THE FAST THAT I HAVE CHOSEN

We all are familiar with fasting, isn’t? Many of us are familiar with fasting as a religious norm. In many religions including Christianity, a particular season or period of fasting is observed. There is a particular time designated in some religions / religious community as the time to fast and seek God's face. In some cases, people fast out of sheer religious obligation. Some individuals fast as way of demonstrating conformity to the religious community they belong to. Fasting is considered as a way of demonstrating that food as well as other pleasures of the flesh is secondary to devotion to God. Fasting is also considered as conducive to sensitizing one's spirit to be alert to the things of God. We all realize the importance of fasting as a way of seeking God's face. The following scripture passage illustrates this:

8 He also gave him a copy of the written decree for their destruction, which was given at Shushan, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her, and that he might command her to go in to the king to make supplication to him and plead before him for her people. 9 So Hathach returned and told Esther the words of Mordecai. 10 Then Esther spoke Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai: 11 "All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days." ........... 16 Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!" 17 So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him. (Esther 4:8-11, 16-17 New King James Version - NKJV)

5 Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, across from the king's house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house. 2 So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favour in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the sceptre. 3 And the king said to her, "What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you - up to half the kingdom!" (Esther 5:1-3 NKJV)

The following scripture passage further highlights the importance of fasting.

18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" 20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; ............. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting." (Matthew 17:18-19,20,21 NKJV)

As mentioned earlier, people often observe a fast out of sheer obligation. As scriptural as fasting is, more often than not when we fast, we are actually going on hunger strike. Fasting for some folks is yet another occasion to abstain from food while assuming a religious stand. Come to think of it, political activist, human right activists and others who want to advance their cause do resort to hunger strike at times in attempts to make their voice heard at higher level of government and authority. Likewise, some religious folks - observing what is perceived as fasting - are actually going on hunger strike. You may wonder how does a fast amount to a hunger strike? The following scripture passage reveals a lot.

'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?' (Isaiah 58:3 NKJV)

Obviously, abstinence from food under some religious canopy turns out to be an exercise in futility. Despite abstinence from food, nothing seems to be happening. It's looking more like some obligatory hunger strike than a fast. It seems as fasting is being observed simply to comply with some religious tenet. Nothing more. Fasting is supposed to be result-oriented. But then nothing of God or from God is happening despite religious abstinence from food. Fasting begins to loose its spiritual significance. The LORD responded thus:

In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exploit all your labourers. (Isaiah 58:3 NKJV)

The Lord loathes any appearance of unfairness or injustice. Simply put, exploiting the other person, especially individuals who are in no position to mount a meaningful offense or resistance is appalling in the sight of God. Keep in mind, "that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD." (Jeremiah 9:24 NKJV)  As far as God is concerned, abstinence from food is not enough.

4 Indeed you fast for strife and debate, and to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, (and expect) to make your voice heard on high (by God). 5 Is it a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? (Isaiah 58:4-5 NKJV)

The Lord seems to be saying: Do you really think the kind of fast that I honour involves sheer abstinence from food? Wearing mournful looks? While thinking you are impressing Me by assuming a miserable disposition by abstaining from the pleasures of the flesh?

5 ...........Would you call this a fast, and an acceptable day of the LORD? 6 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? 7 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 58:5-7 NKJV)

When you observe the kind of "fast that I have chosen," says the Lord,

8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. 9 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, 10 if you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. 11 The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. 12 Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. (Isaiah 58:8-12 NKJV)

That is God speaking about His idea of the kind of fasting that is acceptable and pleasing to Him. Keep in mind, one thing is to do something simply because it is religious. It does not necessarily interpret that what is being done is acceptable in the eyes of God. Take for instance, the story of Cain and Abel.

3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought of the first firstborn of his flock and of their fat ........... (Genesis 4:3 –4 NKJV)

Cain and Abel were two individuals engaging in a religious exercise of offering things to God. That was what they had in common. But 'that-which-is-acceptable-in-the-eyes-of-God ' is what they did not have in common. See for yourself.

........... And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. (Genesis 4:5 NKJV)

Another example is Saul, the son of Kish, the first king of Israel. God gave him an instruction to go and fight a battle. The Lord instructed him to "go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey." (1 Samuel 15:3 NKJV). Saul knew what was acceptable in the eyes of God regarding the battle, yet "Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them." (1 Samuel 15:9 NKJV)  If war tradition is anything to go by, what Saul did was acceptable. Why? Because it is customary for the victor to take the booty as price of war when the battle is over. Taking the loot of war is an expression of conquest. Such instances of the enemies being despoiled are recorded in the scriptures in 2 Chronicles 20:24-25, and 2 Kings 6:5-7,15-16. It is traditionally acceptable in warfare to take the substance of the loser. But does that make Saul's actions acceptable in the eyes of God? See for yourself:

22 ".......... Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king." (1 Samuel 15:22,23 NKJV)

Saul's actions deferred more to human tradition and expectation than it deferred to divine authority and expectation (1 Samuel 15:24,30). The lives of Cain, Abel and Saul makes one think: Is living up to established war tradition, or religious tradition, or any other form of tradition enough? Obviously not. God's response to the offerings of Cain, Abel and Saul says it all.

The scripture teaches us "not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is" (Ephesians 5:17 NKJV). This teaching applies even when we fast. See Isaiah 58:3-12 above. Beware of tradition of men being presented in the guise of religion, "for laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men - the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do." (Mark 7:8 NKJV). Lest you end up in the category of people "who honours Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." (Mark 7:6,7 NKJV). Many have end up in this category in attempt to conform to a particular religious denomination. Or in attempt to be seen as a bona fide member of some religious group. Or in attempt to prove themselves as pious devotee to the tenets or beliefs of their affiliations. Or in attempt to attain or maintain status quo in a given religious environment. Or in attempt to fit into a community of worshippers. Yet, it does not necessarily imply upholding a practice that is acceptable in the eyes of God. Remember, "therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is." (Ephesians 5:17 NKJV). This is the issue God is addressing in Isaiah 58:3-12 regarding the issue of fasting. Prior to the Lord's comments on fasting, the people had a religious yet erroneous notion about fasting. They thought they've got it all figured out. How wrong they were in light of the truth of the word of God. In several cases, what we perceive is right in a religious setting is nothing more than what we formulate over the years in attempt to maintain conformity and uniformity in a given religious setting. More often than not, the primary objective is to maintain some sort of unity in the group. But how does it rate in light of the truth of God's word? Of what spiritual significance is any deed that rate higher on the conformity scale than it does on the scale of what is right in the eyes of God? Think about it. You don't get blessed just for conforming to the tenets of a group. No! Blessings come from God when you do that which is acceptable in God's eyes. No wonder fasting in Isaiah 58:3 seems more like hunger strike. People are abstaining from food religiously; yet nothing seems to be happening.

"Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?'....." (Isaiah 58:3 NKJV).

What are we expecting when we observe a fast in such a way as to fall short of God's expectations?

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not!" (Romans 6:1,2 NKJV)

And you are wondering why there is so much fasting, yet not much result? Someone once mentioned that many individuals want to be seen as born-again Christians but how many want to do the will of God? Likewise, many want to identify with the practice of fasting (and the appearance of holiness and sanctimony); but how many want to do it the way that is acceptable in the eyes of God?

The kind of fast the Lord says he prefers in Isaiah 58:5-7 resembles the content of Isaiah 61:1-4:

1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, 3 To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may glorified. 4 And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations (NKJV).

The kind of fast that the Lord is looking for goes beyond mere religious ideals. It involves how we relate with our fellow men and women.

20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. (1 John 4:20-21 NKJV)

31 When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying , 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' 41 Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' 44 Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick in prison, and did not minister to You?' 45 Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. (Matthew 25:31-46 NKJV)

And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widow and orphans, and those who turn away an alien - because they do not fear Me," says the LORD of hosts. (Malachi 3:5 NKJV)

He answered and said to them, "He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise." Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Collect no more than what is appointed for you." Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, "And what shall we do?" So he said to them, "Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages." (Luke 3:10-14 NKJV)

It involves being fair and just with people. Remember,

Thus says the LORD: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24 NKJV)

The kind of fast He delights in involves relating to people not as objects to be used, or exploited, or degraded, or demeaned. Rather, treating them like human beings created in God's image. He expects to see sincere efforts being made to improve the quality of life of his people.

Remember, "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." (Acts 10:38) and how "Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd." (Matthew 9:35-36 NKJV).

Jesus Christ - our number one role model - is not anything like the High Priests, Pharisees, Sadducees and the scribes who were notorious for flexing their muscles based on their spiritually redundant religious status.  "For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men......... Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Matthew 23:4,5,27,28 NKJV)

They epitomized the type of religious folks "having a form of godliness but denying its power." (2 Timothy 3:5 NKJV)  Quite unlike the Lord Jesus Christ who said, "Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV) 

In conclusion, let not the powerful glory in their perceived superiority. Let not the intellectual glory in their perceived superior intellect. Let not they that tithe, fast and pray glory in their perceived spiritual superiority (Luke 18:9-14 NKJV). Let not they that think they are faithful glory in their perceived faithfulness. Let not they that think they are saints glory in their perceived sainthood. Let not they that think they are supreme glory in their perceived supremacy. Let not they that think they are more religious than others glory in their perceived religious superiority. Let not they that think they are holier than others glory in their perceived holiness. For thus says the LORD:  "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24 NKJV).

God bless.

Yours

Adekunle Majek'

H I A F E M

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