likely sacrificed
to Babylonian false gods and idol worship. And with that, the agreement Daniel
struck with the attendant over the radical diet of pure fruits and vegetables
for the next ten days.
As far as modern-day health food diets, the Daniel Fast
dovetails quite nicely that even unbelievers will find it appealing. And as the
Babylonians eventually discovered, the dietary benefits were visible
(vv.15-16). Just as the Babylonians found such results so positive in ancient
times, so should anyone today.
The problem then is what motivates a believer to
adopt this fasting approach. Would the motivation be Christian or dietary
based? While there is no biblical compunction to observe such a fast, the point
is whether or not a Daniel Fast is the best way forward for you. To answer that
question, you’d need to look into your Christian conscience.
The third type is the Full or Absolute Fast. Unlike the
previous two, this one forbids the consumption of both food and water. The most
oft-quoted example in the Bible is when Esther was told of Haman’s plan to kill
all of God’s people in the land.
Following Mordecai’s impassioned plea, she
resolved to respond by calling on all her fellow Jews – and her maids – to pray
and perform an absolute fast for three whole days before any thoughts of
drawing King Xerxes’ to her plight (Est 4:16).
In the Book of Acts comes the story of Saul who was blinded in
his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Up to that point, Saul was
not only a student of Gamaliel but he was also a vicious and brutal killer of
Christians.
From his encounter with Jesus, Saul was converted. Following that
experience, he neither ate nor drank anything for the next three days that he
remained sightless (Acts 9:9) after which, he dedicated his life for Christ and
in the process, changed his name to Paul.
Three days was what people like Esther and Saul spent on their
absolute fast but Moses and Elijah did it almost thirteen times longer. Moses
did his forty-day-long fasting in his encounter with God at the top of Mount
Sinai to receive the tablets of the Ten Commandments (Dt 9:9). Elijah did it
for just as long in the desert amidst his desperate flight to stay out of
Jezebel’s reach (1 Kgs 19:8).
Fourthly, there is also a Sexual Fast. Just as the name
suggests, a fasting person in this case would refrain from sexual relations
with his spouse. As part of their preparation to encounter the Lord at Mount
Sinai, the people of Israel abstained from conjugal activities for three days
(Ex 19:15).
Perhaps Paul explains this better in his letter to the Corinthians
where he describes how a married couple can mutually agree to briefly hold off
sex in order that they can commit to prayer. However, he also insists that they
must “come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack
of self-control” (1 Cor 7:5).
Make no bones about it, fasting is not a clarion call for God
to act for us. You’re not going to summon the Lord as if He’s a servant at our
beck and call to grant us every wish. Whichever approach you take, fasting is a
way for us to seek His attention and to go after His heart in our attempt to embrace
His loving presence. Whatever other benefits we like to pursue are moot because
biblical fasting sets us apart to God in ways no other types of fasting does.
Steps
before, during and after fasting
Source: catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com
The following are general guidelines that are the result of
research done on the subject of biblical fasting.
Part I:
Before you fast
1. It is paramount that you
humble yourself.
Fasting
isn’t about you; it’s about how you relate to God. Therefore the thing to do at
this point is to centre your motives on Christ. Just as you’re about to start
your fast, make sure you understand the reason why you want to do it in the
first place. For example, don’t mistake a biblical fast from one that is centred
on dieting. Note that the two are poles apart.
Good reference point:
Whitney,
Don (Jul 2011) 9 Reasons to Fast Other
than ‘It’s Swimsuit Season’ (Christianity.com); refer to back page for
details
2. Secondly, pray with all
your heart
Confess
all your sins before God and then invite the Holy Spirit to lead you from the
front. Surrender your will to Him and give Him every opportunity to head you in
the right direction. Let Christ know that you wish to commit to a personal
relationship with Him. Confess to Him that He lived a sinless life, died in our
place on the cross for our sins and then rose on the third day to free us from
perdition and then let us claim His free gift of eternal salvation.
In the
fullest of such knowledge, ask Him to forgive you for each and every person you
have hurt and then in reverse, forgive those who have hurt you also. The reason
for this is that you must not enter into a fast while still holding on to
grudges. Neither should you be envious, prideful, angry or hurting because
Satan will use any of such vulnerabilities to derail your intention.
Good reference point:
Bright,
Dr Bill (n.d.) 7 Basic Steps to
Successful Fasting and Prayer (Campus Crusade for Christ or CRU); refer to
back page for details
To get
your ‘Fasting Starter Kit,’ use this URL: https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/fasting/fasting-starter-kit.html
or click
here
3. Ponder about the Gospel
and on the holiness of the Lord
Think
of how God forgives us when we trespass. Think of His omnipotence and
omniscience. Consider His incredible capacity to love unconditionally. Consider
how He allowed His One and Only beloved Son to die on the cross in our place
and then feel the immense gratitude to the Father. Realise that for all the
sins that infest our lives, we have no right to claim any relationship with Him
and yet only by His grace, we are saved.
It’s also
a good time to find and think of everything that God has done in your life for
whom you could take this opportunity to show greater appreciation.
Spell them
out as you meditate on the Gospel and draw parallels between what you
understand of the Good News and how Christ is centred in your life. Praise Him
for all of these. Submit your life to Him and all that He has done for you and
your family.
Good reference point:
Wetherell,
Kristen (Sept 2016) 5 Steps to Meditating
on Your Bible (The Gospel Coalition or TGC, U.S. Edition); refer to back
page for details
4. Determine the length of
your fast
Think
of how long you’d like your fasting to be. Scripture reveals that people can
fast for three to ten straight days, a whole week or even forty days and
nights. For example, Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights albeit
without foregoing water.
On the other hand, Moses went for an Absolute Fast by
even abstaining from water admittedly only possible because of divine
intervention. But that doesn’t mean you should or must do the same.
If you have
no fasting experience, you might want to start with a short fast first and then
gradually progress from there. As you do so, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to
indicate to you how long you should fast for.
Good reference point:
Author
unknown (n.d.) How Long Should Christians
Fast? (Beyond Today, United Church of God); refer to back page for details
5. Consider the fasting
approach you’ve been called to
If you
have come this far in the article, you will then be aware of the different
approaches to fasting. It’s time now to make a decision based on the approach that
the Holy Spirit has called you to.
For example, a Partial Fast means giving up
certain types of food. In a Daniel Fast, you can consume juices but not solid
foods. In that sense, fruit and vegie juices are not a problem.
Good reference point:
Author
unknown (n.d.) Fasting as a Christian (Northwoods
Community Church, Central Illinois); refer to back page for details
To get
your Fasting Guide & One-Year New Testament Reading Challenge, use this URL:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/northwoods-web-cdn/wp-content/uploads/20180111155553/Fasting-Tips-with-NT-Reading-Plan.pdf or click
here.
6. Whatever you do, don’t not
drink
Water
is life-supporting. In His forty-day-night fast, Jesus also drank water. Your
body may be able to cope with a Regular Fast (because of your stored body fats)
but drinking, on the other hand, is as essential as breathing.
Ignoring this
can be perilous to the point of death. Should you dehydrate after two to three
days, you may find yourself becoming delusional before you fall into a
life-threatening coma. So be forewarned.
Good reference point:
Author
unknown (n.d.) When Fasting, How Often Do
You Pray? (Never Thirsty, The Master Ministries, Tucson, AZ); refer to back
page for details
Part
II: During your fasting
7. Never not do your morning
worship
In
fact, make it a point that the moment you’re up and prepared yourself in the
morning, you should begin by worshipping and praising Him. You can of course do
your devotionals at the same time.
For me, Chip Ingram offers a lot of edifying
and encouraging things I can listen to that will get me in the right state of
mind to face my fast. Some of my friends go for Max Lucado and that’s just fine.
Take your pick as there are plenty out there for you to link up with.
Make
sure too that you include time to read God’s Word and meditate on it. Seek
God’s wisdom to fill your day with sense, understanding and purpose. Pray that
His Word can make a powerful imprint in your life not just throughout your fast
but your whole life. Pray also that His will be done and that the Holy Spirit
will uphold your conscience as He guides you through your days.
Good reference point:
Hess,
Andrew (Oct 2016) 5 Ways to Sweeten Your
Morning Times with God (ChurchLeaders); refer to back page for details
8. Take a tranquil walk
It’s a
good time to take a prayerful walk with God by your side as you take in His
wonderful natural creations. Considering how the day warms up as it gets closer
to midday, a nice walk could be in the brisk morning or in the evening setting.
Observe all that is around you and consider His creative hand at work. Thank
Him immensely for how Nature has become such an important part of our lives on
Earth. At the same time, ask God for a spirit of gratefulness, humility,
thanksgiving and appreciation that you can still enjoy walks like this.
Good reference point:
Author
unknown (n.d.) What is Prayerwalking?
(WayMakers, Austin, TX); refer to back page for details
9. Think of others around you
and pray for them
Many
years ago, a church friend offered me an invaluable piece of advice and that
was to pray for others first before we petition on behalf of our own personal
needs. To put the concerns of others first is integral to Christ’s servanthood
nature.
For that reason, fasting is also a good time to do exactly the same.
Pray for your church leaders that they may preach and practise the Word of God.
Pray for your church members so that they may all uphold the Body of Christ in
prayerfulness, lovingkindness, fellowshipping and generosity of heart.
Pray
for your friends and family members so that they may keep developing a closer and
more loving relationship with Him. In the case of those who have yet to
believe, pray that God presents Himself in their lives so that they may be awed
by and accept Him.
Pray for your nation’s leaders so that they may govern with accountability,
truthfulness and honesty and if they happen to be unbelievers (as in the case
of Malaysia), pray then that they submit to Him and do His will.
Lastly pray
for those who are your enemies, who hate you enough to despise everything about
you and the things you do. Pray that they may know Christ while you implore God
to forgive them for they know not what they do.
Good reference point:
Piper,
John (Aug 2008) The Mind of Christ:
Looking Out for the Interests of Others (Desiring God, Minneapolis, MN);
refer to back page for details
Part
III: After your fasting is over
10.
How to break your first day of fast
The
most important thing not to do is to
go and gorge yourself silly with food. I know you’ve held out for so many hours
but take things easy and learn to return to your normal eating habits gradually.
In fact, for your first day
of breaking your fast (presumably you’re doing that in the evening), you should
incorporate some fresh vegetables in your breaking meal like lettuce leaves,
cucumber slices and so on. If you can prepare a Caesar’s Salad for yourself,
that’s perfect. Otherwise, a clean vegetable soup could do just as well.
Good reference points:
Author
Unknown (n.d.) Fasting Guidelines and
Information (International House of Prayer, Kansas City, MO); refer to back
page for details
Bright,
Dr Bill (n.d.) 7 Basic Steps to
Successful Fasting and Prayer (Campus Crusade for Christ or CRU); refer to
back page for details
11. How to break your second
day of fast
For
your second day of breaking fast, consider adding a fairly large baked potato
to your meal. Because local potatoes (in Malaysia) tend to be on the small
side, you might find imported American potatoes in your supermarket to be
better suited.
Still, keep your meal as simple as possible and avoid too much
richness. As for the baked potato, keep it clean, no indulging fatty or salty
dips. Avoid mayonnaise, for example.
Good reference point:
Bright,
Dr Bill (n.d.) 7 Basic Steps to
Successful Fasting and Prayer (Campus Crusade for Christ or CRU); refer to
back page for details
12.
How to break your third day of fast
If your
fast is three days long, then this would be your final day. Even if it’s not,
this is the day in which you can start to progressively add more foods and
richer drinks into your breaking meal.
Good reference point:
Larimore,
Dr Walt (Oct 2007) Medical and Spiritual
Considerations for Christian Fasting (Dr Walt’s Blog, Colorado Springs, CO.);
refer to back page for details
Ideas
worth considering when fasting
· Fasting is not a time to save
up on your worries. Instead it is a great opportunity to release all your cares
to Christ, which means it is as good a time as any for personal prayers. In
fact, it is the best time to think of anything and everything to pray about
because in our communing with God, we can tell Him everything. He is a personal
God; so you can really share the most personal things with Him.
· Should you find it very
difficult to break out of your eating habit, you might even accidentally
consumed something while fasting. Or perhaps, it wasn’t really accidental.
Maybe you lost your discipline and succumbed. In either case, pour out your
heart to God in repentance before returning to and resuming your fasting.
· If you’re new to fasting
and wish to be cautious in how you go about it, spend a week or thereabouts
eating smaller meals. While you’re at it, avoid sugary foods including
caffeine, which means not only coffee but also tea. Herbal teas are fine. If
you can cope with this, you’re likely on your way to your very first serious
fast.
Two days prior to the day, start eating fruits and vegetables exclusively
to prime your mind and body for actual physical fasting. In other words, you’re
now conditioning yourself to go without your favourite foods and snacks. You
should also begin to drink purely water as well.
·
If you’re doing a Partial
Fast with the intention of consuming fruit and/or vegetable juices in
replacement of solid foods, try fresh watermelons, grapes, bananas, cabbages,
beets, carrots, celeries, cucumbers, spinaches, kales, parsleys and any leafy
greens in any combination you feel fanciful about.
However, it’s best to avoid
acidic juices like lemons, limes and cranberries (pH 2 to 2.8), apples, oranges
pineapples, peaches, pears, strawberries and blueberries (pH 3.3 to 4.6).
o A morning drink of something fresh and non-acidic is a good kicker
for your fasting day. That means avoiding fruits that have a low to very low pH
value such as those mentioned above.
o By midday, grab yourself a cup of fresh vegetable juice. That
should be an ideal lunch replacement for your fasting days. Again, refer to the
above for more information.
o By mid-afternoon, around 3:00pm, make yourself a cup of herbal tea. The emphasis is on the word
‘herbal’ because it means there is no caffeine content.
o By the time evening washes over your day, grab some vegetable
broth (congee). You can let someone else eat the vegies while you take the
broth. To prepare the broth, boil some carrots and diced potatoes in water but
don’t add salts or oils. If you like, you can buy frozen mixed vegetables from
your local supermarket and use them instead. That way, you can also have green
peas.
·
To help maintain a constant
focus throughout the day, print out relevant Scripture verses on loose sheets
of paper and then have them pinned (or bluetacked) around the house as reminders
of why you’re fasting. These verses may or may not have anything directly to do
with fasting but they should relate to why
you’re doing it in the first place.
·
If you’re the type that must
have a constant hit on snacks and small meals throughout the day, replace them
with prayer when you feel peckish. Pray in a way that you can set yourself to
improve. Use prayers to distract you from the things that right now, mean
nothing to you.
·
If you’re a parent with
young children, it is important to let them know you’re fasting and why.
Explain what fasting is and why it is important that Christians practise this
every now and then or when there is a great need to align our focus on God.
And, no, you don’t have to have your kids fast with you especially if they’re
on the young side.
·
Another means of avoiding
thoughts of eating is to do reading for edification purposes. You might want to
put on some worship music and sing along with it to while the time away.
Precautionary
measures to take
·
When you fast, your body
can and often will weaken to some degree. However that’s definitely not the
time to hit the gym and do a serious workout. Neither should you be jogging
either. Not even for half a lap. When you’re fasting, it’s a good time to get
plenty of rest so that your body can better cope. In other words, no hero
activities, please.
·
Although it’s tempting to think
of fasting as a nice way to bring our weight down, refrain because having such
thoughts will only cause you to lose all the spiritual significance behind your
actions. There will then be no sincerity behind your fasting. Losing meaning
and purpose will not help you to accomplish anything spiritual in the end.
·
When you break your fast
(be it in the evening or the afternoon), don’t go ordering the whole menu. You
might feel like eating a horse but you can’t. And you shouldn’t. To understand
why this is not a good idea, you must know that when you fast, your digestive
tract is at rest but by the time fasting ends (presumably quite some many hours
later), it will have become quite sensitive.
In its sensitised state, an
incorrect breaking of fast will add great stress to your digestive system. As a
matter of fact, incorrect breaking of fast can cause your body to gain weight
even more rapidly than the rate by which you lose it. In other words, it is not
a healthy dietary habit to adopt.
The
best way to properly break a fast is to consume juices, raw fruits and/or
vegies. As for solid foods, which you no doubt crave after a bout of fasting,
these need to be slowly reintroduced.
The general rule of thumb is to spend half
the length of your fast on gradually bringing back solid foods.
For
example, if you’re on a three-day fast, then take 1½ days to slowly bring back solids
into your diet. This way, you don’t burden your already sensitised digestive
tract.
·
Be aware that diarrhoea
can occur after you return solids to your diet even if it’s been days since you
completed your fast. In fact, some seasoned fasters experience this quite frequently.
This is because your digestive tract, having rested and become inactive, is
suddenly overwhelmed by a great lot of food in such a short space of time.
Since
the tract is inactive, there will be little to no enzymes present to help cope
with the digestion. In other words, you’re forcing your body to do something
that it’s not ready or primed for after a spell of inactivity.
Good reference points:
Oz, Dr
Mehmet (n.d.) 10 Simple Habits That Could
Help You Live to 100 (Doctoroz.com); refer to back page for details
Rubin,
Kathryn (Oct 2011) Top 5: Best Foods to
Break the Fast On (The Jerusalem Post, Jerusalem, Israel); refer to back
page for details
Watson,
Katherine (n.d.) Guidelines for Breaking
a Fast – Introduce Foods Carefully and Gradually is Key (All About Fasting…
for Health and Healing); refer to back page for details
·
If you’re doing a Partial
Fast (or the Daniel Fast) where you’re consuming exclusively juices, be
forewarned that if this is your first time in a long while (or if at all), you
may experience some dizzy spells. So don’t go driving your car or operate
machinery immediately.
·
Fasting for some people
may involve body tissue breakdown and/or loss of electrolytes. If you’re
concerned about this, you should consult your personal doctor and seek his
advice before you commit to a fast.
·
If you have any medical
conditions concerning eating disorders (eg. anorexia, bulimia etc.) of whatever
kind, you should not be fasting at all. Even if you’re prone to the occasional
diarrhoea, don’t. If you have deteriorating kidney or liver condition, simply do
not fast.
In fact, if you have any physical condition that requires you to
undertake regular prescribed medication, you really need to be serious about
whether or not you should be fasting. But of course, discuss this with your
doctor beforehand.
·
Never ever gloat when you
fast. Don’t think you’re holier than those who don’t fast. If you’re ever in
doubt as to why you shouldn’t do that, read Matthew 6:17 to remind yourself.
Suggested reading sources:
Altmann, Peter (n.d.) Fasting
in the Hebrew Bible (Bible Odyssey) accessible at https://www.bibleodyssey.org/en/people/related-articles/fasting-in-the-hebrew-bible
Anders, Max and Larson, Knute and Dahlen, Kathy (Apr 2005) Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther: Holman Old Testament
Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group) available at https://www.amazon.com/Holman-Old-Testament-Commentary-Nehemiah/dp/0805494693
Author unknown (n.d.) Fasting
as a Christian (Northwoods Community Church, Central Illinois) accessible
at https://northwoods.church/fasting/
Author Unknown (n.d.) Fasting
Guidelines and Information (International House of Prayer, Kansas City, MO)
accessible at https://www.ihopkc.org/about/fasting-guidelines-and-information/
Author unknown (n.d.) Festivals
and Fasts in the Jewish Calendar (Israel & Judaism Studies) accessible
at https://www.ijs.org.au/Festivals-and-Fasts-in-the-Jewish-Calendar/
Author unknown (n.d.) How
Long Should Christians Fast? (Beyond Today, United Church of God)
accessible at https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-questions-and-answers/how-long-should-christians-fast
Author unknown (n.d.) Jewish
Holidays: Fasting & Fast Days (Jewish Virtual Library) accessible at https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/fasting-and-fast-days
Author unknown (n.d.) What
is Prayerwalking? (WayMakers, Austin, TX) accessible at https://waymakers.org/pray/prayerwalking/
Author unknown (n.d.) When
Fasting, How Often Do You Pray? (Never Thirsty, The Master Ministries,
Tucson, AZ) accessible at https://www.neverthirsty.org/bible-qa/qa-archives/question/when-fasting-how-often-do-you-pray/
Author unknown (June 2014) Dolly
Parton fasts and prays before writing songs (The Indian Express) accessible
at https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/music/dolly-parton-fasts-and-prays-before-writing-songs/
also at https://www.indiatimes.com/entertainment/music/dolly-parton-fasts-before-writing-songs-153555.html
Bright, Dr Bill (n.d.) 7
Basic Steps to Successful Fasting and Prayer (Campus Crusade for Christ or
CRU) accessible at https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/fasting/7-steps-to-fasting.html
Butler, Dr. Trent C. (Oct 2005) Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah: Holman Old Testament Commentary
Book 19 (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group) available at https://www.amazon.com/Holman-Old-Testament-Commentary-Obadiah/dp/0805494774/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Crew, Joe (n.d.) Why God
Said Remember (Amazing Facts) accessible at https://www.amazingfacts.org/media-library/book/e/87/t/why-god-said-remember
Darg, Christine (Aug 2014) Two
Miracle Dove Stories: From Gaza 2014 and Yom Kippur War 1973 (Jerusalem
Channel TV) accessible at https://jerusalemchannel.tv/2014/08/05/two-miracle-dove-stories-one-gaza-2014-one-yom-kippur-war-1973/
Draiman, Y.J. (Oct 2016) The
Yom Kippur War Miracle – Victory Against All Odds (Jewish History in the
Land of Israel) accessible at https://jewishhistoryinthelandofisrael.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-yom-kippur-war-miracle-victory.html
Fuhrman, Dr Joel and Oz, Mehmet C. (Jan 2003) Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for
Fast and Sustained Weight Loss (Little, Brown and Company) available at https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Live-Revolutionary-Formula-Sustained/dp/0316829455
Fullerton, Ryan (Sept 2014) Reflection On My 40 Day Fast (Immanuel Baptist Church, Louisville,
KY) accessible at https://immanuelky.org/articles/reflection-on-my-40-day-fast/
Gibson, Charity (Aug 25 2016) Dolly Parton Says Pre-Show Ritual Involves Prayer and the Bathroom (The
Christian Post) accessible at https://www.christianpost.com/news/dolly-parton-says-pre-show-ritual-involves-prayer-and-the-bathroom-168590/
Goldfoot, Nadene (Jun 2015) The Blot in Our History, Losing the Ten Tribes of Israel (Jewish
Bubba) accessible at https://jewishbubba.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-blot-in-our-history-losing-ten.html
Gordon, Nehemia (Oct 2016) The
Yom Kippur War Miracle (Nehemia’s Wall, Makor Hebrew Foundation) accessible
at https://www.nehemiaswall.com/yom-kippur-war-miracle
Hess, Andrew (Oct 2016) 5
Ways to Sweeten Your Morning Times with God (ChurchLeaders) accessible at https://churchleaders.com/daily-buzz/289033-5-major-upgrades-personal-worship-time.html
Jobes, Karen H. (Jun 1999) Esther:
NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House)
available at https://www.amazon.com/Esther-Application-Commentary-Karen-Jobes/dp/0310206723
Larimore, Dr Walt (Oct 2007) Medical and Spiritual Considerations for Christian Fasting (Dr
Walt’s Blog, Colorado Springs, CO.) accessible at http://www.drwalt.com/blog/2009/02/02/medical-and-spiritual-considerations-for-christian-fasting/
Lincoln, Abraham (Mar 1983) Proclamation Appointing a National Fast Day in Basler, Roy P.,
editor (1953) Collected Works of Abraham
Lincoln (The Abraham Lincoln Association) accessible at https://quod.lib.umich.edu/l/lincoln/
Mock, Robert (May 2018) The
Exile of Judah to Babylon, the City of Wonders: The Prophet Jeremiah and the
Five Guardians of Solomon’s Temple Treasures, Part Four (Destination
Yisra’el) accessible at https://destination-yisrael.biblesearchers.com/destination-yisrael/holocaust-of-the-jews/
Nordlinger, Jay (Mar 2010) Death
by Hunger Strike (National Review) accessible at https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2010/03/22/death-hunger-strike/
Oz, Dr Mehmet () 10
Simple Habits That Could Help You Live to 100 (Doctoroz.com) accessible at https://www.doctoroz.com/article/10-simple-habits-could-help-you-live-100
Paul, Ian (Sept 2016) How
often did Jesus and His followers fast? (Psephizo) accessible at https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/how-often-did-jesus-and-his-followers-fast/
Piper, John (Aug 2008) The
Mind of Christ: Looking Out for the Interests of Others (Desiring God,
Minneapolis, MN) accessible at https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-mind-of-christ
Piper, Dr John (Apr 2013) A
Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer (Wheaton, IL: Crossway
Books) available at https://www.amazon.com/Hunger-God-Redesign-Desiring-through/dp/1433537265
Purvis, June (Jul 2009) Suffragette
Hunger Strikes, 100 Years On (The Guardian) accessible at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/jul/06/suffragette-hunger-strike-protest
Rubin, Kathryn (Oct 2011) Top
5: Best Foods to Break the Fast On (The Jerusalem Post, Jerusalem, Israel)
accessible at https://www.jpost.com/Lifestyle/Top-5-Best-foods-to-break-the-fast-on
Sax, Michael (May 2018) When
the Odds were Against Israel in 1973, Miracles Became the Norm (IsraelUnwired)
accessible at https://israelunwired.com/when-the-odds-were-against-israel-in-1973-miracles-became-the-norm/
Seliger, Susan (Feb 2007) Is
Fasting Healthy (WedMD Diet & Weight Management) accessible at https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/is_fasting_healthy#1
Swindoll, Charles R. (Oct 2000) David: A Man of Passion & Destiny; Great Lives from God’s Word Book
1 (Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group) available at https://www.amazon.com/David-Passion-Destiny-Charles-Swindoll/dp/0849942500
Taylor, Penina (Dec 2014) The
Yom Kippur War Miracle – Victory Against All Odds (United with Israel)
accessible at https://unitedwithisrael.org/the-yom-kippur-miracle/
Towns, Elmer L. (Jun 2003) Bible
Answers for Almost All Your Questions (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
available at https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Answers-Almost-Your-Questions/dp/0785263241
Watson, Katherine (n.d.) Guidelines
for Breaking a Fast – Introduce Foods Carefully and Gradually is Key (All
About Fasting… for Health and Healing) accessible at https://www.allaboutfasting.com/breaking-a-fast.html
Wetherell, Kristen (Sept 2016) 5 Steps to Meditating on Your Bible (The Gospel Coalition or TGC,
U.S. Edition) accessible at https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/5-steps-to-meditating-on-your-bible/
Whitney, Don (Jul 2011) 9
Reasons to Fast Other than ‘It’s Swimsuit Season’ (Christianity.com)
accessible at https://www.christianity.com/bible/9-reasons-fast-other-than-swimsuit-season.html
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