Inspiration in Isaiah: True Fasting

Series: Inspiration in Isaiah, #17

November 5, 2006

TRUE FASTING

Isaiah 58:1-12

How many of you have ever fasted for spiritual reasons? How many of you fast on any kind of regular basis? I think that with all the food that is available to us, it is really hard to contemplate fasting. Americans are into feasting, not fasting. We are supersizing our way to obesity and eating ourselves to death. So it is all the more important for us to hear what the Bible has to say about fasting, and how to do it right.

We start this morning with the fact that Jesus evidently expected His followers to fast.

I. The Expectation of Jesus Mt 6:16-18; 9:14,15

In Mt 6:16, in the Sermon on the Mount, He said, "When you fast, ..." and then went on to tell them how to do it. But the point I want to make here is that He says, "when" you fast; not "if". He evidently expects His disciples to fast.

In Matthew 9, John the Baptist's disciples came to Jesus and asked Him why they and the Pharisees fasted, but Jesus' disciples did not. Jesus answered, Mt 9:14,15 "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while He is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast." Jesus Himself is the Bridegroom here, and He is saying that while He is physically present with His disciples, it is inappropriate for them to fast, because fasting is so often associated with mourning or longing for something that is not. His presence brings such joy to His disciples that they should not fast and mourn. But after He is gone, physically, then they will fast. This says very clearly that Jesus expects His followers to fast in this time period between His first and second coming.

God’s people have been fasting for thousands of years, but they haven’t always done it right. Our passage in Isaiah this morning is all about the attitudes and actions that accompany true fasting as God intended it.

II. Actors Isaiah 58:1,2

Isaiah 58:1-2

"Shout it aloud, do not hold back.

Raise your voice like a trumpet.

Declare to my people their rebellion

and to the house of Jacob their sins.

[2] For day after day they seek me out;

they seem eager to know my ways,

as if they were a nation that does what is right

and has not forsaken the commands of its God.

They ask me for just decisions

and seem eager for God to come near them.

What’s going on here? This is confusing, because first he announces that they are sinners, and then describes people who are seeking God, who are eager to know His ways, who do what is right, who ask God for His decisions about their lives, and who are eager for God to draw near to them. What more could God want? Ah, but the problem is that they only seem to want these things. They act as if they were a nation that does what is right. But they are not, as we will see in a minute.

The name for this problem is hypocrisy. In ancient Greece, actors would wear masks to show what character they were playing, and the actors were called hupocrites. We get our word hypocrite from the Greek word for actor, one who pretends to be someone or something he is not. That’s what the problem was here in Isaiah 58. Their outward actions were not congruent with their hearts.

So as we hear the accusation of God against the ancient Israelites, we need to ask ourselves: What do we seem to be that we are not? A committed Christian? A devoted husband and father? A loving wife? Are you pretending to be happy when you are dying inside? Do you put on a different persona, or attitude, when you are with certain people, in order to try to fit in? Do you tell different jokes, or wear different clothes, depending on the crowd you’re with?

I’m particularly interested in those of you who may try to convince everyone that you are a healthy, committed Christian, when inside you are really something else. We all know that many people use the “hypocrites in church” as an excuse for not attending church themselves, but sometimes there is truth to that. Are you something on Sunday when you are here, that you are not on Monday morning when you go to work, or on Friday night when you go out? Are you the person who pretends to be a growing Christian, but who hasn’t had a Quiet Time in months? The person who walks in to church with your spouse, smiling, but at home, your marriage is on the rocks? The person who appears to be a sincere student of the Bible, but who has an ongoing sin in your life that is destroying you?

Listen: no one knows what is going on in your heart except God. But He does know. You can fool the people you see here; you can fool your friends and your spouse; you can fool the pastor. You can even fool yourself. But you cannot fool God. Hebrews 4:13, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Last Tuesday, on Halloween, many kids, and some adults, got dressed up in costumes that made them appear to be someone or something else. Some of the costumes were really creative, like Marcie Otis, who came to the Punkin Party as a chia plant. Nobody is confused by that, and it’s a lot of fun. But Halloween is over. Take off the mask. Stop pretending. It is time to come clean with God, with yourself, and with the people who are closest to you. God hates hypocrisy.

III. All for Show Isaiah 58:3

Isaiah goes on to describe the hypocrisy of the Israelites.

Is 58:3, “'Why have we fasted,' they say,

'and you have not seen it?

Why have we humbled ourselves

and you have not noticed?'”

Fasting was expected for a Jew who took his or her faith seriously. Fasting was part of the way they observed the annual Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:29-31; Numbers 29:7), and they had other set fasts on the fourth, fifth, and seventh months (Zech. 7:3; 8:19). You can tell from the parallelism in this verse 3 that fasting is parallel with “humbling ourselves”, which is one of the main purposes of it. As we become weaker from not eating, it is a powerful reminder that we are, in fact, weak, and God is strong. So it puts us in the right frame of mind to approach an all-holy, all-powerful God. It helps to shatter the illusion that we are somehow capable of living life properly without complete dependence on God. The fasting associated with the Day of Atonement, in particular, was a good way for the Jews to come to grips with their desperate need for atonement and forgiveness.

So apparently, there were these occasions when God-fearing Jews were expected to fast, and the people of Isaiah’s day were fasting. But they were irritated with God, because it didn’t seem to them that God was paying any attention. They weren’t getting their prayers answered; God wasn’t helping them out of their troubles.

The problem was that they were fasting for the wrong reasons. They weren’t using it to humble themselves: they thought of fasting as a way to coerce God into doing what they wanted. Rather than using the fast as a way of reminding themselves that they have no claim on God, they used it as a way of trying to manipulate Him. They were saying, “Look, God! Look at me. Look at what I am doing for you. Now you have to do something for me.” And God, of course, just laughed. He doesn’t have to do anything, least of all anything that we try to force Him into doing.

IV. Abuses Isaiah 58:3,4

Not only were their attitudes wrong, but so were their actions on their fast days.

Isaiah 58:3,4,

"Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please

and exploit all your workers.

[4] Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,

and in striking each other with wicked fists.

You cannot fast as you do today

and expect your voice to be heard on high.”

So instead of truly drawing near to God in humility, they wound up doing whatever they wanted on those days. It was sort of like us saying that Sunday is a day set aside for the Lord, but then using it to do whatever we want, without any thought of Him after we get out of church. Worse yet, they made their employees or servants work on those days, and they got so crabby from going without food that they often wound up in fights with one another. Isaiah says that they can’t expect God to hear them if that’s the way they are going to act. Their focus was not on Him; it was on themselves—doing whatever they wanted, making others work for them while they took the day off “because they were fasting”, and even getting in fights.

The problem with their fasts becomes really clear here: they were doing it simply as an external, religious act, and their hearts were not in it. This is something Isaiah blasted the people for all through his ministry, and we are not immune to it. It is all too easy to just go through the motions, whatever they are, without really doing them for the right reasons. That’s the essence of religion, rather than a real relationship with God.

Isaiah goes on with his criticism of them, because another theme of his prophecy is that we cannot be right with God, if we are not right with our fellow men. The vertical and horizontal dimensions of life are inextricably intertwined.

V. Vertical and Horizontal Isaiah 58:5-12

Is 58:5, “Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,

only a day for a man to humble himself?

Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed

and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?

Is that what you call a fast,

a day acceptable to the Lord?”

So they were in the wrong first because they were doing their fasting in a purely superficial, mechanical sort of way, with all the wrong attitudes. But not only that, they completely missed the connection between treating God right and treating His creatures right. If all you do in fasting is bow your head and lie on sackcloth and ashes (which, by the way, is a lot more than any of us have ever done, but if that’s all you do in fasting) then there is no way that is going to be acceptable to the Lord.

He goes on in v.6-12 to describe the kind of behaviors that God thinks should accompany a true fast that He will be pleased with.

[6] "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

to loose the chains of injustice

and untie the cords of the yoke,

to set the oppressed free

and break every yoke?

[7] Is it not to share your food with the hungry

and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter--

when you see the naked, to clothe him,

and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

[9]…If you do away with the yoke of oppression,

with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

[10] and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry

and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,” then God will be pleased. That’s what He’s looking for. God expects that when we fast properly, it will put us in the right attitude toward Him, it will draw us close enough to Him that we can hear His heart for the oppressed in our society—the people who do not get a fair break, who suffer injustice, who are hungry, and homeless.

All through the Bible we find this theme of God’s love for the poor, and we should take this seriously, because He is most often seen as opposed to the rich like us. Money makes us insensitive to the needs of those around us; it insulates us from them and their plight. But God sees them; and He cares about them. And He wants us to care about them, too. The New Testament calls us the Body of Christ, which means, among other things, that we are His hands and feet on earth to do the kind of things Jesus did while He was physically here. If you notice who Jesus spent most of His time with, it was people a lot poorer than we are.

I find this challenging in a personal way, because the vast majority of my charitable giving is directed toward advancing the kingdom of God through missionary and evangelistic activity. I give very little directly to the poor. God is looking for the kind of behavior that many of you displayed as you contributed so generously to the House of Neighborly Service last month. We collected nearly 1,700 pounds of food! The same is true for those who support the InterFaith Hospitality Network when we have homeless families come to stay with us for a week. That’s the sort of thing he’s talking about here, and more of us should be involved in that.

Those are the behaviors God said would trigger His blessings on the Israelites of Isaiah’s day:

[8] “Then your light will break forth like the dawn,

and your healing will quickly appear;

then your righteousness will go before you,

and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

[9] Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;

you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I…

[10]…then your light will rise in the darkness,

and your night will become like the noonday.

[11] The Lord will guide you always;

he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land

and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

like a spring whose waters never fail.

[12] Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins

and will raise up the age-old foundations;

you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,

Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”

That’s a whole smorgasbord of poetic images all of which say, when we are right with God, as demonstrated in the way we fast and the actions that flow from that, He will bless us.

So let’s come back to the whole concept of fasting. We’ve seen that the primary purpose of fasting is to draw us close to God in humility. There are also some other purposes for it. I mention these in hopes that you will see the value of fasting, and make it a regular part of your spiritual disciplines.

VI. What's the Purpose of Fasting?

Closely connected to the humility before God that we have seen, is that fasting is

A. An aid to repentance 1 Sam 7:6; Neh 1:3-7; 9:1,2; Jonah 3:5-10; Joel 2:12-14

Fasting is often seen in connection with repentance. The priest Samuel called all Israel together before the Lord, and when they came, they fasted and confessed their sins. (1 Sam 7:6)

When Nehemiah heard about the conditions in Jerusalem, he immediately recognized that the reason was their sin. So the first thing he did was to sit down and weep. For some days he mourned and fasted and prayed in confession before the God of heaven. (1:3-7) This was so helpful for him that some time later, when he was the governor of Jerusalem, he gathered the people there together, "fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads... They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers.” (Neh 9:1,2)

And when God spoke through Joel to call the people back to Him, He said, "Even now, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." (Joel 2:12) In all these passages, fasting is seen as an aid in helping us humble ourselves before God, to express our repentance. It says, We are really sorry for our sin. But just saying that, somehow doesn't communicate the depth of remorse we feel, so we will fast as well.

A second purpose of fasting is

B. To express our commitment to God Acts 13:3; 14:23; Mt 4:1f.

When the church in Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas out as missionaries, they fasted and prayed before laying their hands on them and sending them off (13:3). Later, on their journey, Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord (14:23). And, of course, Jesus fasted before He began His public ministry (Mt 4:1f). In each of these situations, fasting was a powerful, non-verbal way of saying to the Lord, "We are yours, soul and body. Do with us as you will."

Fasting is also a way

C. To intensify our supplication Ezra 8:21,23,31; Judges 20; Jer 29:13,14

There are numerous instances in Scripture where people fasted when they were especially serious about their prayer requests. Before Ezra and the band of Israelites set out to return to Jerusalem, they fasted and prayed for safety on their journey. There is also a very interesting situation in Judges 20, where a huge army of Israelites went to attack a city to punish them for some really wicked thing they had done. The attacking force (the good guys) outnumbered the defenders 15 to 1, and they even prayed about it, but they were repulsed two times. On the third try, they fasted and worshiped and prayed, and that time they were successful.

Now that doesn't mean that we will always get what we pray for if we fast. It is not a way of coercing or manipulating God into doing what we ask. But it does say to us that fasting is a way of expressing the desperation and urgency of our requests before God. Jeremiah 29:13, says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." So fasting can be a way of saying, "Lord, I am seeking you with all my heart. This favor that I am asking of you is more important to me than food. This is not just a passing fancy: I am really serious."

A final purpose of fasting can be

D. To deliver us from self indulgence 1 Cor 6:12; 9:24-27

I think this one is really important for us. It seems to me that self indulgence is the spirit of the age. If we want something, we get it or do it. Whether it is good for us or not; whether we can afford it or not. We are enslaved to our appetites and desires for all sorts of things: for food, for nice clothes, for gadgets, for physical pleasure and comfort, for new exciting experiences. We deny ourselves almost nothing that we really want.

Fasting is a way to say "No" to the self. This is the key that will unlock the chains of bondage from our souls. It says, Jesus Christ, and the New Man in me who is being created in His image, are in control here, not the sinful human nature which so often gets at me through the desires of my body. So no matter which appetite we are in bondage to, fasting could be the door to freedom for us.

I would guess that many of us are in bondage to food and don't even know it. The scale will not tell you this. Many very thin people are enslaved to their appetites. In fact, the only sure way to find out if this is a problem for you, is to go without food and see what happens. It's sort of like wearing glasses, or a watch all the time. We grow so accustomed to feeling them there, we sometimes can't tell whether we are wearing them or not. In the same way, we may not even feel the chains that enslave us to food—we mistake them for a natural appetite. But if you will deny yourself food for a time, you will quickly discover whether you have control of your appetite, or it has control of you. And by the way, eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia do not prove that you are in control of your appetite: they just show that you are a slave to your subjective body image.

There are two important passages in 1 Corinthians that bear on this subject. The first, in 1 Cor 6:12, begins by quoting a saying that was probably current in Corinth at the time: "Everything is permissible/lawful for me". And, as new creatures in Christ, that is true. We are free from the law as a way of attaining righteousness. "But," Paul goes on to say, "not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible for me’, but I will not be mastered by anything." Sure, it's OK to eat. But am I mastered by my appetite for food? Is everything I’m eating good for me? Not everything is beneficial. Sure it's OK to buy nice things; but am I under the control of my desires for them? Sure, it's OK to be comfortable, but when do I ever say NO to my desire to be comfortable in order to say YES to Jesus Christ?

The other passage in 1 Cor 9:24-27 works off the image of an athlete in training. All good athletes deny themselves lots of nice things that others of us enjoy all the time. They do it to win the prize. But we Christians are in training to get a crown that will last forever. Paul says here that he is going to be in charge of his life, rather than his body and its desires being in control. He frequently says No to the physical desires of his body, so that, after he had preached to others, he himself would not be disqualified for the prize. He wants to win!

Friends, are we running in such a way as to win the prize? Are we going all out for Jesus Christ? Are we willing to submit ourselves to Him as the Supreme Coach, and let Him design our training program? It will necessarily include some disciplines. The spiritual disciplines of a daily Quiet Time, and periodic days away with God, and fasting, and Scripture memory, and others, are like the physical training exercises an athlete does to get his body in shape. Some of them are more pleasant than others, but they are usually not chosen because they are pleasant. They are done because they are good for us. They will help us win the prize.

The prize we are after is God Himself. We are people with hungry hearts, who are seeking God with everything in us. We want to know God. And fasting is a biblical way of breaking the chains of self-indulgence so that we can know Him better.

Does one of these purposes of fasting speak to you?

· to draw near to God in humility (I want you more than I want food)

· an aid to repentance (perhaps for the hypocrisy God pointed out to you earlier in the sermon)

· to express your commitment to God

· to intensify your prayer requests

· to deliver you from self-indulgence

Would you consider fasting sometime this next week for one of these reasons? Write down the one that means the most to you, and plan now which day or days you will fast. Take a minute to think through your schedule this week, and name a day or days you will forego food in order to accomplish one of these purposes.