Fasting: Old, New & Today
Fasting: Old, New & Today
The purpose of Lent, Fasting, and Prayer is to improve one's relationship with God.
Lent is about charity toward those who are less fortunate.
In the Bible, fasting involves voluntarily abstaining from food for a spiritual purpose, often as an expression of repentance, humility, or seeking God's guidance, and is mentioned throughout both the Old and New Testaments.
* Old Testament:Fasting was practiced as a response to sorrow, sin, or when seeking divine guidance.
* New Testament:Jesus himself fasted for 40 days in the wilderness, and the early church also practiced fasting.
* Purposes:
* Humility and Repentance: Fasting can help individuals acknowledge their own weaknesses and dependence on God.
* Seeking God's Guidance: It can be a way to focus on prayer and scripture, seeking God's will.
* Spiritual Growth: Fasting can lead to a deeper relationship with God and a transformed life.
* Addressing Injustice: Some interpretations suggest that fasting should be accompanied by actions that promote justice and care for the needy.
* Scriptures:
* Matthew 4:1-2: Jesus fasts for 40 days in the wilderness.
* Matthew 6:16-18: Jesus teaches about the correct attitude toward fasting, emphasizing humility and discretion.
* Isaiah 58:6-7: This passage emphasizes that a true fast involves actions that promote justice and care for the poor.
* Psalm 35:13: King David expresses his humility through fasting.
* Acts 13:3: Early Christians fasted and prayed before a mission.
Important Considerations:
* Not a Commandment:While fasting is a common practice in the Bible, it is not a commandment for Christians in the same way as other teachings.
* Discretion and Humility:Jesus taught that fasting should be done privately and humbly, not for show.
Beyond Abstinence:True fasting involves not just abstaining from food, but also addressing the underlying issues that lead to sin and injustice.
Zechariah 7:1-14
Key Verse 7:5
“Ask all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?
That’s a very important question for us as well. Why? Because there’s always the danger of falling into formalism or ritualism even among those who least expect it. That is, there is always the danger of becoming comfortable in following a ritual or a ceremony, and confusing what is religious with what is supposed to be spiritual. When Christians allow themselves to become too comfortable following Christian liturgy, their hearts often stop beating for Christ and eventually they stop seeing Christ all together nor worshiping him. Then they have all together lost the way. When Christians argue about whether they should begin the service with a hymn or silent prayer, or end the service with a doxology or a worship song, they have lost the way, and something has gone terribly wrong with their sense of worship. Christ is no longer at the heart of their worship! He is no longer the heartbeat of their service! Not that rituals are wrong or having certain liturgy for service is wrong per se. It was God himself who gave the nation of Israel their religious service— their worship, and it was certainly ritualistic.
Source: https://tritonubf.com/sermons-messages/zechariah-71-14-was-it-really-for-me-that-you-fasted/
Isaiah 58:6-8
Good News Translation
6 “The kind of fasting I want is this: Remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free. 7 Share your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor. Give clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and do not refuse to help your own relatives.
8 “Then my favor will shine on you like the morning sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed. I will always be with you to save you; my presence will protect you on every side.
Matthew 6:17-19
GOD’S WORD Translation
17 When you fast, wash your face and comb your hair. 18 Then your fasting won’t be obvious. Instead, it will be obvious to your Father who is with you in private. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you.
True Riches
19 “Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal.
