The first inference to fasting is found in Exodus, during Moses’ second iteration of the Ten Commandments. I say inference because “fast/fasting” is not used. 

“So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments” (Exodus 34:28). 

It’s commonplace in the Bible for bread to refer to all foods, provisions. Remember Acts 2:42: “And they devoted themselves to the teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and the prayers” (emphasis mine). Although the breaking of bread can also refer to the bread of communion, in this instance it refers to believers sharing meals with one another. Much like today when we say, “Let’s break bread together.” What we mean is “let’s have a meal together.” 

So, Moses ate nothing for forty days. Nor did he drink anything for forty days. That he drank no water implies that he drank no liquids of any kind. 

In Deuteronomy 9, Moses reminds the Israelites of God’s anger toward them for their disobedience and recounts the Exodus 34:28 narrative, but first informs them of his first 40-day fast during his first communion with God on Mount Sinai, also known as Mount Hereb: 

“Remember how you made the LORD your God angry in the desert. Never forget that! From the day you left the land of Egypt to the day you came to this place, you have refused to obey the LORD. You made the LORD angry at Mount Horeb. The LORD was angry enough to destroy you! I went up to the mountain to get the stone tablets. The agreement the LORD made with you was written on those stones. I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights. I did not eat any food or drink any water” (Deuteronomy 9:7-9). 

Two verses later, he says this: 

“So at the end of 40 days and 40 nights, the LORD gave me the two stone tablets ~ the stones of agreement. Then the LORD said to me, ‘Get up and quickly go down from here. The people you brought out of Egypt have ruined themselves. They stopped obeying my commands so quickly. They melted gold and made an idol for themselves” (Deuteronomy 9:11-12). 

In verse 14 we find out that God is so angry that he says: 

“Let me destroy these people completely, so no one will even remember their names. Then I will make another nation from you that is stronger and greater than these people” (Deuteronomy 9:14). 

Moses proceeds to go down the mountain, sees the golden calf, sees the rampant disobedience, and in anger throws down and breaks the tablets in front of them. Then he informs the people of his second 40-day fast, but in this account (which is told in first person, unlike Exodus 34:28) he includes the reason for his fast: 

“Then I bowed down before the LORD with my face to the ground for 40 days and 40 nights, as I did before. I did not eat any food or drink any water. I did this because you had sinned so badly. I was afraid of the LORD’s terrible anger. He was angry enough to destroy you, but the LORD listened to me again. The LORD was very angry with Aaron ~ enough to destroy him! So I also prayed for Aaron at that time” (Deuteronomy 9:18-20). 

In verse 25 Moses tells of his third 40-day fast. The reason is the same as the second: he feared the LORD would destroy them. But during this fast, Moses not only pleaded with the LORD not to destroy them, but also reminded him of his promise: 

“Remember your promise to your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Forget how stubborn these people are. Don’t look at their evil ways or their sins. If you punish your people, the Egyptians might say, ‘The LORD was not able to take his people into the land he promised them. And he hated them. So he took them into the desert to kill them.’ But they are your people, they belong to you. You brought them out of Egypt with your great power and strength” (Deuteronomy 9: 27-29). 

10 Things We Can Learn from the Accounts of Moses’ Fasts 

1. Fasting is seeking God and his presence. 

2. Fasting is about desiring God, and nothing else. 

3. Fasting is about humbling ourselves. 

4. Fasting unleashes the sustaining power of God. 

5. Fasting unleashes the miraculous power of God. 

6. Fasting can cause us to hear the voice of God. 

7. Fasting and prayer are inextricably linked. 

8. We can fast and pray for the sins of others. 

9. God listens to us when we fast and pray. 

10. God may relent when we fast and pray. 

Day of Atonement: Leviticus 16:1-34 

“The Day of Atonement Ritual: Occasioned by the death of Nadab and Abihu (ch.10), the prescription sets out how ~ and for what purpose ~ Aaron the chief priest is to enter the 

Most Holy Place. The account ends with the institutionalization of the ritual (16:29-34). The nature of the ritual shows that the purification for sins and uncleanness must be done from the innermost part of the tabernacle. All other purificatory rituals hinge on the ceremony of this day. The sin offerings in this chapter in particular point to the work of Christ on the cross (see Heb.9:7-14).” Taken from the commentary notes of the ESV Study Bible 2008 edition. 

“And it shall be a statute for you forever that in the seventh month on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the LORD from all your sins. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves, it is a statute forever (emphasis mine)” (Leviticus 16:29-31). 

Note that the word afflict is used twice. The Hebrew word for afflict is anah or awnaw. It means to weaken, humble, abase, or emaciate oneself. It does not mean fast; thus, this isn’t a command to fast per se. However, it was understood that fasting must necessarily be done to weaken and emaciate oneself. To inflict means to impose on oneself. It’s an action verb. It’s intentional. It’s more than self-denial. This is why, even though the term fasting is not used in Leviticus, it is associated with Yom Kippur (the Hebrew words which translate to the Day of Atonement) today. Fasting is a way to afflict oneself. 

According to the Jewish oral tradition, the affliction of Yom Kippur (a 25-hour period) consists of five prohibitions during, one of which is no eating or drinking (fasting). The others are no wearing of leather, no bathing or washing, no sexual relations, and no anointing oneself with perfumes, lotions, creams, or oils. In other words, it is not life as usual during Yom Kippur. 

Bread of Affliction and Bread of Heaven 

As much as we celebrate the Israelite exodus from Egypt, the lived experience for the Israelites is that it was a brutal experience, to say the least. It meant death to at least 600,000 Israelites. When the exodus began, the people left so expeditiously and frantically, that they didn’t have time to bake their bread (Exodus 12:39). In Exodus 13, Moses declares an annual ritual, The Feast of the Unleavened Bread, as a reminder to the people that the LORD brought them out of slavery by His strong hand. Unleavened bread, as you are likely aware from taking communion, is flat and tasteless. For these reasons, it is referred to as the bread of affliction (Deuteronomy 16:3; 1 Kings 22:27; 2 Chronicles 18:26; Isaiah 30:10). 

The bread of affliction is a reminder that it was the one true God who brought them out of slavery and sustained them ~ in much the same way He sustained them by miraculously providing them with the bread from heaven, a bread with leaven: manna. And manna was a 

symbol of an exponentially greater bread of heaven, Jesus Christ, the greatest sustainer, who said in John 6:32-35: 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” 

Other Fasting Accounts in the Old Testament 

Saul forced his soldiers to fast during battle so he could get vengeance on his enemies. He did this to compensate for his unbelief. See 1 Samuel 14:24-30. 

Jonathan fasted in grief over his father Saul’s sin. And he was grieved for David because Saul desired to kill him. See 1 Samuel 20:30-34. 

David fasted for his dying child, who died as a ramification of David’s sin of adultery. See 2 Samuel 12:16-18. 

Ezra proclaimed a corporate fast, “that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey.” See Ezra 8:21-23. 

Elijah fasted for 40 days. Elijah had been in a state of depression and self-pity. He was hiding in the wilderness, knowing Queen Jezebel wanted him killed, since he had the prophets of Baal killed. As he slept, an angel of the LORD came to him, twice, and provided food and water for him. The second time the angel said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” After he ate and drank, he spent 40 days and nights journeying to Mount Horeb. It was there he met and heard from God, who gave him instruction on what to do next. See 1 Kings 19:1-18. 

Ezra spent a night fasting, mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles ~ in that they married foreign women who worshipped foreign gods, and had children with those women. See Ezra 10:2-6. See also 9:1-5. 

Nehemiah fasted for 120 days. The wall of Jerusalem had just been destroyed and the gates had been set on fire. He fasted for the welfare of the exiled Jews. He said that he “wept and mourned for days, and i continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven” (Nehemiah 1:4). During this time, he confessed his sin, the sin of the people of Israel, and the sin of his father’s house (household). See Nehemiah 1:1-11. 

Esther says this in Esther 4:16: “Go gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do.” She called them to fast for herself, that God would grant her protection and favor from Ahasuerus, because she was about to out her life in danger in order to prove Mordecai’s innocence and Haman’s guilt. 

Joel receives a word from the LORD to “consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly. Gather all the elders and all the inhabitants of the land to the house of the LORD your God and cry out to the LORD” (Joel 1:14). A corporate fast of repentance in which he tells them to “put on sackcloth and lament” (v. 13). 

What is a sackcloth and why was it associated with fasting? 

A sackcloth is a garment traditionally made of goat hair. According to the Hastings Dictionary of the Bible the more appropriate rendering of sackcloth is hair cloth. In biblical accounts, it is an outward sign of repentance, mourning, and submission (1 Kings 20:31-32, as well as grief and self-humiliation (2 Kings 19:1). As you can likely imagine, a sackcloth is coarse and itchy, unlike a comfortable silk or linen garment. The wearing of sackcloth is still practiced by Catholics during the season of Lent. If you’d like your very own sackcloth, you can easily find one at Amazon.com. 

Why are ashes placed on the forehead during fasting? 

Ashes and sackcloth go together like peanut butter and jelly. In Old Testament accounts of fasting, ordinarily, one wasn’t mentioned without the other. Ashes were, and for those who continue to practice it today, are an outward sign of repentance, mourning, submission, grief and self-humiliation. In addition, ashes symbolize dust, from which God made man, and to the state in which will one day return to when we die. But more so, and we’ll touch on this later when looking at Jesus’s commands for fasting, it is a way to announce that we are fasting. 

As for what type of ashes were used, the Bible does not tell us. It doesn’t seem that the ashes were of animal sacrifices, but I can’t be sure. On Ash Wednesday, typically the ashes are the palm leaves which were used on the most recent Palm Sunday. 

One final note, and it’s important. There was nothing wrong with wearing sackcloth and ashes. In fact, in Jeremiah 6:22-26, although there is no mention of fasting, God commanded the people to “put on sackcloth and roll in ashes” ~ to communally mourn and repent for the impending threat that was to come upon Jerusalem. Fasting isn’t mentioned, but the core elements of fasting are present: sackcloth, ashes, mourning, and prayers for repentance. So, it’s not a stretch to believe fasting may have been involved as well. We also know God relented and didn’t bring harm to the people of Nineveh when they fasted while wearing sackcloth. 

What is a Daniel Fast? 

Although every other instance of fasting in the Bible is total abstinence from food, the book of Daniel informs us of something else. 

“But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. ‘Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink’” (Daniel 1:8,12). 

“In those days, I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies, nor meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three week” (Daniel 10:3). 

There is a good argument to make that neither of these accounts meet the definition of a fast, since Daniel still eats; however, notice in Daniel 10 he mentions two things that typically accompany a fast: mourning and [the lack of] anointing. Then there are the miraculous results we learn that inform us, that no matter what label we affix to what Daniel did, he was undoubtedly seeking God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength, at least as much as a human being can. 

So, whatever you’d like to call it (I’m calling it a fast just so I can give it a name), a Daniel Fast, from these two passages, entails no drinking of alcohol, no meat, and no delicacies, Delicacies likely meant breads, sweets, anything that was considered tasty ~ some might even say, a luxury. In other words, it’s like eating at Jason’s Deli salad bar but not capping it off with the delicious free ice cream cone. Or like going to Longhorn Steakhouse, but only ordering and eating vegetables. 

So primarily, fruits, vegetables, and nuts are eaten during a Daniel Fast. 

Daniel Fast 1 

In Daniel 1, we learn that Babylon had just besieged Jerusalem; and plundered Jerusalem, specifically, the house of God, and brought back the things from the house of the one true God to put them in the house of Nebuchadnezzar’s god. And some of the people of Israel were enslaved and brought back as well, in order to educate and assimilate them in the ways of the Babylonian culture. Four of those were Daniel, Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego). We know from Daniel 6:10 that Daniel prayed thrice a day so no reason to think he wasn’t in prayer during the 10 days of eating fruits and veggies. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (all tremendous names by the way; puzzling that their good friend was named Daniel (no offense to the Daniels out there) were enlisted by Daniel to join him, so it’s safe to say they were praying men as well. Not to mention (although I am) that they were later thrown in the furnace o’ fire for refusing to bow down to King Neb’s golden image. 

What were the results of Daniel 1 Fast? 

Before the fast, we learn in 1:99 that God gave Daniel “compassion and favor in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs.” The chief eunuch put his life in jeopardy by granting Daniel’s request to not eat the king’s food or drink his wine (instead: likely water since Capri Suns had yet to be invented). If they had eaten his food, it would have violated at least one of the Levitical dietary laws. Daniel and friends fasted to demonstrate their commitment to the LORD ~ their desire for an intimate relationship with Him. 

Verse 15 says “they were better in appearance and fatter in the flesh” than the others. In other words, they were healthier-looking and even gained weight (more than the others) eating only fruits and veggies for 10 days. 

Verse 17 says “God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom.” 

Verse 17 also says that “Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” 

Verse 20 says “And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.” 

Daniel Fast 2 

In chapter 9:3, Daniel says this: “Then I turned my face to the LORD God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.” He was fasting for the sins of his people. This is not a Daniel Fast, but important to note, for those of you who do not believe we should call the Daniel Fast a fast, is that he uses the term fasting here but does not in chapters 1 or 10. Interesting. 

In chapter 10:1 we learn that “a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision.” 

That’s followed by verse two (as most verse ones are), where we learn that he had been mourning for three weeks, took in no delicacies, meat or wine, and didn’t anoint himself with oil. Daniel doesn’t elaborate why he was mourning, but he was. Our sole purpose is to focus on fasting, so I don’t feel compelled to go further. We have already established that mourning is a common component of fasting. 

What were the results of Daniel Fast 2? 

In verses 5 and 6, God communicated to Daniel via vision. This is after the 21 days. 

In verse 7, Daniel informs us that although he was with other men, he alone saw the vision. 

Verse 7 says “a great trembling came upon them (the men, not Daniel), and they fled to hide themselves.” 

In verse 8, Daniel informs us that he was “left alone and saw the vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength.” 

Verse 9 tells us the vision turned from inaudible to audible. He heard the sound of words and then fell into a deep sleep. 

In verse 10, Daniel is awakened, revived, when the hand of an angel (most believe to be Gabriel, but we are not told the angel’s name) touched him, causing him to tremble. 

After the angel touched him, he gave Daniel a word, and then said this in verse 12, “Fear not Daniel, for from the first day you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have become because of your words.” 

In verse 13, we learn there was spiritual warfare, as the angel, who intended to give a message to Daniel, was kept from doing so by the “prince of the kingdom of 

until Michael the archangel came to his aid. The prince of Persia was likely an evil entity, evil angel. 

In verse 14, the angel is enabled to give him the message: “[I] came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days to come.” 

In verse 15, Daniel was unable to speak, says he became mute. 

In verse 16, the angel touches his lips, enabling him to speak. 

In verse 18, after having told the angel that he has no strength, the angel, appearing as a man, touches him and his strength returns. 

In verse 19 he is encouraged by the angel, who tells him, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” 

Although I refer to these bullet points after the two fasts as results, it may be more apt to refer to them as rewards. Clearly, genuine fasting gets God’s attention. This verse below is true in a myriad of ways, and fasting is one of those ways: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). 

Isaiah 58: What Type of Fast Does God Choose? 

“Cry aloud; do not hold back; 
lift up your voice like a trumpet; 
declare to my people their transgression, to the house of Jacob their sins. 
Yet they seek me daily 
and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that did righteousness 
and did not forsake the judgment of their God; 
they ask of me righteous judgments; 
they delight to draw near to God. 
‘Why have we fasted, and you see it not? 
Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?’ 
Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure, 
and oppress all your workers. 
Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight 
and to hit with a wicked fist. 
Fasting like yours this day 
will not make your voice to be heard on high.
Is such the fast that I choose,
a day for a person to humble himself? 
Is it to bow down his head like a reed, 
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? 
Will you call this a fast, 
and a day acceptable to the Lord? 
“Is not this the fast that I choose: 
to loose the bonds of wickedness, 
to undo the straps of the yoke, 
to let the oppressed go free, 
and to break every yoke? 
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry 
and bring the homeless poor into your house; 
when you see the naked, to cover him, 
and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, 
and your healing shall spring up speedily; 
your righteousness shall go before you; 
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. 
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; 
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’ 
If you take away the yoke from your midst, 
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, 
if you pour yourself out for the hungry 
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, 
then shall your light rise in the darkness 
and your gloom be as the noonday. 
And the Lord will guide you continually 
and satisfy your desire in scorched places 
and make your bones strong; 
and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, 
whose waters do not fail. 
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; 
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; 
you shall be called the repairer of the breach, 
the restorer of streets to dwell in. 
“If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, 
and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; 
if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; 
then you shall take delight in the Lord, 
and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; 
I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, 
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken”
(Isaiah 58:1-14). 

In verse 1, God commands Isaiah to not hold back an ounce of emotion as he declares the transgressions and sins of the people of Israel while praying for their repentance. 

In verse 2, God tells Isaiah that He notices that they are seeking Him, that they have the appearance of pursuing righteousness as they draw near to Him. 

False Fasting 

In verse 3, God pulls back their veneer, and underneath there is no connection to their heart. Their fasting is not genuine. They wonder why their prayers are not being heard, why 

God is not moving, although they fasted and humbled themselves. They wonder why God does not notice them, affirm them, reward them. 

Also in verse 3, God reveals why their fasting has accounted for nothing in His eyes. While they fasted, they simultaneously sought their own pleasure and oppressed those who worked for them, likely lampooning them with their words and actions. 

In verse 4, He says not only do they oppress their workers, but they also quarrel and fight amongst one another, both verbally and physically. 

In verse 5, God asks, “Is this the type of fast I choose, I desire ~ to fast, and supposedly humble yourselves, yet quarrel, fight, and abuse people in the process?” This is not the type of fast that pleases God. It is not acceptable. Wearing sackcloth and ashes accounts for nothing when one’s heart is detached from a desire to please God by keeping His commandments. He says at the end of verse 4 that this type of fast will not make their voices heard. Nor will it make yours and mine heard. 

True Fasting (vv. 6-7) 

Loose the bonds of wickedness 
Undo the straps of the yoke ~ every one 
Free the oppressed 
Share food with the hungry 
Bring homeless into your home 
Cover (clothe) the naked 
Don’t hide yourself from your own flesh (don’t turn a blind eye to those in need) 

In other words, live out the second greatest commandment. “A new command I give to you: that you love one another: as I have loved you, you also must love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34). 

Verses 6 and 7 describe what God desires during a fast (or anytime for that matter) as opposed to the things He mentioned the people were doing in verses 3-5. He’s saying to the people and us, “Do this, not that. Love one another and demonstrate your love by how you treat people. Stop quarreling. Stop pointing fingers. Stop seeking your own pleasure. Stop spreading wickedness with your words. Show love and kindness to those who have little, both physically and spiritually. Don’t hide, engage. Serve others. Don’t hate. Love.” To love one another as Jesus loves us, look no further than 1 Corinthians 13. 

See Matthew 25:31-46. As we do to others, particularly the least of these, whether good or bad, demonstrating obedience or disobedience, or love or hate, we are doing to God. This is a summary statement of what Jesus says in verses 40 and 45. 

If the People Lived Out Verses 6 & 7/Rewards (vv.8-14) 

• Their lives would be lived in the light. 

• Healing would come quickly ~ in many facets. 

• They would walk in righteousness, obedience. 

• The glory of the LORD would be present in their lives. 

• Their light would rise out of the darkness. 

• Gloom would dissipate. Joy would rise. They would be satisfied. 

• The LORD would guide them continually. 

• And satisfy their desires, even in times of testing. 

• And make their bones strong and healthy. 

• They would continually be refreshed, sustained, and vibrant, like a watered garden or spring of water that flows continually. 

• Old broken things, relationships, things that have lied in ruin for a long time would be restored, repaired, revived ~ for generations to come. 
• If they kept themselves from dishonoring the Sabbath, from seeking their own ways, and with no idle chatter, and instead call the Sabbath a delight and set it aside as a holy and honorable day of the LORD, then: they will delight in the LORD and He will make their lives soar as they live their lives according to His will, and He will take care of their every need.

Fasting in the New Testament

The first record of fasting in the New Testament is Jesus’s fast in the wilderness. 

“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. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “’Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him” (Matthew 4:1-11). 

What Can We Learn from Jesus’s Fast? 

• Prior to the fast, we know: Jesus grew in wisdom, knowledge of God, knowledge of Scripture (memorized, internalized), was baptized, had the Holy Spirit fall on Him, proclaimed as the Father’s Son by God the Father. 

• He did not go into the wilderness on His own. Led by the Spirit. Mark 1 says “drove.” 

• He was led for one reason: be tempted by Satan. 

• The temptation we read about came after his 40-day fast. Mark 1 says he was also “tempted as he fasted.” 

• After the fast, we know: He had the ability/power/capacity to withstand temptation, to discern Satan’s schemes, and the wisdom to know the truth of Scripture and use it to defeat Satan’s unbiblical and heretical arguments, his lies. 

• After His time in the wilderness, we know: Aside from the teaching (whoopin’) He gave Satan, His teaching ministry began; His healing and deliverance ministry began (a sign that His compassion and love for others had increased); His choosing of the 12 apostles (ordinary men) tells us that He had wisdom to know how the gospel would best be spread in a way that would bring God the most glory. 

Man Does Not Live on Bread Alone 

Satan, attempting to use Jesus’ great hunger as leverage, challenged Him to prove Himself as the Son of God by turning stones into bread, so he could satisfy His hunger. Jesus responded by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3: “It is written, “’Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Jesus not only knew the truth of the text, but He also lived it and modeled it. Just as Jesus was led into the wilderness for 40 days, so that he might be tempted, Deuteronomy 8 is clear that God allowed the Israelites to hunger in the wilderness during the 40 years so that they may realize that spiritual food is greater, more important than physical food ~ that “man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. It wasn’t physical food that empowered Jesus to defeat the devil that day, for He had none; it was spiritual food, namely, the words that came from the mouth of God, that fueled His victory. 

It’s why we are commanded to do this in Joshua 1:8: 

“This Book of Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” 

To remain on the topic of fasting, I’ll refrain from going down the rabbit hole (albeit a good and worthy-to-talk-about rabbit hole) of drawing the parallel to Jesus being the “bread of life” ~ since in a roundabout way, I touched on it above. 

How Does Jesus Command Us to Fast? 

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:16-18). 

Much like when the Day of Atonement was instituted, Jesus does not command fasting, He assumes it ~ thus the two uses of when in the verses above. As mentioned earlier, to afflict oneself meant it was assumed that one of the ways to do so was to fast. 

However, the law of man crept into the command [of God} to afflict themselves, thus the reason Jesus tells His followers (including us), not to fast as the Pharisees did, or as He refers to them in this passage, hypocrites. They were fasting to be seen. Jesus commands we fast so that no one will know we’re fasting. As mentioned earlier, we know from Isaiah 58, God hates hypocritical fasts. He hates all forms of hypocrisy because it detracts from His glory. 

The Pharisees disfigured their faces by putting ashes on their forehead to announce their fast. Pharisees also did not anoint their heads nor wash their faces. As I mentioned earlier, these were not bad things, but they became bad things when the motivation for doing them changed from glorifying God to glorifying themselves. 

Jesus says no to those things. He commands our fasting to be private, humble, secretive, so as not to draw attention to ourselves. Jesus is telling us to conduct ourselves during a fast as we would on the days we aren’t. 

Unless we live lives as hermits, it will be impossible for someone not to notice we’re fasting, especially if we lose a substantial amount of weight. However, to borrow a helpful phrase from John Piper, being seen fasting and fasting to be seen are two different things. 

Jesus desires that we be seen fasting only by God the Father, who sees us in secret; and He will reward us ~ with the things I’ve mentioned thus far ~ the things we draw from the biblical accounts of fasting. However, if our primary motivation for fasting is to be seen by others, our reward will be any adulation we receive because of it, and nothing else. 

However, Jesus’s commands should never be taken to mean that we should not fast corporately. There are several occasions of it in the Bible, some of which I’ve covered. God commanded the people of Nineveh to fast together. 

The Apostles and Fasting 

In Matthew 9, the disciples of John tell Jesus, we fast, the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not. What gives? Jesus replied: 

“Can the wedding guests mourn as long the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast?” 

Jesus is telling them that He is the bridegroom, and His followers are the wedding guests. A wedding is an occasion for celebration, not mourning. He’s telling them, it’s not a time to fast, but to feast. Jesus then proceeds to make a point that He is doing something new ~ the Old Covenant is going away, being fulfilled by a New Covenant in Himself. 

And the bridegroom was eventually taken from the apostles, from us. After His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus now sits at the right hand of God the Father. He no longer dwells among us, at least not in the same way He did during His earthly life. 

Aside from Jesus’s fast, there aren’t many mentions of it in the New Testament. Here are four: 

1. Acts13:2-3: “While they were worshiping and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” 
2. Acts 14:23: “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” 
3. In Acts 27:9, the Day of Atonement Fast is mentioned. 

In 2 Corinthians 11:27, Paul mentions that he fasted often.