“Is this not the fast that I have
chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the
oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread
with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own
flesh? (Isaiah 58:6-7)
Several years ago, I was invited to a Men’s Retreat in
the Santa Cruz Mountains, just west of San Jose, in California. The man who
invited me said, as we were driving into the mountains, that he was part of a
small group who would “fast” for the weekend. They
would not eat for the entire three days, and he invited me to join this “fast.”
Please understand that I’m similar in many ways to the other three billion or so
men that form about half the human population of this world. “Guys” have trouble
saying “no” to a “challenge,” and so my answer was something like, “Why yes, of
course, I’ll be glad to.” And it was, of course, a “holy” activity they were
performing, and that must be – good!
Note that I am an “eater.” We are all subject to the
stressful events that fill this world and there are certain predictable
responses to stress that are common to people everywhere. One kind of response
to extreme stress is to essentially stop eating – the person becomes so upset
that the thought of food is repulsive and they don’t want to eat. Another group
inexplicably wants, craves, DEMANDS food during times of worry! I’m one of the
latter – when I’m upset, afraid or angry, I tend to become hungry and want to
eat! Right now!
I did not know what to expect during that weekend of
fasting, but I had heard stories of wondrous encounters with God during such
times. Breathless stories are told in sermons and written in books about the
wonderful experiences awaiting those who quit eating for what are essentially
religious purposes. It wasn’t there for me. Yes I do meet the Lord in prayer,
during times of reading His Word, the Bible; and while preparing Bible studies
and sermons – He is there. But it was not the case on that weekend of going
without food.
The four men who were with me became three and then two.
The aroma of food from the Dining Hall each evening was both wonderful and
irritating. We would wander through the darkened camp grounds during the time of
the evening meal, and I recall looking from the darkness into the large windows
of the lighted Dining Hall at the happy men feasting at those tables. I felt
only two things – I was annoyed and I wanted to eat.
It’s been years since that time and quite honestly,
though a part of me would like to be one of those “holy” men who successfully
perform the act of “fasting,” it does not seem to be for me. So our Scripture for today
is especially interesting. Yes, there are a number of places in the Bible
that do seem to recognize and encourage fasting. In Matthew 17, for instance,
the disciples were unable to cast out a demon and came to the Lord, asking, “Why
could we not cast him out?" (verse 19). Jesus responded that the failure
was “Because of (their)
unbelief,” encouraging us all that with even a little bit of “faith…
nothing will be impossible for you” (verse 20). He
also observed that certain kinds of demons only “go out”
in relation to “prayer and fasting” (Matthew
17:21).
Obviously “fasting” has a
place in the Body of Christ. And to read the wide context of this section of
Matthew, is to
recall that Jesus’ followers HAD been enabled by Him to “heal
the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead (and)
cast out demons” (Matthew 10:8), and there is no indication that such
abilities had been taken away from them. “Demons”
are not “cast out” through human effort or good
intentions; it’s done through prayer, and our success in prayer increases in
relation to turning out backs toward the things of this world and our faces
toward God who answers prayer. If you are “led” by the Holy Spirit to go without
food for some reason, then do so, for we are all to respond to the God who made
us.
There is a key place in Scripture where “fasting”
is defined. We have assumed that fasting is all about not eating because that is
what our religions and cultures have taught us, but “fasting”
is much more. True “fasting” is the giving up of
your own interests in relation to helping someone else gain what is important
for them. Jesus gave up everything when He came to earth: His comforts, His
office as King of Glory, His position at the right hand of the Father, and so
much more that we don’t even begin to comprehend what He left because of His
love for you and me. During His time on earth, He demonstrated utter and complete faith
and He sacrificed everything out of His love, making Him uniquely qualified to
cast out the demon from the young son of the man who had come to Him. His
disciples at that time had been given the ability, but they lacked the faith,
the prayer and the love to do the job.
When you meet someone who is hungry, and you have food,
consider giving YOUR food to that person. That’s what it says in Isaiah 58:6-7 –
“Is this not the fast that I have chosen… to share your
bread with the hungry…?” In other words, the
REASON you are going without food on a particular occasion is not due to some
religious discipline you have imposed on yourself. It is instead because the
Spirit brings someone who is hungrier than you are to your attention, and you
respond by giving what YOU have to that person!
And a “fast” is not
necessarily about food at all. When Jesus cast the demonic creature out of that
boy, He was acting in the spirit of Isaiah 58:6-7, where it says that the “fast”
God has chosen is “to loose the bonds of wickedness, to
undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and (to)
break every yoke?” Yes it is to feed the hungry,
but it is also to “bring to your (very own)
house the poor who are cast out;” and when you meet
those who have needs, you RESPOND to those needs as the Spirit leads you. He
said it this way: “when you see the naked, (you are
to) cover him.” In other words, a "fast"
is responding to the
various needs you encounter with the abilities and resources that God has given
you.
When you meet someone who has a need and it is within
your power to help them, do so. But watch this one also: You are “not
(to) hide yourself from your own flesh” (Isaiah
58:6-7). In other words, don’t use your “fast” as a
means of avoiding personal responsibilities. If your own spouse and/or children
hardly ever see you because you are always “helping” others, it may well be that
you need to reassess your priorities. The “hungry”
and the “poor” may be in your own household. Let’s
pray:
Father, teach us to “fast”
by the giving of ourselves for the needs of those we meet. Others need to give
also and sometimes we “give” by receiving. Let us be a people who follow Your
Spirit, responding as He leads. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus
Name. Amen.
Ron
Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
First Church On The Net
www.FridayStudy.org
Ron@FridayStudy.org "While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"
(Romans 5:8)
__________________________________________________
Donations to this ministry are greatly appreciated
and may be sent to:
Friday Study Ministries
P.O. Box 92131
Long Beach, CA 90809-2131 USA
