based on the LGG study, Lent – A Season of Drawing Close to God / w1d2
Scripture: Isaiah 58:3-9 / SOAP: verse 6
“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Isaiah 58:6 NLT
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
How does the word “fasting” affect you? For me it is one of those words that sets me on edge. I’m not sure if it is because I feel bad if others are and I’m not, or if it’s because of the “doing without” or because I don’t like to be bound by something that forbids me access to what is part of my daily routine. I suppose the guilt may be a small part of it, but since I can get busy on any given day and not eat or drink for hours on end – I believe the latter is most like true for me. Let me share a “for instance” with you.
Most Saturdays I hold-up in my bedroom from the time I wake until sometime early afternoon – anywhere between twelve and two o’clock. I should clarify that, thanks to my internal weekly alarm clock, I typically wake anywhere between four and six o’clock – to be clear, that is A.M. I hold-up in my room on purpose and I enjoy every minute of it and typically begrudge ever having to leave the room – because Saturday is my day to read, study, and write without interruption. Borrowing an occasional planned excursion or commitment, Saturday is my only day without a schedule and I protect it at all costs. Whether in my room or eventually out of my room tending to the household chores and bills or enjoying a walk and visiting with my mom this is my happy day.
However, as much as I love my room on Saturday morning, if someone were to tell me I had to stay in the room and not come out the entire day or even for six hours – I would have a huge problem. Why? Because it would no longer be a joy for me, door opened or closed, the mandate would definitely evoke claustrophobic anxieties and I would undoubtedly be a mess. It is much the same way for me when I hear the word “fasting.” While I may choose to fast on my own time and/or conviction of the Spirit, when the word ‘fast’ is used in conjunction with a mandate it literally unnerves me. That may not make sense or it may seem ridiculously silly to you but for me it’s a thing.
‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.
Isaiah 58:3 NLT
‘Why aren’t you impressed?
We have been very hard on ourselves,
and you don’t even notice it!’
Whether it seems ridiculous or whether you understand, I share my reactions to the word because I have to believe I’m not the only one who may struggle with this, and I hope to encourage you along with myself to explore the discussion of it throughout the study and not let it derail us from our journey to discover more about the season of Lent. To be clear, I do not struggle with Biblical fasting itself. It is clearly a practiced and valuable part of Biblical history from the Old Testament through the New and is still widely practiced today. Also, as we see in today’s passage, God made His opinion known about the issue of fasting as He answers the people’s question of lament concerning their ‘fast’ going unnoticed. He instructs the people through Isaiah on the difference between an unacceptable fast and a godly one.
the unacceptable fast versus the God Honoring fasts
“It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.
- Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers.
- 4 What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling?
- This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.
- 5 You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance,
- bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind.
- You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes.
- Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord?
“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
- Free those who are wrongly imprisoned lighten the burden of those who work for you.
- Let the oppressed go free,
- and remove the chains that bind people.
- Share your food with the hungry,
- and give shelter to the homeless.
- Give clothes to those who need them,
- and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
A God honoring ‘fast’ is not limited to food but includes any sinful chain or distraction from God.
Me – from the Insdeout 🦋
The More We Know
Reflecting on the Journey
What is the purpose of Biblical fasting?
Me From the Inside Out 