Matthew 6:16 ¶ Moreover
when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they
disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto
you, They have their reward. 17 But
thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but
unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret,
shall reward thee openly.
Fasting is a very interesting practice mentioned here. Is it to be
a calculated practice where you schedule a fast or is it, as some say, the
consequence of a trial you are going through or a supplication you are making
for God and there is no desire to eat food as you are too consumed by what you
are facing?
Commentators say that under the Law there was one fast on the Day
of Atonement when men were to afflict their souls which was understood
by the Rabbis to mean fasting. See Leviticus 23:27 and Numbers 29:7. In times
of distress there were other fasts in times of distress or penitence. See;
Joel 1:14 ¶ Sanctify ye a
fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the
land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, 15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is
at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
16 Is not the meat cut off
before our eyes, yea, joy and gladness from the house of our God?
A fast was used for a nefarious purpose;
1Kings 21:7 And Jezebel his
wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat
bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth
the Jezreelite.8 So she wrote letters in
Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the
elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. 9 And she wrote in the letters, saying,
Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: 10 And set two men, sons of Belial, before him,
to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And
then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.
A fast could be the expression of extreme concern and anxiety;
2Samuel 12:15 ¶ And Nathan
departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare
unto David, and it was very sick. 16
David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went
in, and lay all night upon the earth.
Mourning over sin;
Ezra 10:6 ¶ Then Ezra rose
up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Johanan the son
of Eliashib: and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water:
for he mourned because of the transgression of them that had been carried away.
Mourning for Jerusalem as well as the sins of the people;
Nehemiah 1:1 ¶ The words of
Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the
twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace, 2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and
certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped,
which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are
left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and
reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are
burned with fire.
4 And it came to pass, when
I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and
fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven, 5 ¶ And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of
heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them
that love him and observe his commandments: 6
Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest
hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night,
for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children
of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have
sinned.
But God also spoke through Isaiah with a criticism of the
intentions of the fasting that so-called holy men would perform, bringing us to
Jesus’ explanation here in Matthew 6.
Isaiah 58:3 ¶ Wherefore [why]
have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our
soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find
pleasure, and exact all your labours. 4
Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of
wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard
on high. 5 Is it such a fast that I have
chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a
bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a
fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD? 6
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? 7 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?
There are things in God’s will that are more important than
others. Humans tend to enjoy worship that is self-glorifying rather than
glorifying to God. In Isaiah God lays out what He is seeking that is more
important than ritual.
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