SUBJECT:  Fasting

QUESTIONS:  What is “spiritual fasting”?  Does fasting mean no food AND no drink, including water?

ANSWER:

The Hebrew word for 'fast' is 'tsoom' - which means ‘to cover over.'  The Greek word is 'nace tyoo-o' - which means 'to abstain.'  See Strong’s Concordance of the Bible.

The Hebrew and Greek words alone would strongly indicate that to fast in a biblical way is to COVER OVER the mouth and ABSTAIN from anything entering the mouth into the stomach, or - abstain from FOOD and DRINK.

But God does not leave us in any doubt about what HE says is biblical SPIRITUAL fasting.

 

God interprets His own meaning as to the word 'fast'.

"Go, gather together all the Jews who are present in Shushan, AND FAST you for me, and NEITHER EAT NOR DRINK three days, night or day ....."  (Esther 4:16).

"In those days I Daniel was mourning (fasting - comp. with Psalm 35:13; Isaiah 5: l-5; 2 Samuel 1:12) three full weeks.  I ATE NO PLEASANT BREAD, NEITHER CAME FLESH NOR WINE [alcohol, juice, drink] in my mouth..."  (Daniel 10:2-3).

There we have the 'thus saith the Lord' as to the meaning of 'fast.'  It may not be what men or women want to say fasting is, but that is what God says to His followers it is.  To fast in a biblical way - to fast spiritual - is to ABSTAIN, to COVER OVER the mouth from both FOOD and DRINK.

FASTING IS AFFLICTION!                      

Some will say, then, that to go without food and drink will surely be hard - it will be painful and it will be affliction.  And God would not want me to be afflicted, would he?

David, a man after God's own heart, said - "But as for me I afflicted (see margin. reference) my soul with fasting ..." (Psalm 35:13).

In Psalm 69 David again said:  "When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach" (v.10).

David knew that to fast - take no food or drink - was not a bed of roses; it hurt sometimes.

 

The word of God does not say it will be a PHYSICAL joy.  It may well not be.

God says through Isaiah the prophet - "Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? Wherefore have we AFFLICTED our soul, and thou takest no knowledge?"  God did not recognize their fasting because, "Behold, in the day of your fast you find PLEASURE and exact all YOUR LABOURS" (Isaiah 58:3).

Fasting is not for pleasure or labour.  Fasting spiritually - biblical fasting - is to afflict our souls.

God gave Israel (the church in the wilderness - Act 7:37, 38) one specific day they were to fast on - The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:26-32).  This day not only reminds us of Christ's atoning sacrifice for us, but also the coming time when this whole world will be at one with God - when Satan will be chained, no longer to deceive the world, when all sins will be placed on the one who started it all - Satan.  Mankind will then be at-one - atoned to God (Compare Leviticus 16:20-34 with Hebrews 13:11; Revelation 20:1-3).

The DAY OF ATONEMENT (10th day of 7th month) was to be celebrated with AFFLICTION, see Leviticus 23.

"For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people (Leviticus 23:29).

God interprets through David that to AFFLICT ourselves is to FAST (Psalm 35:13).

IS IT REALLY WITHOUT FOOD AND WITHOUT WATER?

  Some are saying that fasting in the Bible may not have always been without having any water or drink, maybe no food they say, but not always without water.  So, I suppose the argument is, or I suppose these people are trying to teach that when Christians "fast" as Christians should do according to Jesus (for Jesus said: "WHEN you fast" not "IF you fast"), they need not stop drinking water.

 

  There are some today who doubt that anyone has fasted without food and water for very long, before being at death's door.  Now, if you believe the Bible is INSPIRED, then you will believe Exodus 34 where it is written that Moses was up in a mountain with the Lord for 40 days and forty nights and that "he did neither eat bread nor drink water...." verse 28.

 

  It would seem that Elijah was able to do the same as Moses. See 1 Kings 19:7-8.

 

  Are we to imagine that Jesus Christ could not, and did not, do the same as Moses and Elijah, in His fasting for 40 days and nights?  See Matthew 4:2.  I say Christ was able and that He did exactly what Moses and Elijah did, fasted for forty days and forty nights WITHOUT food and water!

 

  I am certainly not implying or trying to teach that anyone on earth day should try to do what these three men are recorded in being able to do, go for forty days without food and water.  They were in many ways special men, who no doubt were given special strength from the Eternal to do something that no other men/women have ever been recorded doing, fasting for forty days and forty nights without food and water.  Most today could hardly make it through four days without food or water. True, we do hear now and again of some adult or even a child surviving in an earthquake, trapped without food or water for 6,7,8,9 days......but most of us going on a voluntary fast of no food or water could last that long without serious side effects.

  Some want to call "heath fasting" a fast. That is, going on a strict liquid diet for a week or two or more is to them a "fast."

And if looking at it only from what some doctor or health practitioner or clinic want to interpret as a "fast," a liquid fast, then so be it for them.  But as Christians who want to let the Bible interpret itself as to what the Bible calls a "fast" then we can ONLY have the Bible as our interpreter as to what is fasting as taught in the Bible.

 

  Hence, we look up all the verses where the words "fast" or "fasting" are used. We search the Scriptures and let the Word of the Lord teach us about the meaning of "fast" as used in the whole Word of God, the Bible.

  The word "fast" is used 41 times.  The word "fasted" is found and used 15 times.  The word "fastest" is used one time.  We find the word "fasting" used 17 times. And the word "fastings" is used 4 times.  All this from the KJV and Strong's Concordance of the Bible.

  The VAST majority of times these words are used as words in a verse relating that someone or some group or nation of people simply fasted, period.  No other information is added. No other definition is given as to what is fasting as used in these majority of verses. We have only a FEW verses in the entire Bible that nails down for us a Bible interpretation as to what is "fasting" as used in the Word of God, the Bible.  I will give you those verses very shortly.

  We can find that fasting in the Bible is often connected with mourning, affliction, sorrow, anguish, and of course with sackcloth and ashes.  Apart from sackcloth and ashes some would argue that all the rest of the words connected with fasting could be taken as MENTAL, within the mind, and of course that is true.  Hence Psalm 35:13 and the word "humble" or "afflicted" connected with the soul or life in fasting could be mental more than anything physical.

 

  But, there is really no way of "getting around" Psalm 109:24 which reads: "My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness."  Now, I [GTA] personally have done a "health" fast (liquids only) a few times (once for 7 days) in my life time, and I can tell you that after or in the third day of such a health fast, the body is swept clean and the energy and engine of the body just runs like a race horse. I never felt my knees weak at any time. A health fast of various kinds of natural liquids and juices does not make the knees go weak.  If you are basically in good health, going on a water only fast for a few days will not make your knees go weak.

 

  I submit that David's knees were weak through fasting BECAUSE he was doing a Bible definition fast, a "spiritual" fast, a fast WITHOUT food or water.  Actually the Bible is silent on any so-called "health fast."  Just does not talk about it.  So, all the passages that use the word "fast" or the others I gave above, are only relating to us the only "fast" the Bible is concerned with, the spiritual fast, or fasting for spiritual intent and reasons. Hence, we are then back to having the Bible define for us "fast" or "fasting."

 

  And here are the only TWO sections of Scripture using the word "fast" that DEFINE for us the word "fast" as used in the Bible.

  "Go, gather together all the Jews...and FAST you for me, and neither EAT nor DRINK three days, night or day: and I also and my maidens will FAST likewise..." (Esther 4:16).

  "So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth.....For word came unto the king of Nineveh...And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh....saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water..." (Jonah 3:5-7).

  There it is.  The only two passages of the Holy Scriptures that define for us "fast" as used in the Bible.  But, define the word it does, very clearly fasting as used in the Bible was and is always having no food and no water, no liquids.

  Oh, there is the argument that it is said of Jesus that "He was hungry" after His forty days of fasting, for it is written, "He was afterwards an hungred" (Matthew 4:2 KJV).  They say, “He was hungry, hence had not ate any food for 40 days, but it does not say, He was thirsty, so He probably did drink water during those forty fasting days."

  Why does it leave out anything about "thirsting" after those forty days?  Very simple.  When Jesus had determined to break the fasting, after doing what Moses and Elijah had done for 40 days and nights, He could have easily reached a water supply out in those hills.  A nearby spring, a running brook, or a small stream.  He no doubt had wandered by a few of them during those 40 days.  And coming off a fast of that length of time, water would have been the first desire for the human body, and from a stream it would have been obtained.  But good wholesome, full of vitamins and minerals fresh baked brown bread.....well that just was not behind the bush or desert tree, unless He commanded the stones to turn into that great smelling wholesome stuff.  And that is just what the Devil tempted Him to do, turn the stones into loaves of bread.  But Jesus would control His power, and wait till He was in the town with friends to eat food.  The water would have already been there in the form of a stream or brook for Him to enjoy, the bread not yet. And He would not misuse His power to satisfy His hunger.