Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines: Chapter 9 Fasting

Spiritual
Disciplines for
the Christian
Life
Donald S. Whitney

Saturday 19 May 2012

Fasting...for
the purpose
of godliness
Chapter 9, Donald Whitney,
Spiritual Disciplines for the
Christian Life

"Self-indulgence is the enemy of gratitude, &
self-discipline usually its friend & generator.
That is why gluttony is a deadly sin. The early
desert fathers believed that a person's appetites
are linked: full stomachs & jaded palates take the
edge from our hunger & thirst for righteousness.
They spoil the appetite for God."
Cornelius Plantinga Jr


"Fasting is like a silent prayer: simply turning
away from human sustenance, toward the
Sustainer of all, is a quiet & real means of
beseeching Him to take our need seriously. It
signals to God our commitment to Him & our
conviction that human means are totally
inadequate. We are begging Him to send the
presence of Christ."
Douglas Kelly


"Fasting tests where the heart is. & when it
reveals that the heart is with God & not the world,
a mighty blow is struck against Satan. For then
Satan does not have the foothold he would if our
heart were in love with earthly things like
bread...Every time we fast we are saying with
Jesus, "Not by bread alone, but by you, Lord. Not
by bread alone, but by you, Lord.'”
John Piper


Jesus taught and practiced fasting - yet,
according to Whitney, it is the most
feared and misunderstood of all
spiritual disciplines. Many fear it will
make them “too fanatical”, that it will
make them suffer and give a -ve
experience. For some Christians fasting
is almost unthinkable.
Think: How many people in your
church fast regularly?
Who are your role models in fasting?
When did you last hear a sermon on
fasting? (it is mentioned 75x in the
Bible compared to 74x for baptism!)

Fasting explained

“A Christian’s voluntary abstinence
from food for spiritual purposes”
Whitney
It is Christian in being God centred,
voluntary and it is for spiritual purposes.
Richard Forster, “the voluntary denial
of a normal function for the sake of
intense spiritual activity”
Here fasting is not only about food but
could include people, media,
telephone, talking, sleep etc.

Fasting explained

"Fasting should really be made to include
abstinence from anything which is
legitimate in and of itself for the sake of
some special spiritual purpose. There are
many bodily functions which are right and
normal and perfectly legitimate, but for
special peculiar reasons in certain
circumstances should be controlled. That is
fasting."
Martyn Lloyd Jones


Strictly speaking the Bible only
refers to fasting as abstaining
from food - Whitney saves his
comments for this area.
A normal fast - all food but not
water - Matt 4:2 talks of Jesus
being hungry but not thirsty, Lk
4:2 that he ate nothing in those
days but again no mention of
water.
Some Christians also drink fruit
juices during this type of fast.


A partial fast - limiting your diet
but still eating some food -
Daniel and his companions in
Dan 1:12 ate only vegetables -
JTB ate locusts and wild honey
Matt 3:4 (maybe because he was
in the desert!)
This could be done by eating
smaller portions or only certain
foods.


An absolute fast - avoiding all
food and liquid (even water) -
Ezra 10:6, Esther 4:16, Acts 9:9
A supernatural fast - Moses on
Mount Sinai ate no bread and
drank no water, Dt 9:9 - Elijah 1
Kings 19:8 - such fasts require
God’s supernatural intervention
and cannot be repeated unless he
speciﬁcally calls and
miraculously provides
An private fast - referred to by
Jesus Matt 6:16-18


Congregational Fasts involve the
Church participating together. Joel
2:15-16; Acts 13:2
A National Fast is a call to the nation
to fast. 2 Chron. 20:3; Neh.9:1; Jonah
3:5-8
• There was one Regular Fast under
the Old Covenant, Lev. 16:29-21 - on
the day of atonement (though in exile
the Jewish leaders instituted four other
annual fasts Zech 8:19
Pharisess twice a week Lk 18:12 -
Wesley would not ordain a Methodist
unless he fasted every Wed & Friday

Occasional Fasts which
occur on special occasions
as the need arises - shown
in Esther and
Jehoshaphat’s cases, also
possibly Mt. 9:15


Why else is this a valuable weapon in our warfare? What are
we saying to the World, ﬂesh & Devil when we fast (this is the
key)? We are saying, screaming out at the top of our lungs - "I
want God, I want Christ more than I want to please myself!'
"The birthplace of Christian fasting is homesickness for God...
Christian fasting, at its root, is the hunger of a homesickness for
God... Christian fasting is not only the spontaneous effect of a
superior satisfaction in God; it is also a chosen weapon against
every force in the world that would take that satisfaction
away...when I say that the root of Christian fasting is the
hunger of homesickness for God, I mean that we will do
anything & go without anything is, by any means, we might
protect ourselves from the deadening effects of innocent delights
& preserve the sweet longings of our homesickness for God."
John Piper

Fasting is expected

Jesus, Matt 6:16-17
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for
they disﬁgure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly
I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when
you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it
will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to
your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is
done in secret, will reward you.
Note the commands about how to fast - and the promise
This is just after Jesus spoke about when you give, pray
etc. - fasting is expected! Matt 6:2ff

The ﬁrst Christians also fasted Acts 9:9, 13:2,
14:23
Jesus, again(!), Matt 9:14-15
Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How
is it that we and the Pharisees fast often, but
your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered,
“How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn
while he is with them? The time will come
when the bridegroom will be taken from them;
then they will fast.
It is worth noting there is no command from
Jesus about how often, how long etc. we
should fast - it is not legalistic - it is your
privilege and opportunity to seek God’s
grace

Fasting is to be done for a purpose

Without spiritual intention fasting
is just like a weight loss fast - a diet!
It is not meant to be a man centred
experience. Whitney lists ten
purposes of fasting - and starts by
telling us not one of them is to earn
God’s favour, it does not impress
him, or gain his favour - it has no
beneﬁt before you come to God
through faith and repentance.


To strengthen prayer

John Calvin, “whenever men are to
pray to God concerning any great
matter, it would be expedient to
appoint fasting along with prayer.”
Fasting sharpens our prayer and makes
us more passionate, it creates greater
urgency within us.
Ezra 8:23 - he fasted along with the
group of returning exiles asking for safe
journey.


Arthur Wallis remarks, “Fasting is
calculated to bring a note of urgency and
importunity into our praying, and to give
force to our pleading in the court of
heaven. The man who prays with fasting
is giving heaven notice that he is truly
earnest. Not only so, but he is expressing
his earnestness in a divinely-appointed
way. He is using a means that God has
chosen to make His voice to be heard on
high”.
Neh 1:4, Dan 9:3, Joel 2:12, Acts 13:3
Fasting has a great effect on prayer - it
is one of the greatest weapons we can
bring to our prayer life

Arthur Wallis, “In giving us the
privilege of fasting as well as praying,
God has added a powerful weapon into
our spiritual armory. In her pride and
folly the church has largely looked on it
as obsolete. She has thrown it down in
some dark corner to rust, and there it
has lain forgotten for many centuries.
An hour of impending crisis for the
church and the world demands its
recovery.”


To seek God’s guidance

Judges 20 - the 11 tribes prepare for war against
Benjamin - twice the large group lost to Benjamin, only
when they fasted did they win.
Acts 14:23 - Paul and Barnabas installed elders only
after fasting
“Fasting does not ensure we will receive clear guidance from
God. Rightly practiced...it does make us more open to the one
who loves to guide us”


To express grief

Three of the ﬁrst four refs to
fasting in the Bible express this:
Jdg 20:26
1 Sam 31:13 - mourning Saul’s
death
2 Sam 1:11-12 - David mourning
for Saul
There are many records of people
fasting because of sin in their life -
note this is not for forgiveness or
to pay the price 1 Pet 3:18, 1 Jn 1:9

To express grief
This is about voluntary heartfelt
confession and feeling guilt for
what has happened - it is not
beating yourself up but grieving
over your sin
Also for the sins of others -
Jonathan over the sin of Saul in
trying to kill David - 1 Sam 20:34
You might choose to fast and pray
for a person who has backslidden,
or for the lack of spiritual passion
in your church etc.

To seek deliverance or protection

Jehoshaphat when he heard
an army was coming against
him - 2 Chron 20:3-4
Ezra asking for the Lord’s
protection - 8:21-23
Esther 4:16 - appeal to God
against the possibility of the
kings wrath


To express repentance and a return to God

This is similar to expressing grief for
sin - however here fasting is not only
about repentance but a commitment to
obedience and a new direction in God.
1 Sam 7:6, Joel 2:12
Jonah 3:5-8 sows the response of the
Ninevites - and God gave a great
spiritual awakening.
Notably fasting can be in vain if done
without repentance, especially if we are
hardened in our hearts to God’s voice
about sin.

To express repentance and a return to God

In vain will ye fast, and pretend to be
humbled for our sins, and make confession
of them if our love of sin be not turned into
hatred; our liking of it into loathing; and
our cleaving to it, into a longing to be rid of
it; with full purpose to resist the motions of
it in our heart, and the outbreakings thereof
in our life; and if we turn not unto God as
our rightful Lord and Master, and return to
our duty again.
Thomas Boston

To humble oneself before God

A physical expression of our
humility before God - just like
bowing or prostrating yourself.
King Ahab, one of the worst kings
in Jewish history, showed this and it
caused God to act - 1 Kings 21:27-29
King David did it too - Psalm 35:13
Fasting is expressing your humility
here cf Pahrisee Lk 18:12


To Express Concern for the Work of God
Just as a parent might pray and fast out
of concern for the work of God in the life
of their child, so Christians may pray
and fast because they feel a burden for
the work of God in a broader scope. This
was the purpose of Nehemiah’s fast,
Nehemiah 1:3-4, because the city of
Jerusalem had no wall around it to
protect its exiles. Daniel 9:3 expresses
the same type of concern in prayer and
fasting. Today you might pray for
Christians facing persecution, for
workers etc.

To Minister to the Needs of Others
Isaiah 58 is the most extensive
passage in Scripture dealing
exclusively with fasting. v. 6-7,
emphasize fasting for the purpose
of meeting the needs of others - in
earlier verses (3-4) they complained
to God that their prayers combined
with fasting had not been heard
(their lives were in hypocritical
contrast to their fasting). God will
not bless the discipline of fasting
when we reject His Word regarding
relationships with others.

To Minister to the Needs of Others
Isaiah 58 is the most extensive
passage in Scripture dealing
Are we feeding fasting. v. 6-7,
exclusively withthe hungry? Giving
shelter to the homeless? Undoing
emphasize fasting for the purpose
the bands the needs of others - in
of meetingof oppression?
Could verses (3-4) they movie, a
earlier you fast a meal, acomplained
book...and their prayers combined
to God thatgive the money to the
poor instead?
with fasting had not been heard
(their lives were in hypocritical
What is God calling you to do to
contrastthe their fasting). God will
lighten to burden of your fellow
not bless the discipline of fasting
man?
when we reject His Word regarding
relationships with others.

To Overcome Temptation and Dedicate
Yourself to God
Jesus fasted 40 days and nights prior to
His temptation in the wilderness. “One
principle we can learn from this example is
that fasting is a way of overcoming
temptation and of freshly dedicating ourselves
to the Father.” There are times we struggle
with temptation, or we know we are
going to ﬁnd ourselves in a tempting
situation, when we need extra spiritual
strength to overcome. Such times of
exceptional temptation means exceptional
measures are required, namely fasting.

To Express Love and Worship of God

The Bible says that fasting may be
an act of sheer devotion to God.
Luke 2:37 summarizes the life of
Anna the prophetess, who devoted
over 50 years of her life to prayer
and fasting to worship God.
Fasting can be an expression of
ﬁnding your greatest pleasure and
enjoyment in life from God. For
example when disciplining
yourself to fast means that you
love God more than food.

Christians throughout history have
fasted for this purpose in preparation
for the Lord’s Supper - this shows
repentance and humility before God and
helps in worshipping Him.
You might choose to spend the time
when you fast in Bible reading, prayer
or meditation - in all cases fasting must
have a spiritual purpose, a God centered
purpose, not a self centered one.
Be careful not to become mechanical in
fasting, making it a regular routine, in
fasting you seek God and his grace,
hoping he will bless you.

In Zechariah 7 we see that the
Israelites had annually celebrated
two fasts which had been performed
since the destruction of the temple
and now they were asking God if
they should stop them. God
questions the Israelites over their
fasting - had they been really fasting
to him? Such questions issue a
challenge for us in our fasting.
Remember to be aware that when
our fast is rightly motivated, we can
be sure that God will bless us, but
perhaps not in the way we wanted.

More application

Will you confess and repent of any
fear of fasting? Some people would
willingly give money rather than fast -
are you afraid of fasting, (especially if
you do it in your own strength)?
Will you fast as the Holy Spirit
directs you? Jesus expected his
disciples to fast - you can expect HSp
to tell you to at times!
Will you fast to show dedication
and express your love to God?

Some quotes on fasting

Bear up the hands that hang down, by faith and
prayer; support the tottering knees. Have you any
days of fasting and prayer? Storm the throne of
grace and persevere therein, and mercy will come
down.
John Wesley


In Shansi I found Chinese Christians who were
accustomed to spend time in fasting and prayer.
They recognized that this fasting, which so many
dislike, which requires faith in God, since it makes
one feel weak and poorly, is really a Divinely
appointed means of grace. Perhaps the greatest
hindrance to our work is our own imagined
strength; and in fasting we learn what poor, weak
creatures we are-dependent on a meal of meat for
the little strength which we are so apt to lean
upon."
Hudson Taylor

If the solemnities of our fasting, though frequent,
long, and severe, do not serve to put an edge upon
devout affections, to quicken prayer, to increase
Godly sorrow, and to alter the temper of our
minds, and the course of our lives, for the better,
they do not at all answer the intention, and God
will not accept them as performed to Him.
Matthew Henry


Christian fasting, at its root, is the hunger of a
homesickness for God.
John Piper


Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines: Chapter 9 Fasting

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