Fasting Part 1: What is Fasting?

One of the aspects of the Christian faith that I feel is not talked about enough is the act of fasting. When Christians hear of fasting, we often think about the Lenten season. In the Catholic tradition, fasting from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and every Friday during Lent is customary. We might also think that fasting is something outdated or ancient that we shouldn't practice in today's modern society. It is important to remember that fasting isn't restricted to days during Lent, it isn't restricted to the consumption (or lack thereof) of meat, and it certainly can be practiced today!

There are several examples of fasting in the Bible, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Some of these include Daniel 10:3, 2 Samuel 1:12, Deuteronomy 9: 15-18, Matthew 4: 1-9 and Luke 4: 1-2. I will go over some of these examples in this post and later posts in this series, as they offer insight into what fasting is, how to fast, and why fasting is important.

At its truest form, fasting is abstinence from food. Partial fasting involves the abstinence of certain foods, such as Lenten meat fasting, whereas absolute fasting is the abstinence of all food (sometimes including water as well!).

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"I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks." (Daniel 10: 3, ESV).

"When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you, I remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water." (Deuteronomy 9: 9, ESV).

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry." (Matthew 4: 1-2, ESV)

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We see these different kids of fasting take place in the Bible. Partial fasting is seen in the actions of the prophet Daniel, abstaining from "delicacies" as well as "meat or wine" while in mourning (Daniel 10:3). Absolute fasting is displayed by Moses while on top of Mount Sinai (Deut. 9:9). As for how long fasting would be practiced, many times fasts would last a day or two, such as in 2 Samuel 1:12 and Judges 20:26. Sometimes fasts lasted much longer, such as when Jesus fasted for forty days in preparation for his ministry (Matt. 4: 1-9).

As we can see, many people in scripture fasted, but types of fasting were sometimes different. The next post on fasting will highlight what we can learn from these different types of fasting, and how to apply them to our modern practice of fasting. With that being said, thank you for joining me on this learning journey about fasting, and stay tuned for part two of this three part series!