Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago
Date: Thursday, 5 Nov 1992 13:51:52 CST
From: <U59919@uicvm.uic.edu>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Subject: fasting

I recently saw in a post on bit.listserv.christia from Theresa Blackwell
where at the end she mentioned a 14 year-old girl named Linda, fasting.
When I saw that it got my thoughts rolling so I looked up some things on
fasting.

The book "Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life"
by Donald S. Whitney, 1991, ISBN 08910-96582, printed by NavPress,
has the following to say about fasting:

                        FASTING EXPLAINED

        "A biblical definition of fasting is a Christian's voluntary
abstinence from food for spiritual purposes.  It is Christian, for fasting
by a non-Christian obtains no eternal value because the discipline's motives
and purposes are to be God-centered.  It is voluntary in that fasting is not
to be coerced.  Fasting is more than just the ultimate crash diet for the
body; it is abstinence from food for spiritual purposes.
        "There is a broader view of fasting that is often overlooked.  This
is the approach Richard Foster takes when he defines fasting as 'the voluntary
denial of a normal function for the sake of intense spiritual activity.'  So
then, fasting does not always deal with abstinence from food.  Sometimes we
may need to fast from involvement with other people, or from the media, from
the telephone, from talking, from sleep, etc., in order to become more
absorbed in a time of spiritual activity."

There are several kinds of fasts.

Normal Fast:  Abstaining from all food, but not water. (Mt.4:2,Lk.4:2)
Partail Fast:  A limitation of the diet, but not from all food. (Dan.1:12,
                                                                 Mt.3:4)
Absolute Fast:  Avoidance of all food and liquid, even water. (Ezra 10:6,
                                                        Acts 9:9,Esther 4:16)
Supernautal Fast:  40 days-no food, no water.  Only done by Moses (Dt.9:9)
                   and Elijah (1kngs. 19:8).
                   "These require God's supernatural intervention into the
                   bodily processes and are not repeatable apart from the
                   Lord's intervention into the specific calling and
                   miraculous provision."
Private Fast:  (Mt. 6:16-18)
Congregational Fast:  (Joel 2:15-16, acts 13:2)
National Fast:  (2chr. 20:3, Neh. 9:1, Est. 4:16, Jonah 3:5-8)
Regular Fast:  (Lev. 16:29-31, Zech. 8:19, Lk. 18:12)
Occasional Fast:  On special occasions and when the need arises. (Mt. 9:15)

"The most common fast among Christians today would fall under the catagories
of normal, private, and occasional fasts."
(The description of private, congreg., national, and regular fasts were too
long to put here -- the verses given show examples of those types of fasts.)

Note that these types all refer to fasting in terms of food.  There is
scriptural precidence for fasting from sleep: (Ps. 119:148).
The other things to fast from are good ideas, I just haven't had time to
search for their scriptural precedents.

                           FASTING IS EXPECTED

        "Notice Jesus' words at the beginning of Matthew 6:16-17.  By giving
us instructions on what to do and what not to do when we fast, Jesus assumes
that we will fast."
        "This expectation is even more obviouswhen we compare these words
with His statements about givingin the same passage, (Mt. 6:2-3). Compare
also His words about praying in the same section, (Mt. 6:5-7).  No one
doubts the we are to give and pray.  In fact, it is quite common to use
this passage to teach Jesus' principles on giving and praying.  And since
there is nothing here or elsewhere in scripture indicating that we no longer
need to fast, and since we know that Christians in the book of Acts fasted
(Acts 9:9, 13:2, 14:23), we may conclude that Jesus still expects His
followers to fast today."

(Also check out Mt. 9:14-15)

                    FASTING IS TO BE DONE FOR A PURPOSE

        "There's more to a biblical fast than abstaining from food.  Without
a spiritual purpose for your fast it's just a weight-loss fast."
        "There are many purposes for fasting given is scripture.  I've
condensed them into ten major categories.  Whenever you fast, you should
do so for at least one of these purposes.  Notice that NONE of the purposes
is to earn God's favor.  We cannot use fasting as a way to impress God and
earn His acceptance.  We are made acceptable to God through the work of
Christ Jesus, not our work.  Fasting has no eternal benefit for us until we
have come to God through repentance and faith.  See Eph. 2:1-10 and Titus3:5-7.

(I have just listed the reasons with verses to save time and space. for more
info, get the book.)

To Strengthen Prayer:  Ezra 8:23, Neh 1:4, Dan 9:3, Joel 2:12, Acts 13:3

To Seek God's Guidance:  Judges 20 (particularly v.26-28), Acts 14:23

To Express Grief:  Judges 20:26, 1Sam 31:13, 2Sam 1:11-12, 1Pet 3:18, 1Jn 1:9
                   1 Sam 20:34

To Seek Deliverance or Protection:  2Chr 20:3-4, Ezra 8:21-23, Est. 4:16
                                    Ps 109 (particularly v.24)

To Express Repentance and the Return to God:  1Sam 7:6, Joel 2:12, Jonah 3:5-8

To Humble Oneself Before God:  1Ki 21:27-29, Ps 35:13, Lk 18:12

To Express Concern for the Work of God:  Neh 1:3-4, Dan 9:3

To Minister to the Need of Others:  Isa 58:3-4 & 6-7

To Overcome Temptation and Dedicate Yourself to God: Mt 4:1-11

To Express Love and Worship to God:  Lk 2:37, Phil 3:19, Rom 14:22-23, Zech 7:5
                                     Mt 6:17-18



Theodore Penn
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