What is true fasting according to the Bible?

What are we told by the prophet Isaiah that fasting means "Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh." (Isa. 58:6-7.) Because this is in the Old Testament, is it any the less true to-day?

Churches filled Sunday morning, a lasting communion, knees bent, eyes closed, lips moving, repeating a form of prayer; at night the theatre or the whist drive or the mazes of the dance. Where is reality in all this? It is sickening hypocrisy! But says the Lord, “Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh.”

In short, fasting embraces self-denial, so that the needy of all sorts around may be helped and blessed. If Isaiah 58 were faithfully carried out it would mean constant self-denial, and this would prove a most acceptable form of fasting of a very practical nature. If the Christian, young or old, practised Isaiah 58 they would realize in detail what fasting means.

Let these examples teach us what true fasting is, viz, to be so constrained by the love of Christ as to lay oneself out in true devotion to man, and thus be a true follower of Christ. Let no one say that these things are not up to the Christian level. The glory of God and the blessing of man are indissolubly linked together. They are intertwined in all the life of Christ, in the lives of the apostles and of the saints. They cannot be separated. Glory to God implies blessing to man, and real blessing to man only goes along with the glory of God. Some think they can do good to man and leave God out, a terrible blunder. But it is no less a blunder to think we can glorify God and leave man out. The measure of our love to God is our love to our brother, and sentimentality is of no use in this connection. Downright wholehearted devotion to the good of man, in accordance with the will of God, is what is so much needed in the present day. Knowledge there is in abundance, and there is no lack of eloquent speech. But lives burning with love to God and man are very, very rare, and from this lack we are perishing.

May God raise up those, who truly fast in this manner, for fasting is not a negative thing, but love in activity.

We read of the Lord fasting forty days and forty nights in the wilderness (Matt. 4:2); of the prophets and teachers at Antioch fasting when they chose Barnabas and Saul for the ministry (Acts 13:2-3)— doubtless actual and literal refraining from food for the time being, so that they might be undistracted in their spiritual exercises.

But there is a practical and constant side to fasting that we ought to have our attention drawn to. We refer to Isaiah 58:3-8. Fasting is not merely external, as Isaiah asks, “Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?” If fasting is just a matter of food, attitude, dress, it is pure hypocrisy. Alas! how much there is of this.

Jehovah then deals with the exceeding hypocrisy of this people in their holy things. It was not that they failed to approach His temple, not only professing delight in His ordinances, but fasting and afflicting their souls. In vain! "Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure and exact all your labours. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness; ye fast not [this] day to cause your voice to be heard on high" (vv. 3, 4). Nothing of the kind could be acceptable to Jehovah, Who will have truth in the inward parts, with things fair and good in the sight of all men. Hollow and sterile religiousness is abominable in His eyes; and compels Him to judge themselves if He cannot sanction their sin. Hence the expostulation in vers. 5-7. "Is such the fast that I have chosen? the day for a man to afflict his soul — that he should bow down his head as a rush, and spread sackcloth and ashes [under him]? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to Jehovah? [Is] not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the thongs of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? [Is it] not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor wanderers to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?" (vv. 5-7).

Now, the solemn part of this is that it is spoken of those who professedly delighted in drawing nigh to God and doing righteousness, and were very scrupulous in outward observances. These are told that their literal fasting and outward show of sorrow were all vain and that their hearts were wrong.

Then comes the remarkable part of the address, for, after being told what fasting is not, they are told what it is, and, strange to say, it is not negative, as we should expect, it is positive. In other words, it is true philanthrophy.

Yet they were but a mask, and when this was removed, what was beneath? Verses 3-5 show us what was beneath. Their "fast" was really a time of pleasure. There was exaction, strife, debate, the ill-treatment of others, though they bowed down their heads in a false humility and spread sackcloth and ashes beneath them. Their fast was just a matter of outward religious ceremony, and had nothing in it of that inward self-denial that it was supposed to indicate.

Is this the fast that God had chosen? is what verse 6 asks. And verse 7 proceeds to indicate the fast that would be acceptable to God. Before Him what counts is what is moral rather than what is ceremonial. By Hosea God said, "I desired mercy and not sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6); and the Lord quoted this twice (Matt. 9:13; Matt. 12:7) Thus we see here exposed the hypocrisy that came into full display and reached its climax in the Pharisees when our Lord was on earth; and as often noticed the severest denunciations that ever fell from the lips of our Lord were against the Pharisees. To none of the publicans and harlots did the Lord utter such words as are found in Matthew 23:1-33.

“Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye really fast to Me, even to Me? And when ye ate, and when ye drank, was it not you that were eating and drinking? Are not these the words that Jehovah cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and at peace, and her cities round about her, when the South and the lowland were inhabited?” (v. 5-7).

Rather than answering Bethel’s question, the Lord addressed the consciences of all, both people and priests, and inquired after their reason for fasting and mourning. Had they fasted to the Lord or to themselves? Had they mourned because the evil had come over themselves, because the evil resulted from the dishonour and shame they had rendered to God? The earlier prophets had announced judgment at a time when they still enjoyed rest and peace. Had they fasted then? Then it had surely been the time to sit in sackcloth and ashes so the Lord might remove His wrath. Nineveh, a Gentile city, had acted better than Israel, and God had not executed the predicted judgment (Jonah 3:5, 10). No, they had fasted to themselves and cried over their own calamity, but had failed to repent. They had lamented about their own fate rather than asking what caused God’s judgments and mourning over their condition. To be sad about ruin is not the same as humbling before the Lord.

Fasting must be for Him; it must express our feelings of humiliation, because we have been unfaithful to Him from the very beginning. True humiliation will always bring us back to the point where our path deviated from God’s path.

If their fast was honestly for God, then they would show it in their attitude toward others. They would execute true judgment, being fairminded in their dealings, which would require showing mercy and compassion. They are told not to oppress the widow. Unscrupulous people will take cruel advantage of a widow's lack of knowledge as to business matters. The fatherless, the strangers and the poor also are in a position that leaves them vulnerable to such people. Yet this is negative: the New Testament goes much further than this, as for example Galatians 6:10, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all.” We surely ought not merely to refrain from doing evil, but should positively do good.