Spiritual Fasting
The following post is from Friends With God, Appendix 11: Spiritual Fasting
This post does not go into a great detail about the purpose for fasting, or the correct attitude, but focuses on how to conduct a spiritual fast as explained in scripture.
I have provided a link to a detailed sermon on Fasting and its purpose by David Liesenfelt, from Rock Valley Christian Church. I highly recommend this sermon and other sermons on fasting at this site.
https://rockvalley.co/?sermons=making-a-home-for-god
Christians Are Expected To Fast
It is clear that Christ expected his disciples to fast, but not until he was gone:
Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him,
“Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
(Mark 2:18-20)
While Jesus was with them, they were not expected to fast, but when he was gone away, they would be expected to do so.
Christ also famously set us the example of fasting for 40 days. (Matt 4:1-11, Luke 4.1-13) We also see an example of the disciples fasting in Acts 13:2-3.
Most scholars also consider that ‘the fast’ in Acts 27:9 was referring to the Day of Atonement- on which Israel was commanded to ‘afflict their souls’ (Lev 16:29-30, 23:27, 25:9; Num 29:7-11), which traditionally is interpreted as fasting.
How do we fast, and how long should we fast?
We are told to follow Christ’s example (1Peter 2:21), so should we also fast for 40 days? Many Christian teachers claim that Christ fasted without food and water for these 40 days. Yet, as pointed out in the book "God's Chosen Fast" (by Arthur Wallis 1963), there is no scriptural evidence that Christ did not drink water. Wallis goes into great detail about all the various fasts in the Bible, and his book is well worth reading, which is no doubt why it has never been out of print. My intention in this article is not to provide all the detail that Wallis does, but to simply highlight how to fast and for how long.
Even if we don’t feel inclined to fast for 40 days, we should follow Christ’s example of how to fast. So, when you fast, as Christ and the Apostles set us the example to do, what does God expect you to do?
It is clear that Jesus did not eat during his 40 days of fasting:
And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they (the 40 days) were ended, he afterward hungered. (Luke 4:2-4)
We are told that he did eat nothing, yet it does not say he did not drink. It also does not say that he thirsted after 40 days. Also note that when Satan tempted him it was with bread to eat, but not with drink.
Now, if he was not drinking, then bread would not have been any temptation, as it would have just stuck in his dry throat! There is therefore no evidence that Jesus did not drink water during these 40 days.
Yet how could Christ have had anything to drink in the wilderness?
The idea that the Biblical wilderness was a barren, sand covered desert, devoid of vegetation and streams, may be useful for a dramatic backdrop to a Bible movie, but it’s far from the truth.
The term “wilderness” most often means a region not near inhabited cities. John the Baptist was in the wilderness all his life, but this did not stop him from conducting full emersion baptism of his followers. The wilderness that John inhabited is recorded as having two rivers in which he baptized. (Matt 3:6, John 3:23)
A “wilderness” in scriptural terms would be better interpreted as “wild-lands” away from the towns, as opposed to the “cultivated lands” near the built-up areas. It certainly did not preclude plenty of water being available to drink, wash and to baptize with.
Attitude In Fasting
Christ also clearly told us the correct attitude in which to fast:
And when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, of a sad face. For they disfigure their faces so that they may appear to men to fast. Truly I say to you, They have their reward.
But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to fast, but to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly.
(Matt 6:16-18)
We are not to appear to others to be fasting in order to gain praise or sympathy, but rather we are to humble ourselves toward God, and God will reward us, not other people.
Fasting with water, and the correct attitude, is therefore the example that Christ set us. To fast by both not eating and drinking, as we will see below, was very rarely undertaken in scripture.
When To Not Drink And Not Eat During A Fast?
A church I previously attended taught that “the correct way to fast was to both not eat, and not drink water”. To support this doctrine, they cited various examples in the scripture of Moses and Paul and others who fasted without drinking. They also claimed that Jesus did not drink, but, as we have seen, this is not what the scripture actually says.
This church ‘allowed’ anyone who was sick or on medication ‘permission to eat or drink’, if they needed to for health reasons. Despite this “leniency”, I knew people who were very weak and ill, and yet continued to fast without water, considering that such is actually what God expected, and therefore felt that not doing so was spiritually lacking in faith.
These people, while appearing to have great faith in God, were caught up in the authoritarian church structure to such an extent that they bound this burden of not drinking on themselves, simply because they did not take the time to check the scripture to see if it was correct or not. (Matt 23:4)
Examples in Scripture Of Fasting Without Water
While there are examples in scripture of people fasting without water, these are generally of short duration, and always under dire circumstances.
Paul (or Saul as he was called at the time), when he was blinded after his road to Damascus experience, fasted for three days without food and water. (Acts 9:9)
Esther called a fast of three days with no food or water, when the entire population of Jewish exiles was about to be destroyed. (Ester 4:16)
There was also a group of fanatical Jews, who said they would not eat or drink until they had killed Paul! (Acts 23:12) As he did not die till many years later, one wonders if they broke their fast?
Ezra also did not eat or drink when he discovered that, after returning from captivity, the Priests and people had again taken foreign wives, which was one reason they went into captivity in the first place! (Ezra 10:6)
In this sort of study, omission is often as revealing as what is said. What is omitted in all the above examples, and in the rest of the scripture, is any directive from God to not eat, and not drink, during a fast. The only times such total fasts without water are undertaken, are by the voluntary free will of individuals.
And such drastic fasts are only ever undertaken because of very difficult circumstances, and for short duration. Scripture never tells us that God expects us to undertake a fast without water.
The other famous example of fasting without eating or drinking, is that of the entire city of Nineveh who were, by decree of the King of Nineveh, required to not only not eat or drink, but to also cover themselves in sackcloth, and call on God to save them.
This fast included the only recorded time that animals also fasted, and without water!
The result of this fast was amazing. God was initially bent on destroying Nineveh, but after they responded to the prophet Jonah with humility with total fasting and sackcloth, God delayed their destruction till many years into the future. (Jonah 3:1-10)
Yet again, this fast was not actually required by God. It was a decree of the King. It was respected by God, but God did not tell them to fast, or how to fast, or for their animals to fast.
The Day Of Atonement
The Day of Atonement is one of God’s annual “holy convocations”, and the Jews fast on this day without food or water. However, the command on Atonement does not specifically use the term to “fast”, but to ‘afflict your souls’. (Lev 16:29-30)
Unlike the other festivals of God, the scriptures provide a great deal of explanation as to what is required on the Day of Atonement. (Lev 16:1-34, Lev 23:26-32, Num 29:7-11, Heb 9:1-10) Yet, in all this, there is no clarity as to what ‘afflict your souls’ means.
If fasting without water was the usual expected practice on the Day of Atonement, then we could expect that the scriptures would have taken the time to clearly spell it out, particularly as everything else about the Day of Atonement is so well elaborated upon.
As we have seen with the above examples, whenever there was a great emergency, it is specifically noted that people fasted “without food and drink”. This seems to indicate that fasting without water was the exception to the rule, rather than the expected practice, and is also not required on the Day of Atonement. If, however, you want to go without water, that is your prerogative to do so.
Moses Fast of 80 Days
The longest recorded fast in the Bible is Moses, who fasted for 40 days with no food or water. He then did another 40 days very soon after. These two long fasts occurred when Moses went up to God in the cloud on Mount Sinai.
God dictated to Moses a great deal of information over the first 40 days, as recorded in Exodus 24:18 to chapter 32. Moses then went down to the camp of Israel where Aaron had allowed them to make a Golden Calf.
Moses was so shocked and angry, that he smashed the two stone tablets which had the Ten Commandments written on them. He directed the people to destroy the Golden Calf, and then went back up the mountain, to get another copy of the Ten Commandments, and he continued there for another 40 days of fasting.
There is virtually no break between these two long fasts, at the most a few days. And there is no mention of Moses having a big feast, for he certainly would not have had much of an appetite after what the Israelites had done.
When Moses came down after his second 40 days, his face shone from being in the presence of God. (Ex 34:29-35) This sight was so incredible that the elders were afraid, so Moses put a veil over his face. Clearly, the power of God sustained him during these two periods, so this was not a normal fast in any way, shape or form.
Here again we see that a fast involving not eating or drinking, is associated with an extremely unusual event. Perhaps, in this case, it may not even be considered fasting, as Moses was in the presence of God, and he simply had no need for food, as he was being more than nourished by God.
If you are in the presence of God, then you also may not need to eat or drink for 80 days, but this example can’t be used as a guide in what to do during a regular fast.
Moses and Jesus
The fact that Moses twice fasted for 40 days, and Jesus fasted for 40 days seems to be extremely important to some people. When I wrote to one minister to say that Jesus drank but Moses didn’t, he replied:
I believe it would be strange to think that Moses performed a more arduous fast in preparation to meet God, than the Son of God did to face temptation as a human confronting Satan.
a. It is clear that the forty days and forty nights are a purposeful parallel. Jesus wanted us to understand that as Moses (God's messenger to Israel) fasted forty days and nights before the revelation of the Covenant to Israel, so Jesus (God's messenger to all mankind) did before the revelation of the New Covenant.
b. What would be the reason for Jesus to do a less arduous fast? Couldn't take it? No. Didn't need it? Probably didn't need any fast at all as far I could guess. Can't think of another reason. How about you?
What do you think? Is Jesus in competition with Moses? Personally, I don’t think there was any parallel intended in scripture between Moses and Jesus in how long or arduous their fasting was. Although there is obviously some similarity, if you want to look for it.
Nothing in the New Testament identifies any relationship between the fast of Moses, and the fast of Christ. To therefore make something up is interesting at best, but potentially presumptuous, and adding to the word of God at worst.
The question is, what was the purpose of Jesus fasting, compared to Moses fasting? Moses fasted because it seems he did not need food, as he was in the presence of God. Jesus fasted to set us the example to follow, as was also the rest of his life the greatest of examples for us to follow. (Rom 12:1-2) Not that we need to fast for 40 days, but we should fast on a regular basis, if we follow his way of life.
It seems self-evident that Jesus went without food, but not without water. Whereas Moses did not need either food or water. We therefore follow Jesus’ example, and generally drink water when we fast.
The point of Jesus fasting, we are told, was to be tempted by the Devil. (Matt 4:1) We also see in Matthew 17:21, and Mark 9:29, that some demons appear to require both prayer and fasting, in order to be evicted from their victims. Evidently, we need to fast in order to be fully equipped to combat Satan.
What Jesus endured during these 40 days was the ultimate combat with Satan, which he easily won, telling him to go away. (Matt 4:10) We too, therefore, should consider fasting as a valuable tool to help us overcome the old serpent, who is able to tempt us through the lusts of the flesh, which we need to overcome.
Daniel’s Partial Fast?
In Daniel 10:1-3, we find what appears to be a fast by Daniel, which included eating and drinking:
In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no food for delight, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, until three whole weeks were fulfilled.
But this is not actually called a fast, it is called ‘mourning’. While fasting was typically undertaken as part of mourning, there is no mention of fasting here. What exactly he was mourning about is not clear.
We are told that God heard Daniel from the very first day, so the duration of the ‘fast’ would not have changed the outcome. This partial fast, however, had some astounding outcomes. God provided not only a very dramatic and powerful vision that covers the last three chapters of the book of Daniel, but also the longest and most detailed prophecy of the entire Bible! Not a bad response for a ‘partial fast’!
We can see from Daniel’s ‘partial fast’, that total fasting without water is not necessary to get God’s attention. We therefore need to leave it up the individual to determine if the situation they are in is so dire that it warrants a total fast, or to also drink water, or to just abstain from certain foods. God respects your attitude, not the degree to which you are feeling poorly.
What God Expects
Some church teachers state categorically, that a total fast, without food or water, is what God expects. Are they actually binding a heavy burden on people, and adding to the word of God? (Matt 23:4, Deut 12:32, Rev 22:18-10)
The purpose of fasting is supposed to be to release heavy burdens from people, and to let the oppressed go free:
Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? (Isaiah 58:6)
In order therefore to not lay heavy burdens on people, we need to be clear that drinking water during a fast is shown in the scriptures, including Jesus’ example, to be the normal practice.
The only scriptural examples of people not drinking when fasting, are those who are facing extreme and dire circumstances.
Christ tells us not to be too willing to set standards of obedience to God which are too difficult. In chastising the leaders of Israel, he said:
Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens grievous to be carried, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens (to lighten the load) with one of your fingers. (Luke 11:46).
For they bind heavy and hard-to-carry burdens and lay them on men's shoulders. But they will not move them with one of their fingers. (Matt 23:4)
Similarly, the scriptures tell us that if the leaders loved their brothers in Christ, then they would not set heavy burdens on them:
By this we know that we love the children of God, whenever we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. (1John 5:2-3)
We therefore need to be very careful not to follow the example of the Pharisees, but rather to follow Christ’s example who said:
Come to Me all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. (Matt 11:28-30)
While Christ’s way of life does require us to carry a yoke and a burden, he tells us that this yoke is “easy and light”, at least in comparison to the burdens of the world.
While fasting without food is not easy, it’s much easier than fasting without water also. As God never specifically required anyone to undertake a ‘no food and no water fast’, it appears from the above study that drinking water during a fast is all God expects when we are to ‘afflict our souls’, be it on the Day of Atonement, or any other day we choose to fast. What do you think?