200112 Why Fast and Pray? (2)

There are several ways to answer the question, “Why should we fast?” In our culture fasting is probably connected with health and weight loss much more than it would be connected to prayer. In the Old Testament fasting is usually connected to repentance. For example, Joel called upon the people, “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;” (Joel 2:12). God was speaking through his prophet because of the spiritual condition of his people. God goes on to say that their outward condition did not match their spiritual condition. Since God is slow to anger and abundant in steadfast love if the people would repent perhaps God would relent and turn aside from his anger toward them.

We are not sure when Joel proclaimed God’s judgment. We do know approximately when Isaiah spoke similar words. Isaiah operated about 700 years before the birth of Jesus. Isaiah was a priest and a prophet! In chapter 58 of the written prophecy, we find this question coming from the people: “Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?” (Isaiah 58:3a) then God answered them. By the way, when we ask God for an answer to our questions and concerns we should be prepared for an honest answer. God is not in the business of making people feel comfortable.

God’s reply? “Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, and oppress all your workers. ⁴ Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to hit with a wicked fist. Fasting like yours this day will not make your voice to be heard on high. ⁵ Is such the fast that I choose, a day for a person to humble himself? Is it to bow down his head like a reed, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and a day acceptable to the Lord?” (Isaiah 58:3b-5).

They fasted all right but their heart was never right. They thought they had humbled themselves and God had ignored them. God had not ignored them. He had observed them and saw that they accompanied the fasting and praying with business as usual. The kind of fasting they were doing did not cause God to listen to them when they prayed.

Instead, God asked the question, “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6).

The fast that God wanted would feed the hungry. I assume that would be to share the meals that you’re not going to eat with someone who has no food. The fasting God would choose would provide clothing for the poor.

When that kind of fasting occurred God gives a promise! The darkness of the world would be broken and flooded with light! Healing would come to the sick and the righteousness of the people would go before them. God would guide them constantly. Their desires would be satisfied. The spiritual drought would be ended and they would become a well-watered garden.

You see, the God they served was not like the gods of the people around them. Yahweh had pointed this out to them earlier in Isaiah’s prophecy. Let’s look at chapter 44 verses 6-8: Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. ⁷ Who is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and set it before me, since I appointed an ancient people. Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen. ⁸ Fear not, nor be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? And you are my witnesses! Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.”

The true King of Israel had revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush hundreds of years before. Yahweh spoke to Moses and gave him direction. In Isaiah’s day, it was important to bring the people back to recognize that there is only one God. He clearly describes himself as being the only God that exists.

Now, what does this have to do with fasting and prayer?

When we look through the Bible we find many instances of prayer being accompanied by fasting. As we saw last week, Ezra and Nehemiah engaged in fasting along with prayer. King Jehoshaphat called on the nation to fast and pray when they were confronted with overwhelming military force.

Looking at the word of God there are other examples. Jonah resisted going to Nineveh because he wanted the city to be destroyed! When he got to Nineveh his message was simple “Yet 40 days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4b) He offered no way out. He did not call on them to repent! He simply announced God’s coming judgment on the city. This pagan city, Nineveh, was about to get what it deserved. However: “the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. (Jonah 3:5)

And, When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it. (Jonah 3:10) If any city deserved to be destroyed Nineveh would be it. When they understood the danger of their situation they humbled themselves and fasted and prayed.

We believe that God since he knows all things does not change his mind. Yet, in this situation, and a couple of others in the Bible, God appears to repent! God does not change but in many cases the people God is dealing with change. God knows they will because he knows the end from the beginning.

Each instance, where God appears to have changed his mind, is an illustration of the situation changing. If the situation changes, then, of course, God’s attitude or intention will also change.

When Jonah preached in Nineveh he was confronting an evil city! Nineveh was the center of the Assyrian Empire. The Empire was known as very brutal. Yet, when they were confronted by a true prophet they repented. God did not repent the people he was dealing with repented! Once they repented the situation changed and God responded to the changed situation. Yes, God knew the future! Yet, the future changed as the people changed. They put away their fancy clothes and wore sackcloth! They fasted as a nation and their hearts were changed.

What happens when we fast? What are the benefits of fasting? First, fasting increases our sense of humility and dependence on the Lord. Second fasting allows us to give more attention to prayer. Third fasting is a continual reminder that, just as we sacrifice some personal comfort to the Lord by not eating, or whatever we give up for communion with God, so we must continually sacrifice all of ourselves to him. Fourth, fasting is a good exercise in self-discipline, as we refrain from eating food, which we would ordinarily desire, strengthens our ability to refrain from sin. If we train ourselves to accept the small suffering of fasting we will be better able to accept other sufferings for the sake of righteousness. Fifth, fasting also heightens spiritual and mental alertness and a sense of God’s presence as we focus less on the material things of this world. Finally, fasting expresses earnestness and urgency in our prayers. Fasting says to God we are prepared to lay down our lives that the situation be changed.

 All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton, Ill, Standard Bible Society.

200105 Why Fast and Pray?

As Jesus moved closer to his crucifixion and the end of his earthly ministry he took Peter, James, and John up onto a mountain for an important meeting. While the disciples stood aside and watched Jesus appeared to be transfigured. He was radiantly white! Immediately Elijah and Moses joined him. Moses represented the law, Elijah represented the prophets, and Jesus represented The Gospel of Grace! Peter, as usual, not knowing what to say, yet being unable to be quiet, offered to set up three tents one for Jesus, one for Elijah and one for Moses!

A cloud appeared and a voice said, “This is my beloved son, listen to him.”

Jesus instructed them to tell no one what they had seen until he was raised from the dead. As they came down the mountain they were suddenly surrounded by a mob. A boy was brought to Jesus who was demon oppressed. His disciples, who had remained at the foot of the mountain, could not cast out this demon! Jesus immediately took care of the problem. As soon as the disciples got him alone, well let’s let Mark tell us about it.

Mark 9:28-29 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁹ And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer (and fasting).”

The last two words that I read, “and fasting” are not found in most of the newer translations. However, the words certainly represent the usual pattern of Jesus’s ministry and are found in the King James Bible. I quote Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology, p390, footnote on Mark 9:29, “Many early and quite reliable Greek manuscripts and several early manuscripts in other languages read “by prayer and fasting.” In either case, it cannot mean prayer that is spoken at the time the demon is being cast out, for Jesus simply cast out the demon with a word and did not engage in an extended time of prayer. It must mean rather that the disciples had not previously been spending enough time in prayer and that their spiritual strength was weak. Therefore the “fasting” that is mentioned in many ancient manuscripts fits the pattern of an activity that increases one’s spiritual strength and power.”

“This kind” implies a special resistant and powerful demon. Certainly, it referred to the need for spiritual preparation on the part of the person casting out the demon! Not just a quick prayer before confronting a demon but instead a consistent lifestyle of praying and fasting which kept the believer spiritually strong. Some examples from the Old Testament are found in 1 Samuel 7:5-6; 2 Chronicles 20:3-4; Ezra 8:21-23; and Nehemiah 1:4.

Samuel was the last judge and anointed the first two Kings of Israel. During the occupation of the land by the Philistines Samuel gathered the people at Mizpah for a prayer meeting. He said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” ⁶ So they gathered at Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before the Lord and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah.  (1 Samuel 7:5-6)

The Ark of the Covenant had been captured by the Philistines and returned to Israel only after God defeated the Philistine gods in their own cities. That’s another story of God’s victory in battle. For our example of fasting and prayer, we return to the story 20 years after their defeat by the Philistines. Samuel was aware that the people were now ready to follow Yahweh. So he gave the instructions found in 1 Samuel 7:5-6. The promise was that God would deliver them out of the hand of the Philistines. And he did! For another example, we turn to the days of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. The story is written in the second book of Chronicles. Three armies were moving in to conquer Judah and were too large for the king’s armies. Let’s look at that account, “Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. ⁴ And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.” The result was that God himself turned those three armies against each other and they defeated themselves while the people of Israel were marching into battle. As they marched they had a choir leading them. They were singing, “Give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.” (2 Chronicles 20:21b) When they began to praise -- God began to defeat their enemies. Victory is always, God’s not man’s!

Our next example is with Ezra the priest. The Persian king Cyrus had sent some of the people of Israel back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. They were led by prophets Haggai and Zechariah. That was the first wave to return the land. The second wave was led by Ezra the priest. The King, now Artaxerxes, would have gladly sent an army patrol to protect these people as they went back to Jerusalem. But look at what Ezra tells us, “Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. ²² For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” ²³ So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

This resulted in God guiding them in safety to Jerusalem to restore the priesthood and proper worship of Yahweh. The territory they were crossing was like the Wild West in our own history. Everywhere you turn you would face gangs of bandits. The government was back in Babylon and all of the outlying areas were administered by local militias who were really nothing more than outlaws. After the people of Israel who returned rebuilt the temple, they still were constantly being harassed even in Jerusalem. They needed God to provide protection for them. It was not enough for the king to issue letters he needed to give them strong leadership that could now protect the rebuilt temple. God had just the man and had him in the place of significance that would allow him to change the situation.

Nehemiah had risen to the place of importance. He was cupbearer to the king! This is not just a servant’s position. Nehemiah stood between the king and assassination. In order to be a cupbearer, Nehemiah had to select and sample the wine that was served to the king. That way, if there was any poison in the wine Nehemiah would die and not the king

As the cupbearer to Artaxerxes the king. He had just heard from one of his brothers that the people who had settled in Judah were living in a desperate situation. The wall of Jerusalem was broken down and its gates burned. Nehemiah tells us, “As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 1:4)

Nehemiah goes on to confess his own sins and the sins of his people. We won't take the time today to look at all of his confession. His confession reflects the law in Deuteronomy admitting that their troubles resulted from their unfaithfulness to God. He also admits that their present survival is due only as a result of God’s abundant mercy.

Jerusalem’s walls were still broken down and the gates were gone. Opening the nation to outside influences such as an inability to stop people from breaking the Sabbath laws. Nehemiah’s prayer included a request that God give Nehemiah favor when he stood before the king. It would be at least a social blunder to be sad in the presence of the king.

The spiritual walls and doors have been broken down in our culture for generations! I would suggest that there is a need for fasting and praying and turning to the real King to give us protection and bring about the defeat of our spiritual enemies. At least we need on our side a cupbearer to the King of heaven. One that would weep and mourn for days on end with fasting and prayer.

Many times people have said that Jesus and his disciples did not fast why should we now? Well, let’s see! What did Jesus say about it?

Mark 2:18-20 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?” ¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.

In New Testament times the Pharisees fasted on Mondays and Thursdays it was a matter of pride for them. Jesus told a story about a Pharisee and a tax collector. In that story, the Pharisee prayed giving thanks to God that he was not like so many sinners in the world. One of the things he commended himself for was that he fasted twice a week. The tax collector could only pray “God be merciful to me a sinner.” (Luke 18:13)

The Pharisee’s pious activity did him no good. Jesus said that the tax collector went away justified rather than the other. Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

Jesus’ answer to John’s disciples compared his motley crew to a wedding party! No one, going to a wedding is going there to fast instead they’re going to feast. However, when Jesus is taken away from them he said they will fast. For the same reason, WE should fast.

 All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton, Ill, Standard Bible Society.