Sunday Morning Bible Study

June 25, 2000

Introduction

Last week we began a section where God was rebuking the people for their false spirituality.  They were expecting God to pay special attention to their prayers because they were fasting, but their “fasts” weren’t being done with the right attitude.  I thought it might be good before we finish the chapter to back up and look at the topic of “fasting” in the Bible.

Fasting

The terms “fast” or “fasting” occur 65 times in the Bible.  There are also some occurrences of fasting when the term “fast” is not used (as when Moses didn’t eat for forty days, Ex. 34:28), but the action happened anyway.

A fast typically involves abstaining from eating solid food.  Sometimes it even involved no drinking as well (Ex. 34:28).  Sometimes it involved only a partial abstaining, as from certain foods (Dan. 10:3).  Fasts could be for a meal, a day, or even up to forty days.

The only fast the Jews were required regularly to keep was on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).  “Fasting” was the way that they were to “afflict their souls” (Lev. 16:29)

(Lev 16:29 KJV)  And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you:

Reasons to fast.

1. Mourning over loss.

Fasting was done as a way of showing sadness or mourning, perhaps when defeated by an enemy, or for grief at the death of a loved one. (Jud. 20:26; 1Sam. 7:6; 31:13; 2Sam. 1:12)

2. Grief over sin.

Fasting could be done as an expression of grief over sin. 

When King Ahab was confronted by Elijah with his wickedness, Ahab responded by tearing his clothes, wearing sackcloth and ashes, and fasting.  God responded to Ahab’s humility by delaying judgment on Ahab’s kingdom. (1Ki. 21:27-29)

Daniel’s fasting was tied to confession for the nation over its sins (Dan. 9).

Da 9:3  And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

3. Power in prayer

Fasting was done in addition to prayer as a way of getting God’s attention.  When David’s child was dying, he fasted and prayed (2Sam. 12:16).  Interestingly enough, God answered David with a “no”, even though he fasted.

When Jesus cast a demon out of a child that His disciples had been unable to cast out, He told them that they could not cast out the particular demon without “prayer and fasting” (Mat. 17:21).

A fast might be proclaimed when the nation was faced with a fearful enemy, calling the people to pray for God’s help.

2Chr. 20:2-4  Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi. 3  And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4  And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. (See also Ezra 8:21-23)

4. Getting direction

God gave direction when people fasted and prayed. 

Paul and Barnabas received their call to missionary work when the church had been fasting and praying. (Acts 13:2-3)

Ac 13:2-3  As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3  And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid [their] hands on them, they sent [them] away.

Paul and Barnabas set up elders over the young churches, but only after praying with fasting. (Acts 14:23)

5. To seek the Lord.

Sometimes it seems that the only real reason for fasting was simply to get closer to the Lord.

Moses fasted for forty days and nights while receiving God’s laws (Ex. 34:28).

Jesus fasted for forty days and nights before beginning His ministry (Mat. 4:2).

Cornelius was fasting and praying when an angel appeared to him, leading him to the apostle Peter, who led him as the first Gentile to receive salvation. (Acts 10:30)

Ac 10:30  And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

Daniel would receive visions and revelations after periods of fasting (Dan. 9, 10)

Ac 14:23  And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

Medical Concerns 

I’d be careful about fasting if you have a medical condition that requires you to eat regularly.  If you are going to fast for more than a day or two, I’d consider caution, perhaps checking with your doctor or at least doing more research on extended fasts.

Incorrect Fasting

False spirituality

Fasting can be abused to create a false sense of spirituality.

We’ve seen in Isaiah 58 that people fasted for the wrong reasons and God wasn’t impressed.  They were fasting as an “outward” religious ritual, but “inwardly” their hearts weren’t being affected.

Queen Jezebel wanted to seize her neighbor’s property and started by appearing spiritual and proclaiming a fast.  Then she set up false witnesses and ended up having her neighbor put to death (2Ki. 21:9,12)

This warning about “false spirituality” is part of what Jesus was dealing with in His concerns over fasting:

(Mat 6:16-18 KJV)  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 can actually “backfire” on you.  You may start off wanting to fast for the right reasons, and end up further away from the Lord because of your own spiritual pride.  Keep it a secret.  Don’t draw attention to yourself.

Isaiah 58:8-14  Benefits of correct fasting

What is “correct” fasting? (review last week, Isa. 58:1-7)

Correct fasting will affect your relationships with other people (Isa 58:4)

Correct fasting is done for spiritual motives (Isa 58:6) like setting people free from sin.

Correct fasting is about denying yourself so you can give to others (Isa 58:7, “sharing bread”)

Correct fasting is accompanied with practical ministry (Isa 58:7).  It will be followed by doing good things for others.

There’s an incredible list of things that can happen when fasting is done correctly:

:8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning

light – a picture of blessing and prosperity. 

morning – shachar – dawn

break forth – baqa‘– to split, cleave, break open, divide, break through, rip up, break up, tear

It’s a picture of a long night being over.  Have you ever had one of those long, dark nights where you wished and hoped for the dawn?  God promises the “night” to be ripped apart and for the dawn to come.

:8  and thine health shall spring forth speedily:

health –  ‘aruwkah – literally, “a long bandage”; healing, restoration

spring forth – tsamach – to sprout (like plants), spring up, grow up

Correct fasting produces healing.

:8  and thy righteousness shall go before thee;

righteousness – tsedeq – justice, rightness, righteousness.  This word is often used to describe the good things a person does.

This is kind of a vague phrase, but I wonder if it doesn’t speak a little bit about a person’s reputation as a “good” person going ahead of them?  As you walk with the Lord, you will gain a reputation as a person who does the right thing.

:8  the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.

glory – kabowd – glory, honour, abundance

rereward –  ‘acaph – (Qal); to gather, collect; to bring up the rear

God’s glory will be your “rear guard”.

When the children of Israel were coming out of Egypt, God used the pillar of cloud and fire to form a wall between Israel and the advancing Egyptian army to protect them while they crossed the Red Sea (Ex. 14:19-20)

Ex 14:19-20  And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20  So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness [to the one], and it gave light by night [to the other], so that the one did not come near the other all that night.

When do you need a “rear guard”?

When you are looking and moving forward.  When you fast and serve the Lord in God’s manner, you don’t need to keep looking over your shoulder wondering what’s going to bite you from behind.  God will protect you.

Lesson

Move forward.

Correct fasting is all about moving ahead.

It’s not just about looking back and mourning over sins, but when there is mourning involved, it’s about putting the past behind and moving ahead.

(Phil 3:13-14 KJV)  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, {14} I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Illustration

One morning a couple of cowpunchers went out on the range to bring in a wild steer from the mountains.  They took along with them one of those shaggy little gray donkeys—a burro.  Now a big three-year old steer that’s been running loose in the timber is a tough customer to handle.  Nevertheless, these cowboys had a technique for handling this steer.  They got a rope on the steer and then they tied him neck and neck, right up close, to the burro and let them go.

At first, the burro had a bad time.  The steer threw him all over the place. He banged him against trees, rocks, into bushes. Time after time they both went down.  But there was one great difference between the burro and the steer. The burro had an idea.  He wanted to go home. And no matter how often the steer threw him every time the burro got to his feet he took a step nearer the corral.  This went on and on.  After about a week, the burro showed up at the corral.  He had with him the tamest and sorriest-looking steer you ever saw.

The thought of this little burro, being overpowered and abused can encourage us when we find ourselves struggling with difficult problems or people in our lives.  We often feel tied, “right up close”.  If we could only have some slack!  But our God had a purpose in tying us to our problems.  He knows that our faith will enable us to hang in there.  No matter how often we are thrown, our stubborn Christian attitude will enable us to get to our feet and take a step nearer to God’s solution!  We may be abused and hurt.  But just think of the tremendous outcome—that we might eventually stand before the throne of our Savior, tied to that special person who has now been brought to Christ!  Maybe God’s techniques make sense after all!

Be like that little burro.  Keep heading home.  Fasting helps you move forward.

:9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer

call – qara’ – to call, call out, cry out

answer –  ‘anah – to answer, respond, testify, speak, shout

This is supposed to be one of the primary purposes of fasting, effective prayer.  Do you want God to answer your prayers?  Consider fasting.

:9  If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke,

take away – cuwr – to turn aside, depart

yoke – mowtah – pole, bar of yoke; of oppression (fig.)

:9  the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;

putting forth of the finger – like shaking or pointing a finger at a person …

vanity –  ‘aven – trouble, wickedness, sorrow

(Isa 58:9 NLT)  "…stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors!”

:10 draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul;

draw out – puwq – to bring out, furnish, promote, go out, issue

satisfy – saba‘– to be satisfied, be sated, be fulfilled

afflicted –  ‘anah –  (Niphal) to humble oneself, bow down; to be afflicted, be humbled

Again, ministering to both the physical needs of people (the hungry) as well as the spiritual needs of people (the afflicted soul).

:10  then shall thy light rise in obscurity

rise – zarach – to rise, come forth, break out, arise, rise up, shine; to come out, appear

obscurity – choshek – darkness, obscurity; secret place

Light dawns in darkness. Prosperity will overtake calamity.

:11 and satisfy thy soul in drought,

satisfy – saba‘– to be satisfied; to enrich

soul in drought – the times when your inner person feels “dry” and restless

:11  and make fat thy bones

make fat – chalats – (Hiphil); to make strong, brace up; to invigorate

bones –  ‘etsem – bone, essence, substance

“making the inner you strong”

Lesson

Inner strength comes from Jesus.

People have lots of ideas of what it takes to make the “inner you” stronger.

Last night I did a search at “Barnesandnoble.com” for “self help” and found 17,143 matching titles!  The number one selling “self help” title (“Who Moved My Cheese, by Spencer Johnson”) is also the number one New York Times Bestseller, telling me that a lot of people are looking for “help”.

The number two book, one recommended by Oprah Winfrey, is The Seat of the Soul, by Gary Zukav, and seems to be some sort of spiritual mishmash of reincarnation, spiritual power, and evolution.  Sounds scary to me.

Some of the other “self help” titles included:

#7 How to Know God: The Soul's Journey Into the Mystery of Mysteries, by Deepak Chopra (pure Hinduism)

#8 The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living, by the Dalai Lama (sounds scary to me!)

I’d say that some people have gotten the correct notion that true “self help” isn’t going to come until you get to know your God, but I’d have to say it isn’t going to come until you get to now the CORRECT GOD. Jesus said,

(John 10:9-11 NLT)  Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they go, they will find green pastures. {10} The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. {11} "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who came to lay down His life for the sheep.  He came to die on a cross and pay for our sins.  True “self help” starts with Him.

:11  and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

Travelers in a caravan may be coming to a place where they expect water to be, but only find it to be dried up (Job 6:15-17).

When people come to you, will they be refreshed?  Do you have spiritual “water” to offer to them?

This reminds me of the promise of the Holy Spirit by Jesus –

(John 7:38 KJV) He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

The spiritual “water” we have to offer is the work of the Holy Spirit in us.  I wonder if “fasting” isn’t something that can help the work of the Spirit stay fresh in us.

:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places

build – banah – to build, rebuild, establish, cause to continue

waste places – chorbah – a place laid waste, ruin, waste, desolation

We could see this as a promise of rebuilding a torn-down Jerusalem, but also that those that follow these principles will be those that lead people back to the ways of the Lord.

:12  thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.

breach – perets – breach, gap, bursting forth; broken wall

restorer – shuwb – to return ; (Polel) to bring back; to restore, refresh, repair (fig)

A picture of rebuilding a torn-down, conquered city.  Repairing the torn down walls.  Rebuilding the city streets.

I think this is speaking of getting back to the old, correct ways.  I think we have the idea that “newer” always means “better”.  You aren’t going to improve on Jesus.

:13 If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath

turn away – shuwb – to return, turn back; (Hiphil) to cause to return, bring back; to bring back, allow to return, put back, draw back, give back, restore, relinquish, give in payment; to bring back, refresh, restore

foot – the Jews were forbidden from traveling too far on the Sabbath.  The idea is that of keeping yourself from walking too far on the Sabbath.

:13  from doing thy pleasure on my holy day

pleasure – chephets – delight, pleasure

If you stop doing whatever you want to do on God’s day.

God’s special days, like the Saturday Sabbath for the Jews, or like Sunday for Christians, are not just supposed to be about you getting rest, though that is part of the purpose of the Sabbath.  They are to be a day to seek the things of the Lord and not the things of you.

:13 and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable

delight –  ‘oneg – exquisite delight, daintiness, delight, pleasantness

holy – qadowsh – sacred, holy, Holy One, saint, set apart

honourable – kabad – to be heavy, be weighty, be honourable, be glorious, be honoured

:13  shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways

Putting God and His ways first in your life …

:14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD

delight –  ‘anag – (Hithpael) to be happy about, take exquisite delight. The same word is found in –

Ps 37:4  Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Remember back in verse 2?  It talked about how the people were doing all the “external” things, loving the things “about” God, but nothing about loving God Himself.  When we fast God’s way, we will find true delight in Him.

This is the whole goal, learning to fall deeper in love with the Lord.

Jesus had a concern over the church at Ephesus:

(Rev 2:4-5 NKJV)  "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. {5} "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place; unless you repent.

Part of the remedy of getting back to their first love involved “doing the first works”.

I wonder if fasting isn’t one of those “first works”.  It’s one of those things that young Christians will try, trying to do anything they can to please the Lord.  It’s also one of those things that older, more mature saints will do as well, getting back to their first love.

:14  and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth

A picture of being the ruler or conqueror of the land.

“I will make thee supreme lord of the land; the phrase is taken from a conqueror riding in his chariot, and occupying the hills and fatnesses of a country” [VITRINGA]

Mic 1:3  For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.

Hab 3:19  The LORD God [is] my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ [feet], and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.

I think this is a description of victory, a picture of experiencing God’s promises in our lives.  We see in Scripture how the “Promised Land” is a picture of all the good things that God has for our lives.  But to experience the Promised Land, we need to “conquer” it just as Joshua conquered the Promised Land.

I wonder if correct fasting isn’t one of those things that can lead us into that victory.

An elective course

Illustration

Once upon a time, a king ordered a three-day fast throughout the kingdom. Anyone caught eating was to be smitten seven times with a rod. Anyone caught assisting another in breaking the fast would be shackled to a ball and chain.

After two days, one nobleman, a count, decided he couldn't hold out. So he ordered three servants to prepare a meal.

Word leaked to the royal palace that the count and countess were breaking the fast. The king and queen were furious, and rushed to the count's home, bursting in just as dessert was being served. The king growled in a sarcastic voice, "Is the count full?"

"Yes," declared the queen, pointing to the five offenders and ordering their punishment. "Ball three and strike two!"

   -- "Strange World," Campus Life, Vol. 53, no. 6.

In actuality, the practice of “fasting” isn’t one that we are commanded to do.  It’s not a “required course” as a Christian.  But it’s an elective course that I think we ought to consider.  And considering the benefits if we should pass the course, I think we ought to consider it pretty strongly.

Word Study on Fasting

Old Testament

fasted – tsuwm 06684 –  (Qal) to abstain from food, fast

fast – tsowm 06685 – fast, fasting

fasting – t@vath (Aramaic) 02908 – fasting, fastingly, hungrily

Jud 20:26  Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted  <06684> that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

1Sa 7:6  And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted <06684> on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.

1Sa 31:13  And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted <06684> seven days.

2Sa 1:12  And they mourned, and wept, and fasted <06684> until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.

2Sa 12:16  David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted <06684> <06685>, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.

2Sa 12:21  Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast <06684> and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.

2Sa 12:22  And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted <06684> and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?

2Sa 12:23  But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast <06684>? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

1Ki 21:9  And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast <06685>, and set Naboth on high among the people:

1Ki 21:12  They proclaimed a fast <06685>, and set Naboth on high among the people.

1Ki 21:27  And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted <06684>, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

1Ch 10:12  They arose, all the valiant men, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted <06684> seven days.

2Ch 20:3  And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast <06685> throughout all Judah.

Ezr 8:21  Then I proclaimed a fast <06685> there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

Ezr 8:23  So we fasted <06684> and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.

Ne 1:4  And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted <06684>, and prayed before the God of heaven,

Ne 9:1  Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting <06685>, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.

Es 4:3  And in every province, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting <06685> , and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

Es 4:16  Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast <06684> ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast <06684> likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

Es 9:31  To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings <06685> and their cry.

Ps 35:13  But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting <06685>; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.

Ps 69:10  When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting <06685>, that was to my reproach.

Ps 109:24  My knees are weak through fasting <06685>; and my flesh faileth of fatness.

Isa 58:3  Wherefore have we fasted <06684>, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast <06685> ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

Isa 58:4  Behold, ye fast <06684> for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast <06684>  as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

Isa 58:5  Is it such a fast <06685> 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 <06685>, and an acceptable day to the LORD?

Isa 58:6  Is not this the fast <06685> 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?

Jer 14:12  When they fast <06684>, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.

Jer 36:6  Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD’S house upon the fasting <06685> day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities.

Jer 36:9  And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast <06685>  before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.

Da 6:18  Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting <02908>: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.

Da 9:3  And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting <06685>, and sackcloth, and ashes:

Joe 1:14  Sanctify ye a fast <06685>, 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,

Joe 2:12  Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting <06685>, and with weeping, and with mourning:

Joe 2:15  Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast <06685>, call a solemn assembly:

Jon 3:5  So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast <06685>, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

Zec 7:5  Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted <06684> and mourned in the fifth and seventh  month, even those seventy years, did ye at all <06684> fast <06684> unto me, even to me?

Zec 8:19  Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The fast <06685> of the fourth month, and the fast <06685> of the fifth, and the fast <06685> of the seventh, and the fast <06685> of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace.

New Testament

fast – nesteuo 3521 – to abstain as a religious exercise from food and drink: either entirely, if the fast lasted but a single day, or from customary and choice nourishment, if it continued several days

fasting – nesteia 3522 – a fasting, fast; a voluntary, as a religious exercise; of private fasting; the public fast as prescribed by the Mosaic Law and kept yearly on the great day of atonement, the tenth of the month of Tisri (the month Tisri comprises a part of our September and October); the fast accordingly, occurred in the autumn when navigation was usually dangerous on account of storms; a fasting caused by want or poverty

fasting – nestis 3523 – fasting, not having eaten

fasting – asitos 777 – fasting, without having eaten

Mt 4:2  And when he had fasted <3522> forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

Mt 6:16  Moreover when ye fast <3522>, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast <3522>. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Mt 6:17  But thou, when thou fastest <3522>, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

Mt 6:18  That thou appear not unto men to fast <3522>, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Mt 9:14  Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast <3522> oft, but thy disciples fast <3522> not?

Mt 9:15  And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast <3522>.

Mt 15:32  Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting <3523>, lest they faint in the way.

Mt 17:21  Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting <3521>.

Mr 2:18  And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees used to fast <3522>: and they come and say unto him, Why do <3522>  the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast <3522>, but thy disciples fast <3522> not?

Mr 2:19  And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber fast <3522>, while the bridegroom is with them? as long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast <3522>.

Mr 2:20  But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast <3522> in those days.

Mr 8:3  And if I send them away fasting <3523> to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.

Mr 9:29  And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting <3521>.

Lu 2:37  And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings <3521> and prayers night and day.

Lu 5:33  And they said unto him, Why do <3522> the disciples of John fast <3522> often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?

Lu 5:34  And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast <3522>, while the bridegroom is with them?

Lu 5:35  But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast <3522> in those days.

Lu 18:12  I fast <3522> twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

Ac 10:30  And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting <3522> until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

Ac 13:2  As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted <3522>, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

Ac 13:3  And when they had fasted <3522> and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

Ac 14:23  And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting <3521>, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

Ac 27:9  Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast <3521> was now already past, Paul admonished them,

Ac 27:33  And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting  <777>, having taken nothing.

1Co 7:5  Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting <3521> and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

2Co 6:5  In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings <3521>;

2Co 11:27  In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings <3521> often, in cold and nakedness.