September 24, 2024 • 33 mins
Are we supposed to be fasting? Matthew 6:17 says “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face...”. Does this verse allude to a practice we are neglecting in our lives? What do we know about fasting? In this episode, we dive into this listener's request to learn more about biblical fasting.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to the Exhorter podcast, where we aim
to serve love and good worksthrough bite-sized biblical
discussion.
Is that what we're doing?
That's what we're doing.
That's kind of the point ofthis, and when we say biblical
discussions, sometimes we don'thave all the answers, sometimes
we're not laying out everythingfor you, but we are aiming to
model biblical discussionsbetween brethren, ones who
(00:26):
actually like each other.
We're going to do that today,nate.
What topic are we going todiscuss and divide?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
This is where you should put in a really long
pause, yeah, and then afterwardsI'll say sorry, I was fasting
from words.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Oh, is that why you said bite-sized, bite-sized, yes
?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Oh, we can't play that intro on this episode
because there will be no bitestaken.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Aim to strip love and good works through moderately
Through time-restricted feedingwe want a sweet aroma without
partaking intermittently.
What is that calledIntermittent?
Speaker 2 (01:02):
fasting, yeah, intermittent fasting.
So we're just going to wait foranother.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
We're going to wait till noon before we can talk
about this.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
That's funny.
I just started, I was correctedthe other day.
We're talking about fastingeverybody, but I was corrected
the other day because I saidintermittent fasting and
somebody who knew more than mesaid no, no, no, no.
What you're describing is timerestricted feeding.
Oh, my bad.
What's the difference?
Well, now we're talking about,like you know, health.
Well, one is like I fast today,like 24 hours or 48 hours.
(01:31):
I'm going to do a fast right.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Did you punch that person hard?
Speaker 2 (01:35):
No, it was in a Zoom thing and they don't have a
punch icon.
They should, they should no,and so time-restricted feeding,
I guess, is where you know.
It's pretty self-explanatory,right?
Speaker 1 (01:47):
You only eat during a certain time Between two time
periods.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Yeah, no, you only eat between one time period,
john.
That doesn't make sense.
Okay, block your time.
Yeah, blocked eating.
Well, what does that have to dowith the Bible?
Yeah, yeah, good, good point,okay.
So we got a question after lastseason.
That was how come Jesus sayswhen you fast and not if you
(02:12):
fast, but when you fast?
Isn't he implying that fastinghas a place in our prayer life?
Yet it seems like we completelyignore the topic.
It's never mentioned ordiscussed and believers say we
don't have to fast.
But then why are there so manyexamples of fasting?
And the main question is whydoes Jesus say in the new
Testament when you fast,implying that you're going to
(02:34):
fast right?
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Yeah, and I just want to say that, yes, those were
actual words from a listener,and you can do that.
You can ask us questions andyou can submit ideas, and we
would love to hear your ideasand your questions and to design
some topics around them.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
So John would love to hear them.
I don't know, he doesn't care.
Yeah, he's going to do it now.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
He cares about this one Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep
, yep.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Yep, yep, yep.
Class on fasting.
So there's 132 references tofasting in the scriptures, 92 in
the Old Testament, 40 in theNew.
I went through most of those.
About half of them are just thephrase hold fast to Okay and so
(03:16):
that's not actually likefasting, right.
So about half of those arereferring to actual fasting and
the first reference I found tofasting is can anybody guess?
The first reference to fastingin scripture.
Okay, well, it comes beforethat, okay.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Probably somewhere in .
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Genesis.
So I read it in Exodus, whenMoses is up on the mountain and
he's getting the tablets for thesecond time and he fasts for 40
days and for 40 nights.
And I believe that's in Exodus34.
Let me read that.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
So he dies 40 days and 40 nights.
That's a long time.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
That is a long time, so he was there with the Lord 40
days and 40 nights.
He did not eat bread or drinkwater and he wrote on the
tablets the words of thecovenant, the 10 commandments,
so that to me that's likemiraculous right, because from
what I understand I've nevertried this Four days without
water and you'll die.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Yeah, that's what I've heard.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
So obviously Moses lived out.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
I mean, he lived a lot longer than us too, so maybe
the days are all dead.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
So I think that in that way that was miraculous.
But like we think about whatwas Moses doing on the mountain?
He was obviously, veryliterally close to God, in the
presence of God.
That's the first instance offasting, that it's people in
distress, uh.
So, for instance, like, let'sgo to first, first Samuel.
(04:52):
Uh, so first Samuel, chapterseven, verse six.
Uh, well, we'll start at versefive.
Then Samuel said gather allIsrael to Mizpah and I will pray
to the Lord for you.
They gathered at Mizpah anddrew water and poured it out
before the Lord and fasted onthat day and said there we have
sinned against the Lord.
And Samuel judged the sons ofIsrael at Mizpah.
(05:13):
And so the Israelites hadsinned and they were confessing
their sin, they were feelingguilty for that, and so one of
the things they did, associatedwith that, was that they fasted.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Was that culturally at the time?
Was One of the things they did?
Associated with that was thatthey fasted.
Was that culturally at the time?
Was that something that we'rejust not reading in the Bible,
that they had previously done?
Was it something that maybethey've done since Moses?
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Well, okay, so I'm curious.
So, speaking of that, go toLeviticus 16.
Okay, so in Leviticus 16, onthe day of when God is
instituting the day of atonement, he uses an interesting phrase
there, verse 29.
He says this shall be apermanent statute for you.
In the seventh month, on the10th day of the month, you shall
(05:53):
humble your souls and not doany work, whether the native or
the alien who sojourns among you.
For it is on this day thatatonement shall be made for you
to cleanse you.
You will be clean from all yoursins before the Lord.
So that phrase, humble yoursouls.
There's another version readsafflict yourselves.
I think it's the ESV.
It says afflict yourselves, andmy footnote on that said fast,
(06:16):
and so you can go to.
There are multiple references tothe day of atonement, and even
in Acts, chapter 27, paul refersto.
Well, we can just turn overthere.
In Acts, chapter 27, in verse 9, he says something about after
the fast.
Well, what fast was he talkingabout?
He was talking about the day ofatonement, okay.
So Acts chapter 27, in verse 9.
When considerable time hadpassed and the voyage was now
(06:36):
dangerous, since even the fastwas already over.
So this was talking about atime of year and, I believe,
paul's traveling by ship here.
Paul began to admonish them sothat fast again.
My footnote says the Day ofAtonement, in September or
October, and so these are thefirst references to fasting that
(06:59):
we see.
As far as like a commandment tofast in the Old Testament is
concerned, this one on the Dayof Atonement is the only one
that I found.
Most of the other references tofasting are people who are in
distress, seeking God, or arefeeling guilty and remorseful,
and so are fasting and prayingas they repent.
(07:22):
Kyle, what were you going tosay?
Speaker 3 (07:24):
None of the Bible examples are for health reasons.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Oh, that's a great point.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
I'll point that one out just as a side note.
Yeah, yeah, not that it's wrongto fast for health reasons, but
if that's not right either,sorry, yeah, yeah, yeah, leave
me alone now, john, who hasnever gone more than six hours.
I think it's closer to two.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Yeah than six hours.
I think it's closer to two.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Yeah, wow, oh, that hurt, john, don't throw things.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
No, but I just I just wanted to say that because I
know it is you talked aboutintermittent fasting or what
what, what was?
The time restricted feeding.
Time restricted feeding Ifyou're going to be a little
picky about it.
I know that's been trendy.
I've done some of that.
I've gone on 36, 48 hour fastjust for the experience of it,
but don't confuse that with whatthe purpose of fasting in the
(08:15):
Bible is.
So it's totally fine if that'ssomething you're doing for
health reasons, but unless,typically, every example is
going to be associated withprayer and the New Testament
examples, especially the timesthat fasting is mentioned, it's
almost always not exclusively,but almost always mentioned in
the same breath as prayer.
(08:37):
Prayer and fasting, so they gohand in hand together.
My understanding I've alwaystried to simplify it as simply
this, a classic example whenDavid committed adultery with
Bathsheba and the child was sick, oh, he fasted.
He fasted, yes, yes, until hewas told the child.
And so the point is what was hedoing, though?
(08:59):
Was he just not eating, butotherwise caring about his day?
What was he doing with his time?
Well, he was fasting andpraying.
He was praying, and so that is agreat example, and in my
oversimplification of it, it'sjust in a time of distress, I am
devoted so much to prayer andGod that my physical needs take
a back seat.
I don't even want to beinterrupted for my prayers to
(09:21):
feed my body, because my souland the needs of my soul are
much more important.
My relationship with God is indistress, or I'm in distress,
and I need that connection toGod.
I need a prayer, I need thatemphasis to the exclusion of
even physical necessities.
So that's how I tend tosimplify the concept of fasting
(09:43):
and why it's usually almostexclusively, but usually,
associated with prayer.
Yeah, because you're abstainingfrom food by replacing it with
prayer.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Yeah, yeah, that's interesting.
When you brought up David, hefasted and prayed while the
child was still alive, hopingthat maybe God would have mercy
and let the child live.
And the child didn't pass, orthe child didn't live, he passed
, and so you know.
Then David got up and andwashed and everything but, but
he fasted along with that prayer, almost as if to say like I'm
(10:17):
really serious about thispraying, that I'm doing, like
I'm trying to get close to God.
And in multiple passages that Ilooked up in 2 Samuel 12,
that's the one you're referringto, with David seeking God.
In 2 Chronicles 20, jehoshaphatis asking for help as they're
(10:40):
about to be attacked.
The word sought or seeking isused.
They were seeking somethingfrom God and they were trying to
get closer to him.
And as a way to get closer tohim or to show that they're
really serious about thispetition or this request, they
were fasting.
In Matthew 6, when you fast, Ijust look at like sound Bible
(11:11):
study principles.
Is Jesus talking directly to me?
No, he's not.
Who's he talking to?
He's talking to an audience ofJews, and so this was obviously
something of culturalsignificance to the Jewish
people.
This is something that wascommanded as a part of the day
of atonement and that they hadhad examples of, and so it was
(11:32):
assumed for them that they wouldbe fasting because they were.
They were Jewish and that waspart of what they did.
But I don't think that he'snecessarily saying to you and to
me that you and I have to fast.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Well, the Pharisees made it a custom, I believe, on
Mondays and Thursdays, and sothat's where you get Jesus'
story there in Luke, chapter 18,about the Pharisee and the tax
collector.
And the self-righteous prayerof the Pharisee was you know,
I'm glad I'm not like this loserover here God, you're lucky to
have me on your team and he saysI fast twice a week and I give
(12:13):
tithes of all that I possess.
So for them the routineness offasting was more of an external,
and that's what Jesus condemnedlike in the Sermon on the Mount
.
It's like you put on this bigshow.
You come out all gloomy looking, your hair messed up, you're
unshaven and your clothes are amess, and people can tell he
must be fasting today.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
You're putting on a show and they put the ash on the
faces and so that's thedisfigure it talks about in that
verse, right?
That's where they disfiguretheir faces and their fasting
may be seen by others.
So, contextually, another pointis, when you find a verse like
this, we all look at fasting andwe go what's this fasting?
And we get so focused on thatthat we forget that.
(12:53):
Therefore, or the context andthe purpose of this one, which
is don't do things to be seen ofmen, yeah, if it's just
something you do.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
I mean this falls in line with those weirdos that
like to whip themselves on theback till they start bleeding.
Self-mutilation yeah you almostthink that that will get God's
attention, and God's not wantingus to be masochistic, he says
you don't need to hurt yourselfto get my attention.
Yeah, harsh treatment of thebody.
So if that's what this is, ifit becomes routine or it becomes
(13:23):
something, but typically it'sassociated with prayer, because
it's just a way of saying I'mputting prayer and God as the
thing that I rely upon, this iskind of big deal for me when I
think about another.
To me, another related topic isgluttony, something I've
struggled with.
And okay, insert fat joke, goahead, okay.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
I mean, you got me just like five seconds ago.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
I have lost 50 pounds since moving to California.
That's why he brought this up.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
He just did what they did there.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Let me sound the trumpet for you viewers at home.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Listeners tell me that you're fasting.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
But this has been a longtime struggle of mine and
it's something that's so easy tojoke about.
What's your comfort food?
Okay, in a certain level,there's nothing that insidious
about having a comfort food oreating something just to soften
the edge.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
There is a pile of cookies on Kyle's table right
now Just saying Keep going, Kyle.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
That's why neither of us are touching them.
We've had two fat jokes labelagainst us in a second ago.
Sorry, continue.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Get behind me Satan.
But the point is, on a certainlevel it's not that big a deal
to have some comfort food, andit's not always a wrong thing.
But I found myself turning tofood first and it became the
thing that I leaned upon intimes of distress instead of God
.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Yeah, you can make anything an idol.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
That's where I needed to learn to.
I need to sustain myself on him.
So I need those times of prayerwhere I just don't even think
about food.
Where it's, I don't have timeto stop and eat.
I don't have time for this, Iam too busy.
I need to keep praying becausethis is the thing that will get
me through, not food.
Food is just.
It's a patch of duct tape on abattleship.
(15:11):
It's not going to fix theproblem.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
So here's a question.
I have like three of them.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
I'm six foot three.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Yeah, okay, not that kind of question.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
How does God feel about us when we fast for the
right reason?
If it's from your heart, justlike your prayer is, then I
think that's like a goodsacrifice, right.
It's going to be well-received.
I think he's going tounderstand you're trying to.
The whole point of fasting isto focus on God and put things
off.
So if you have a problem withtechnology and you're going to
fast from technology for a while.
I think any sense of developingbetter discipline when it comes
(15:50):
to righteousness and beingfocused on God, godly things and
focused on God he's going tounderstand and he's going to
agree with and value.
I think it's different foreveryone.
I think everyone's got thosethings that become distractions
to them and they can be overlyfocused on.
Could be food, Could betechnology, could be recreation.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Yeah, but in the scripture when it talks about
fasting it doesn't talk aboutwell, I fasted from riding my
donkey, because I really like toride my donkey.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
But culturally they knew what this meant.
Jesus is teaching a principlehere of not doing things for
vanity purposes and doing thingsfor us, and so the principle I
can get from this is stillvaluable to me, whether or not
culturally, I continue thepractices from the Old Testament
.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
Well, I heard a really good podcast about this
on a little show called ExcelStill More, oh, yeah, yeah,
which.
If you only have time for onepodcast, you should really
listen to that one.
But if you have time for twopodcasts, we're glad you're here
.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Welcome to the Exhorted Podcast.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Oh man, that was pretty good.
You're welcome, chris, chris.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
Emerson did a really good episode about.
He called it a 30-day fast andI was like whoa, okay, like I've
done like 48 hours, you knownot to brag.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Hang on Speaking of bragging.
I did 67 hours and 22 minutesone time Just saying, and then I
have not eating.
Yeah, just water, just justwhat coffee.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
I had black coffee.
Okay, well, I can live oncoffee.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Yeah, black, black, black coffee doesn't end a fast.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Okay, I got to beat that now I got to beat that now.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
All right, let's go.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
You're doing that, that for the wrong purposes.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
Okay, so 30 days you must.
Be so, spiritual Nate, I'mgoing to do that and then tell
everyone that I did that.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
That makes me totally , I was just trying to one-up
Kyle.
He's so righteous.
I was just trying to one-upKyle.
I want to be righteous like him, let's do it.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
Well, he did this, called the 30-day fast, but it
wasn't a food fast, he wastalking about a digital fast.
Food fast, he was talking abouta digital fast, oh yeah.
And he said for for an entiremonth.
Just see how, how differentyour life will be, what a
difference this will make Ifanytime you are inclined to pick
up your phone for you don'thave a purpose, like you're not
looking up an address ordirections or calling or texting
someone that you need to, youjust want to, like mindlessly,
(18:02):
open up your phone and scroll.
Don't and use that time praying, even if it's just like 60
seconds, because, look, I'm inan elevator for 25 seconds.
I'm bored.
I pull out my phone, yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
That's stupid.
That's because we, as humanbeings, hate boredom, so silence
.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
But I just thought that was such an interesting
concept because it takes theprinciple of the fast, where you
take something that isfrivolous, that gives you some
level of comfort, but youexchange it for something that
is of true value, as is usuallythe case prayer and I thought,
well, it's just instead of food,you're just doing something
else, and for a lot of peopleit's like for me, food is the
(18:41):
problem, but I do look at myphone a little too much too, and
so I like that idea where hekind of takes a different twist,
but on the same concept ofyou're fasting something, you're
removing something andreplacing it with something of
greater value or importance.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
That's a great point.
It's a good thing that you guysaren't like very loquacious,
because then we'd never getanything done.
But my original question waswhat does God think about
Equatious?
Speaker 1 (19:10):
means talk a lot.
I think it was a knock againstyou.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
No, I was talking about you.
Well, John, you talk a lot tooI don't.
Why do?
Speaker 3 (19:17):
you use words when few do trick.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
I learned that word in seventh grade.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
English Okay.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Miss.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Peters, she's a very good vocabulary teacher.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
We're doing a podcast right now, so so that's the
point, oh talking.
The point is to talk, oh manokay, all right.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
well, anyways, my initial question was um, what
does god think about us when wefast?
And the answer is actually inthat the passage that's in
question here, matthew 6, uhverse 17 and 18 when you fast,
anoint your head, wash your face, don't do it for show, that's
me, uh, so that your fastingwill not be noticed by men, but
by your father, who is in secret, and your father, who sees what
(19:52):
is done in secret, will rewardyou.
God obviously looks positivelyon fasting when it is done for
the right reason, and I thinkthat we can gather that from
this verse without without muchquestion.
So my next question is do wehave to fast?
Speaker 1 (20:05):
Well, I mean, do our?
Is fasting open tointerpretation?
Well, not interpretation, butum, shifting the subject of
fasting, is it a command to fast?
Speaker 3 (20:17):
I don't think we have a command to fast, I think the
I think you're missing out andpossibly your spiritual life is
out of balance if you're not,the example of it is given for
and is profitable.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
But I don't see there's a command to fast or not
be acceptable.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
You know, in a certain way, but I think there's
value of it.
What were some other examplesfrom the New Testament?
Didn't they pray and fastbefore sending up Paul and
Barnabas?
Speaker 2 (20:41):
on their missionary journey and before appointing
men for jobs.
When there was something bigand important coming up, they
would pray and fast.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Would it be inappropriate?
We're sending the Scots, that'sScott Willie, scott Young, to
the Philippines in January.
Would it be out of line tosuggest that the week before
we're going to spend a day ofprayer for their benefit, and
and we encourage fasting, yeah,would that be inappropriate?
Speaker 2 (21:14):
I don't think it would be inappropriate, I think
it would be.
I think it would be perfectlybiblical to suggest that.
And and here's a like, amisconception about fasting Kyle
with his week 48 hours and mewith my strong 67.
Like, it's not about how muchtime you spend, but what you do
with it.
Fasting, well, like the day ofatonement, it was just from one
evening to the next evening asKyle takes a bite of peanut
(21:37):
butter cookie.
It was just from one evening tothe next.
It was just.
It was just one day.
Yeah, and you know.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
I think fasting is a great um example and opportunity
to help one make sure that theyare focused clearly on the goal
at hand.
So if you have a problem withthat, if you have a problem with
focusing on the goal andpraying and devoting some time,
getting together to break breadand have a meal was a lot of
(22:07):
their socialization and it isfor us too.
We get together and we want toeat together and we want to go
out to lunch and we want to dothose things.
Sometimes not having a mealtogether feels like an awkward
time or that we're not spendingeach other.
So I think the point is is don'tfill up that time with social
(22:28):
things that don't allow you tofocus on the point that you have
in hand.
So, coming together andremoving food from the equation
and removing drink from theequation and removing anything
else, you have a dedicatedamount of time to really just
focus on what is necessary inhand, which is prayer, which is
focusing on God, and so I thinkthat it's a tool and it can be
(22:51):
definitely used for that, but Ithink you can find yourself
doing the same thing withremoving the thing from your
life that is distracting andkeeping you from focusing on God
, which could be technology, itcould be anything Other than the
Day of Atonement.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
there never really was a time limit on how long a
fast should be, it could be asingle meal.
You skip a single meal, so itdoesn't have to be like this all
day.
How would you feel, john, if Iinvited your family over for
dinner and it was like a baitand switch.
You got there, there was nofood and I said we're going to
pray for the next hour and fast,have you not?
Speaker 1 (23:25):
done that.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
No, we all have kids.
We know how that would end up.
No, but for for the adults.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
Yeah, I think that would be um would God not listen
to you if you were eating aslice of pizza as you prayed,
like did the opposite of fastingwith prayer?
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Isn't that?
Wouldn't, we consider that rude.
Like to each other.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Is there that rude like to each other?
If I was like stuffing my?
But that's our cultural thing.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
So we're not supposed to eat well with something in
your mouth.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
He doesn't mind.
As long as it's pepperoni, Ithink fasting is super
profitable and super underrated,and I feel like we should
probably find more ways If wewant to be disciplined people,
disciplinely minded people.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Culturally, I think for the Jews it was a bigger
thing, but I do think it stillhas a place in our uh spiritual
walk today, and it wasassociated with godliness, um.
In luke, chapter two, there'sthe prophetess anna, who was in
the temple daily and and prayingand fasting daily, um, and and
that was associated with withgodliness, so so I think fasting
(24:26):
is something that we shouldprobably do more of.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Is there anything that we do today?
That's like fasting in our ownculture.
Is there anything that we do,or are we just we're?
Speaker 3 (24:38):
pretty indulgent, that's what I say.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Are we?
Do we have the opposite problemBecause, at the end of the day,
I would think that fasting fromyour time would be a big deal
Meaning we're only here for afew hours a week that we get
together as brethren.
So when we have gospel meetingsthat last a whole week or last
(25:01):
multiple days, that's a reallygood example, John.
Are you fasting from yourpersonal time to come together
with brethren?
Are you making the time and theeffort to give up of your own
personal time to assemble withthe saints?
And I think that's maybe anexample today where we are
really bad at giving up ourSunday nap for a group meeting
(25:25):
or something right, or we kindof hold on tight to our time.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
I am fasting from my nap today to record this Exactly
, I am so righteous.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
So, but now are we trying to redefine what fasting
is.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
Well, conceptually, it's replacing something of
lesser importance and comfortwith something of greater
importance.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
I'm being.
I'm being a simpleton here, butwhen you look in scripture it
doesn't say and then he fastedfrom anything other than food
and water.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
Yeah, but without a command to do it.
I'm looking for the principleand the value behind it.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
So if there's principle, I think it can be
extrapolated.
Sure, yeah, but how far do youextrapolate?
Speaker 1 (26:01):
As far as I want to To hold you in judgment.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
Yes, yes, of course I'm just saying are we changing
the definition here from whatthe Bible says?
I agree with the principle.
Yeah, I look at my phone toomuch and I think that if I did
not do that and prayed instead,that that would be a worthwhile
endeavor.
But am I using fasting in thesame way that the Bible uses the
(26:25):
term fast, just like the wordmiracle?
Yeah, we right, we saysomething is a miracle.
You know, he survived that caraccident.
It's a miracle.
Well, you know.
Is it a miracle in the samesense as, you know, peter and
John healed that guy at the gateand he just he never walked
before in his life and now hecan walk.
No, is it the providence of God?
Maybe, right?
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Yeah, but I also think it's very similar to like
head coverings and things where,culturally they have a certain
practice.
But what we can say is, is thefocus there was for respect and
for reverence, well, andacknowledging the distinction
(27:11):
between male and female, that byspeaking it or talking about it
, we're binding some sort oflegal term on some people and
I'm not saying this is one ofthose things.
I don't think this is somethingto bind on people to fast, but
I'm trying to extrapolate thevalue and principle God's given
us through this practice.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
Yeah, and certainly none of this should be what is
good for you, might not besomething that should be bound
upon another person, and I thinkNate is correct.
From a strictly technical sense, fasting in the Bible is
strictly about food.
Yeah, second Corinthians 7talks about the husband-wife
relationship and says that theyshould not deprive one another,
except for a time.
(27:49):
They don't talk about fastingfrom the sexual relationship,
they talk about abstaining.
Well, and what's it for thepurpose of?
For the purpose of for a timeof prayer.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
So it's the same concept, but they don't call it
fasting, right.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Right, that's a good point.
That's a good point.
Okay, totally beneath yourself.
Okay, everybody.
Point for John.
So now you know he has one fromand that we ought to practice
that individually.
We shouldn't bind it on others,because even the scripture
doesn't bind it on.
You know, god is not explicitin his instruction to New
(28:20):
Testament Christians like thoushalt fast, no, but we see it as
an example of when people werein stressful situations or there
was something that they reallywanted and they were asking God
for it, they fasted along withtheir prayer, and it was not
necessarily a public thing, itcertainly wasn't for a show, but
but it was something that they,that they did.
(28:42):
So I think that we would dowell to to fast, and I'm going
to throw down a challenge forthe three of us and anybody who
wants to join 70 hours, 68 hoursand one minute.
No, I was just going to say Ithink we should.
We should Fast for 24 hours.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Should we go backpacking next weekend?
No, can I?
Speaker 3 (29:04):
start after my draft, my fantasy draft.
That happens in a couple hours.
Tonight.
There's going to be chili there.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Oh yeah, he didn't say anything about chili.
Obviously that's a deal breaker.
That's perfectly fine, that'sperfectly acceptable.
No, but we should.
Yeah, obviously that's a dealbreaker that's perfectly fine,
that's perfectly acceptable.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
No, but we should.
We should plan that no weshould, and I'd like to, yeah,
and then I think that we shoulddocument our, our experience
with that, like, well, what is,what is the purpose of fasting,
what were the challenges that Iface and what did I do as, as as
a part of those challenges andeven better, how do we record a
podcast?
Wow, we're fasting to finish upour fast.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
It's like how bad would that episode be if we're
like jittering over it.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Oh, we'll have it.
Speaker 3 (29:44):
We'll have in and out sitting right there I get, I
get really angry by about hour12 no, no, oh, you already know,
okay, yeah, yeah and then itmellows out big that's right.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
Yeah, there you go the hunger pangs all right, you
set this up, and I'll I mean thefast like you set it up, man,
oh yeah, okay, okay, but we haveto pray.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
Together.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
Well, I mean, that's the whole point, right?
Well, you're just fasting forhealth, or you're fasting?
Speaker 2 (30:09):
for oh right.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
Yeah, we've got the.
We have the gospel meeting.
What were the team forum comingup?
Speaker 2 (30:19):
just tell all the kids fast and pray.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
We're not spending any money on this.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
We're fasting we're fasting.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
It's a good way to save some money.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
There you go, which we don't fund by the church, by
the way do you want to do theoutro, or I'm fasting from the
outro, so I think we should allfast.
We should, but it's not boundon any of us as necessary.
Well, nate, thanks for answeringthat question.
Hopefully we've answered thatquestion.
I think it is one of thoseprinciples and one of those
(30:47):
things that we don't think aboutvery often and we actually
should.
We should think about how to bemore disciplined and how to
focus more on God.
Be more disciplined and how tofocus more on God, but in the
context, there's lots of verseswhere we see topics that maybe
isn't a command and it's someprinciple we can learn from it.
So hopefully we've answeredthat question.
We want to thank everyone forlistening to the Exhorter
podcast.
If you have any more topicslike that you'd like to share
(31:08):
with us.
You can see us online.
You can go to the Facebook pagewebsite.
Just comment on any posts andwe'd love to hear from you, and
we have a few more topics comingup as we start this next season
of the Exhorter Podcast.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
Thank you for listening Like subscribe share
with your friends.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
Well, maybe, if you feel like you don't have time to
listen to our podcast, maybeyou can do a fast of your own,
like fast, or abstain from a TVshow like the Acolyte, or, and
instead listen to us.
Yeah, we're much more value toyour, to your soul, listening to
us than watching that pile ofgarbage.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
I did want to say something about this episode
though.
Yeah, that went by really fast.
Speaker 3 (31:51):
And for peanut butter cookies.
Those were okay, but peanutbutter cookies are kind of mid.
Oh, have her, have her do some.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
have her do some monster.
For peanut butter cookies.
Those were okay, but peanutbutter cookies are kind of mid
oh.
Have her do some monstercookies.
Have her do some monstercookies.
Poor Ashley, Ashley.
No, I said that they wereexecuted.
Well, Give me a cookie so I caneat it and say I like it Peanut
butter cookies are an inferiorcookie.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
I'm just saying that.
I told her that today they'redry.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Really you don't like peanut butter cookies?
I Really you don't like peanutbutter cookies.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
I told her the same thing today.
I said I'm not a big fan ofpeanut butter Honey cookie or
other ones.
Are you allowed to have?
Speaker 1 (32:19):
peanut butter cookies in your house.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
Doesn't this just make one of your kids blow up?
No, she's allergic to tree nuts, not fake nuts.
Peanuts aren't even nuts,they're a legume.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
They're a bean.
I could answer this like JordanPeterson.
That depends on what you meanby fasting, is it?
Just about the food.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
That was a bad.
That was not a good JordanPeterson, but it did sound like
another creepy person Bane itkind of sounded like Bane I was
born in the dark.
Speaker 3 (32:50):
I was born in the dark.
Or if you don't know how toanswer you can just get out of
it by cackling.
Is that a common one?
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Just get out of it by cackling.
Speaker 3 (32:57):
Is that a common one?
Speaker 2 (32:58):
Just get out of it by cackling, unburdened by your
burdens of time.
Welcome to the Exhorter podcast, where we aim
to serve love and good worksthrough bite-sized biblical
discussion.
Is that what we're doing?
That's what we're doing.
That's kind of the point ofthis, and when we say biblical
discussions, sometimes we don'thave all the answers, sometimes
we're not laying out everythingfor you, but we are aiming to
model biblical discussionsbetween brethren, ones who
(00:26):
actually like each other.
We're going to do that today,nate.
What topic are we going todiscuss and divide?
Speaker 2 (00:33):
This is where you should put in a really long
pause, yeah, and then afterwardsI'll say sorry, I was fasting
from words.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Oh, is that why you said bite-sized, bite-sized, yes
?
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Oh, we can't play that intro on this episode
because there will be no bitestaken.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
Aim to strip love and good works through moderately
Through time-restricted feedingwe want a sweet aroma without
partaking intermittently.
What is that calledIntermittent?
Speaker 2 (01:02):
fasting, yeah, intermittent fasting.
So we're just going to wait foranother.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
We're going to wait till noon before we can talk
about this.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
That's funny.
I just started, I was correctedthe other day.
We're talking about fastingeverybody, but I was corrected
the other day because I saidintermittent fasting and
somebody who knew more than mesaid no, no, no, no.
What you're describing is timerestricted feeding.
Oh, my bad.
What's the difference?
Well, now we're talking about,like you know, health.
Well, one is like I fast today,like 24 hours or 48 hours.
(01:31):
I'm going to do a fast right.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Did you punch that person hard?
Speaker 2 (01:35):
No, it was in a Zoom thing and they don't have a
punch icon.
They should, they should no,and so time-restricted feeding,
I guess, is where you know.
It's pretty self-explanatory,right?
Speaker 1 (01:47):
You only eat during a certain time Between two time
periods.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Yeah, no, you only eat between one time period,
john.
That doesn't make sense.
Okay, block your time.
Yeah, blocked eating.
Well, what does that have to dowith the Bible?
Yeah, yeah, good, good point,okay.
So we got a question after lastseason.
That was how come Jesus sayswhen you fast and not if you
(02:12):
fast, but when you fast?
Isn't he implying that fastinghas a place in our prayer life?
Yet it seems like we completelyignore the topic.
It's never mentioned ordiscussed and believers say we
don't have to fast.
But then why are there so manyexamples of fasting?
And the main question is whydoes Jesus say in the new
Testament when you fast,implying that you're going to
(02:34):
fast right?
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Yeah, and I just want to say that, yes, those were
actual words from a listener,and you can do that.
You can ask us questions andyou can submit ideas, and we
would love to hear your ideasand your questions and to design
some topics around them.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
So John would love to hear them.
I don't know, he doesn't care.
Yeah, he's going to do it now.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
He cares about this one Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep, yep
, yep.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Yep, yep, yep.
Class on fasting.
So there's 132 references tofasting in the scriptures, 92 in
the Old Testament, 40 in theNew.
I went through most of those.
About half of them are just thephrase hold fast to Okay and so
(03:16):
that's not actually likefasting, right.
So about half of those arereferring to actual fasting and
the first reference I found tofasting is can anybody guess?
The first reference to fastingin scripture.
Okay, well, it comes beforethat, okay.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Probably somewhere in .
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Genesis.
So I read it in Exodus, whenMoses is up on the mountain and
he's getting the tablets for thesecond time and he fasts for 40
days and for 40 nights.
And I believe that's in Exodus34.
Let me read that.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
So he dies 40 days and 40 nights.
That's a long time.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
That is a long time, so he was there with the Lord 40
days and 40 nights.
He did not eat bread or drinkwater and he wrote on the
tablets the words of thecovenant, the 10 commandments,
so that to me that's likemiraculous right, because from
what I understand I've nevertried this Four days without
water and you'll die.
Speaker 1 (04:12):
Yeah, that's what I've heard.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
So obviously Moses lived out.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
I mean, he lived a lot longer than us too, so maybe
the days are all dead.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
So I think that in that way that was miraculous.
But like we think about whatwas Moses doing on the mountain?
He was obviously, veryliterally close to God, in the
presence of God.
That's the first instance offasting, that it's people in
distress, uh.
So, for instance, like, let'sgo to first, first Samuel.
(04:52):
Uh, so first Samuel, chapterseven, verse six.
Uh, well, we'll start at versefive.
Then Samuel said gather allIsrael to Mizpah and I will pray
to the Lord for you.
They gathered at Mizpah anddrew water and poured it out
before the Lord and fasted onthat day and said there we have
sinned against the Lord.
And Samuel judged the sons ofIsrael at Mizpah.
(05:13):
And so the Israelites hadsinned and they were confessing
their sin, they were feelingguilty for that, and so one of
the things they did, associatedwith that, was that they fasted.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Was that culturally at the time?
Was One of the things they did?
Associated with that was thatthey fasted.
Was that culturally at the time?
Was that something that we'rejust not reading in the Bible,
that they had previously done?
Was it something that maybethey've done since Moses?
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Well, okay, so I'm curious.
So, speaking of that, go toLeviticus 16.
Okay, so in Leviticus 16, onthe day of when God is
instituting the day of atonement, he uses an interesting phrase
there, verse 29.
He says this shall be apermanent statute for you.
In the seventh month, on the10th day of the month, you shall
(05:53):
humble your souls and not doany work, whether the native or
the alien who sojourns among you.
For it is on this day thatatonement shall be made for you
to cleanse you.
You will be clean from all yoursins before the Lord.
So that phrase, humble yoursouls.
There's another version readsafflict yourselves.
I think it's the ESV.
It says afflict yourselves, andmy footnote on that said fast,
(06:16):
and so you can go to.
There are multiple references tothe day of atonement, and even
in Acts, chapter 27, paul refersto.
Well, we can just turn overthere.
In Acts, chapter 27, in verse 9, he says something about after
the fast.
Well, what fast was he talkingabout?
He was talking about the day ofatonement, okay.
So Acts chapter 27, in verse 9.
When considerable time hadpassed and the voyage was now
(06:36):
dangerous, since even the fastwas already over.
So this was talking about atime of year and, I believe,
paul's traveling by ship here.
Paul began to admonish them sothat fast again.
My footnote says the Day ofAtonement, in September or
October, and so these are thefirst references to fasting that
(06:59):
we see.
As far as like a commandment tofast in the Old Testament is
concerned, this one on the Dayof Atonement is the only one
that I found.
Most of the other references tofasting are people who are in
distress, seeking God, or arefeeling guilty and remorseful,
and so are fasting and prayingas they repent.
(07:22):
Kyle, what were you going tosay?
Speaker 3 (07:24):
None of the Bible examples are for health reasons.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
Oh, that's a great point.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
I'll point that one out just as a side note.
Yeah, yeah, not that it's wrongto fast for health reasons, but
if that's not right either,sorry, yeah, yeah, yeah, leave
me alone now, john, who hasnever gone more than six hours.
I think it's closer to two.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Yeah than six hours.
I think it's closer to two.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Yeah, wow, oh, that hurt, john, don't throw things.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
No, but I just I just wanted to say that because I
know it is you talked aboutintermittent fasting or what
what, what was?
The time restricted feeding.
Time restricted feeding Ifyou're going to be a little
picky about it.
I know that's been trendy.
I've done some of that.
I've gone on 36, 48 hour fastjust for the experience of it,
but don't confuse that with whatthe purpose of fasting in the
(08:15):
Bible is.
So it's totally fine if that'ssomething you're doing for
health reasons, but unless,typically, every example is
going to be associated withprayer and the New Testament
examples, especially the timesthat fasting is mentioned, it's
almost always not exclusively,but almost always mentioned in
the same breath as prayer.
(08:37):
Prayer and fasting, so they gohand in hand together.
My understanding I've alwaystried to simplify it as simply
this, a classic example whenDavid committed adultery with
Bathsheba and the child was sick, oh, he fasted.
He fasted, yes, yes, until hewas told the child.
And so the point is what was hedoing, though?
(08:59):
Was he just not eating, butotherwise caring about his day?
What was he doing with his time?
Well, he was fasting andpraying.
He was praying, and so that is agreat example, and in my
oversimplification of it, it'sjust in a time of distress, I am
devoted so much to prayer andGod that my physical needs take
a back seat.
I don't even want to beinterrupted for my prayers to
(09:21):
feed my body, because my souland the needs of my soul are
much more important.
My relationship with God is indistress, or I'm in distress,
and I need that connection toGod.
I need a prayer, I need thatemphasis to the exclusion of
even physical necessities.
So that's how I tend tosimplify the concept of fasting
(09:43):
and why it's usually almostexclusively, but usually,
associated with prayer.
Yeah, because you're abstainingfrom food by replacing it with
prayer.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Yeah, yeah, that's interesting.
When you brought up David, hefasted and prayed while the
child was still alive, hopingthat maybe God would have mercy
and let the child live.
And the child didn't pass, orthe child didn't live, he passed
, and so you know.
Then David got up and andwashed and everything but, but
he fasted along with that prayer, almost as if to say like I'm
(10:17):
really serious about thispraying, that I'm doing, like
I'm trying to get close to God.
And in multiple passages that Ilooked up in 2 Samuel 12,
that's the one you're referringto, with David seeking God.
In 2 Chronicles 20, jehoshaphatis asking for help as they're
(10:40):
about to be attacked.
The word sought or seeking isused.
They were seeking somethingfrom God and they were trying to
get closer to him.
And as a way to get closer tohim or to show that they're
really serious about thispetition or this request, they
were fasting.
In Matthew 6, when you fast, Ijust look at like sound Bible
(11:11):
study principles.
Is Jesus talking directly to me?
No, he's not.
Who's he talking to?
He's talking to an audience ofJews, and so this was obviously
something of culturalsignificance to the Jewish
people.
This is something that wascommanded as a part of the day
of atonement and that they hadhad examples of, and so it was
(11:32):
assumed for them that they wouldbe fasting because they were.
They were Jewish and that waspart of what they did.
But I don't think that he'snecessarily saying to you and to
me that you and I have to fast.
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Well, the Pharisees made it a custom, I believe, on
Mondays and Thursdays, and sothat's where you get Jesus'
story there in Luke, chapter 18,about the Pharisee and the tax
collector.
And the self-righteous prayerof the Pharisee was you know,
I'm glad I'm not like this loserover here God, you're lucky to
have me on your team and he saysI fast twice a week and I give
(12:13):
tithes of all that I possess.
So for them the routineness offasting was more of an external,
and that's what Jesus condemnedlike in the Sermon on the Mount
.
It's like you put on this bigshow.
You come out all gloomy looking, your hair messed up, you're
unshaven and your clothes are amess, and people can tell he
must be fasting today.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
You're putting on a show and they put the ash on the
faces and so that's thedisfigure it talks about in that
verse, right?
That's where they disfiguretheir faces and their fasting
may be seen by others.
So, contextually, another pointis, when you find a verse like
this, we all look at fasting andwe go what's this fasting?
And we get so focused on thatthat we forget that.
(12:53):
Therefore, or the context andthe purpose of this one, which
is don't do things to be seen ofmen, yeah, if it's just
something you do.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
I mean this falls in line with those weirdos that
like to whip themselves on theback till they start bleeding.
Self-mutilation yeah you almostthink that that will get God's
attention, and God's not wantingus to be masochistic, he says
you don't need to hurt yourselfto get my attention.
Yeah, harsh treatment of thebody.
So if that's what this is, ifit becomes routine or it becomes
(13:23):
something, but typically it'sassociated with prayer, because
it's just a way of saying I'mputting prayer and God as the
thing that I rely upon, this iskind of big deal for me when I
think about another.
To me, another related topic isgluttony, something I've
struggled with.
And okay, insert fat joke, goahead, okay.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
I mean, you got me just like five seconds ago.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
I have lost 50 pounds since moving to California.
That's why he brought this up.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
He just did what they did there.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Let me sound the trumpet for you viewers at home.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Listeners tell me that you're fasting.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
But this has been a longtime struggle of mine and
it's something that's so easy tojoke about.
What's your comfort food?
Okay, in a certain level,there's nothing that insidious
about having a comfort food oreating something just to soften
the edge.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
There is a pile of cookies on Kyle's table right
now Just saying Keep going, Kyle.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
That's why neither of us are touching them.
We've had two fat jokes labelagainst us in a second ago.
Sorry, continue.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Get behind me Satan.
But the point is, on a certainlevel it's not that big a deal
to have some comfort food, andit's not always a wrong thing.
But I found myself turning tofood first and it became the
thing that I leaned upon intimes of distress instead of God
.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
Yeah, you can make anything an idol.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
That's where I needed to learn to.
I need to sustain myself on him.
So I need those times of prayerwhere I just don't even think
about food.
Where it's, I don't have timeto stop and eat.
I don't have time for this, Iam too busy.
I need to keep praying becausethis is the thing that will get
me through, not food.
Food is just.
It's a patch of duct tape on abattleship.
(15:11):
It's not going to fix theproblem.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
So here's a question.
I have like three of them.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
I'm six foot three.
Speaker 2 (15:19):
Yeah, okay, not that kind of question.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
How does God feel about us when we fast for the
right reason?
If it's from your heart, justlike your prayer is, then I
think that's like a goodsacrifice, right.
It's going to be well-received.
I think he's going tounderstand you're trying to.
The whole point of fasting isto focus on God and put things
off.
So if you have a problem withtechnology and you're going to
fast from technology for a while.
I think any sense of developingbetter discipline when it comes
(15:50):
to righteousness and beingfocused on God, godly things and
focused on God he's going tounderstand and he's going to
agree with and value.
I think it's different foreveryone.
I think everyone's got thosethings that become distractions
to them and they can be overlyfocused on.
Could be food, Could betechnology, could be recreation.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Yeah, but in the scripture when it talks about
fasting it doesn't talk aboutwell, I fasted from riding my
donkey, because I really like toride my donkey.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
But culturally they knew what this meant.
Jesus is teaching a principlehere of not doing things for
vanity purposes and doing thingsfor us, and so the principle I
can get from this is stillvaluable to me, whether or not
culturally, I continue thepractices from the Old Testament
.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
Well, I heard a really good podcast about this
on a little show called ExcelStill More, oh, yeah, yeah,
which.
If you only have time for onepodcast, you should really
listen to that one.
But if you have time for twopodcasts, we're glad you're here
.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
Welcome to the Exhorted Podcast.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Oh man, that was pretty good.
You're welcome, chris, chris.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
Emerson did a really good episode about.
He called it a 30-day fast andI was like whoa, okay, like I've
done like 48 hours, you knownot to brag.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Hang on Speaking of bragging.
I did 67 hours and 22 minutesone time Just saying, and then I
have not eating.
Yeah, just water, just justwhat coffee.
Speaker 1 (17:13):
I had black coffee.
Okay, well, I can live oncoffee.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
Yeah, black, black, black coffee doesn't end a fast.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Okay, I got to beat that now I got to beat that now.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
All right, let's go.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
You're doing that, that for the wrong purposes.
Speaker 3 (17:26):
Okay, so 30 days you must.
Be so, spiritual Nate, I'mgoing to do that and then tell
everyone that I did that.
Speaker 1 (17:32):
That makes me totally , I was just trying to one-up
Kyle.
He's so righteous.
I was just trying to one-upKyle.
I want to be righteous like him, let's do it.
Speaker 3 (17:41):
Well, he did this, called the 30-day fast, but it
wasn't a food fast, he wastalking about a digital fast.
Food fast, he was talking abouta digital fast, oh yeah.
And he said for for an entiremonth.
Just see how, how differentyour life will be, what a
difference this will make Ifanytime you are inclined to pick
up your phone for you don'thave a purpose, like you're not
looking up an address ordirections or calling or texting
someone that you need to, youjust want to, like mindlessly,
(18:02):
open up your phone and scroll.
Don't and use that time praying, even if it's just like 60
seconds, because, look, I'm inan elevator for 25 seconds.
I'm bored.
I pull out my phone, yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:13):
That's stupid.
That's because we, as humanbeings, hate boredom, so silence
.
Speaker 3 (18:20):
But I just thought that was such an interesting
concept because it takes theprinciple of the fast, where you
take something that isfrivolous, that gives you some
level of comfort, but youexchange it for something that
is of true value, as is usuallythe case prayer and I thought,
well, it's just instead of food,you're just doing something
else, and for a lot of peopleit's like for me, food is the
(18:41):
problem, but I do look at myphone a little too much too, and
so I like that idea where hekind of takes a different twist,
but on the same concept ofyou're fasting something, you're
removing something andreplacing it with something of
greater value or importance.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
That's a great point.
It's a good thing that you guysaren't like very loquacious,
because then we'd never getanything done.
But my original question waswhat does God think about
Equatious?
Speaker 1 (19:10):
means talk a lot.
I think it was a knock againstyou.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
No, I was talking about you.
Well, John, you talk a lot tooI don't.
Why do?
Speaker 3 (19:17):
you use words when few do trick.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
I learned that word in seventh grade.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
English Okay.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Miss.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Peters, she's a very good vocabulary teacher.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
We're doing a podcast right now, so so that's the
point, oh talking.
The point is to talk, oh manokay, all right.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
well, anyways, my initial question was um, what
does god think about us when wefast?
And the answer is actually inthat the passage that's in
question here, matthew 6, uhverse 17 and 18 when you fast,
anoint your head, wash your face, don't do it for show, that's
me, uh, so that your fastingwill not be noticed by men, but
by your father, who is in secret, and your father, who sees what
(19:52):
is done in secret, will rewardyou.
God obviously looks positivelyon fasting when it is done for
the right reason, and I thinkthat we can gather that from
this verse without without muchquestion.
So my next question is do wehave to fast?
Speaker 1 (20:05):
Well, I mean, do our?
Is fasting open tointerpretation?
Well, not interpretation, butum, shifting the subject of
fasting, is it a command to fast?
Speaker 3 (20:17):
I don't think we have a command to fast, I think the
I think you're missing out andpossibly your spiritual life is
out of balance if you're not,the example of it is given for
and is profitable.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
But I don't see there's a command to fast or not
be acceptable.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
You know, in a certain way, but I think there's
value of it.
What were some other examplesfrom the New Testament?
Didn't they pray and fastbefore sending up Paul and
Barnabas?
Speaker 2 (20:41):
on their missionary journey and before appointing
men for jobs.
When there was something bigand important coming up, they
would pray and fast.
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Would it be inappropriate?
We're sending the Scots, that'sScott Willie, scott Young, to
the Philippines in January.
Would it be out of line tosuggest that the week before
we're going to spend a day ofprayer for their benefit, and
and we encourage fasting, yeah,would that be inappropriate?
Speaker 2 (21:14):
I don't think it would be inappropriate, I think
it would be.
I think it would be perfectlybiblical to suggest that.
And and here's a like, amisconception about fasting Kyle
with his week 48 hours and mewith my strong 67.
Like, it's not about how muchtime you spend, but what you do
with it.
Fasting, well, like the day ofatonement, it was just from one
evening to the next evening asKyle takes a bite of peanut
(21:37):
butter cookie.
It was just from one evening tothe next.
It was just.
It was just one day.
Yeah, and you know.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
I think fasting is a great um example and opportunity
to help one make sure that theyare focused clearly on the goal
at hand.
So if you have a problem withthat, if you have a problem with
focusing on the goal andpraying and devoting some time,
getting together to break breadand have a meal was a lot of
(22:07):
their socialization and it isfor us too.
We get together and we want toeat together and we want to go
out to lunch and we want to dothose things.
Sometimes not having a mealtogether feels like an awkward
time or that we're not spendingeach other.
So I think the point is is don'tfill up that time with social
(22:28):
things that don't allow you tofocus on the point that you have
in hand.
So, coming together andremoving food from the equation
and removing drink from theequation and removing anything
else, you have a dedicatedamount of time to really just
focus on what is necessary inhand, which is prayer, which is
focusing on God, and so I thinkthat it's a tool and it can be
(22:51):
definitely used for that, but Ithink you can find yourself
doing the same thing withremoving the thing from your
life that is distracting andkeeping you from focusing on God
, which could be technology, itcould be anything Other than the
Day of Atonement.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
there never really was a time limit on how long a
fast should be, it could be asingle meal.
You skip a single meal, so itdoesn't have to be like this all
day.
How would you feel, john, if Iinvited your family over for
dinner and it was like a baitand switch.
You got there, there was nofood and I said we're going to
pray for the next hour and fast,have you not?
Speaker 1 (23:25):
done that.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
No, we all have kids.
We know how that would end up.
No, but for for the adults.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
Yeah, I think that would be um would God not listen
to you if you were eating aslice of pizza as you prayed,
like did the opposite of fastingwith prayer?
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Isn't that?
Wouldn't, we consider that rude.
Like to each other.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Is there that rude like to each other?
If I was like stuffing my?
But that's our cultural thing.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
So we're not supposed to eat well with something in
your mouth.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
He doesn't mind.
As long as it's pepperoni, Ithink fasting is super
profitable and super underrated,and I feel like we should
probably find more ways If wewant to be disciplined people,
disciplinely minded people.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
Culturally, I think for the Jews it was a bigger
thing, but I do think it stillhas a place in our uh spiritual
walk today, and it wasassociated with godliness, um.
In luke, chapter two, there'sthe prophetess anna, who was in
the temple daily and and prayingand fasting daily, um, and and
that was associated with withgodliness, so so I think fasting
(24:26):
is something that we shouldprobably do more of.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Is there anything that we do today?
That's like fasting in our ownculture.
Is there anything that we do,or are we just we're?
Speaker 3 (24:38):
pretty indulgent, that's what I say.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Are we?
Do we have the opposite problemBecause, at the end of the day,
I would think that fasting fromyour time would be a big deal
Meaning we're only here for afew hours a week that we get
together as brethren.
So when we have gospel meetingsthat last a whole week or last
(25:01):
multiple days, that's a reallygood example, John.
Are you fasting from yourpersonal time to come together
with brethren?
Are you making the time and theeffort to give up of your own
personal time to assemble withthe saints?
And I think that's maybe anexample today where we are
really bad at giving up ourSunday nap for a group meeting
(25:25):
or something right, or we kindof hold on tight to our time.
Speaker 3 (25:29):
I am fasting from my nap today to record this Exactly
, I am so righteous.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
So, but now are we trying to redefine what fasting
is.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
Well, conceptually, it's replacing something of
lesser importance and comfortwith something of greater
importance.
Speaker 2 (25:43):
I'm being.
I'm being a simpleton here, butwhen you look in scripture it
doesn't say and then he fastedfrom anything other than food
and water.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
Yeah, but without a command to do it.
I'm looking for the principleand the value behind it.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
So if there's principle, I think it can be
extrapolated.
Sure, yeah, but how far do youextrapolate?
Speaker 1 (26:01):
As far as I want to To hold you in judgment.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
Yes, yes, of course I'm just saying are we changing
the definition here from whatthe Bible says?
I agree with the principle.
Yeah, I look at my phone toomuch and I think that if I did
not do that and prayed instead,that that would be a worthwhile
endeavor.
But am I using fasting in thesame way that the Bible uses the
(26:25):
term fast, just like the wordmiracle?
Yeah, we right, we saysomething is a miracle.
You know, he survived that caraccident.
It's a miracle.
Well, you know.
Is it a miracle in the samesense as, you know, peter and
John healed that guy at the gateand he just he never walked
before in his life and now hecan walk.
No, is it the providence of God?
Maybe, right?
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Yeah, but I also think it's very similar to like
head coverings and things where,culturally they have a certain
practice.
But what we can say is, is thefocus there was for respect and
for reverence, well, andacknowledging the distinction
(27:11):
between male and female, that byspeaking it or talking about it
, we're binding some sort oflegal term on some people and
I'm not saying this is one ofthose things.
I don't think this is somethingto bind on people to fast, but
I'm trying to extrapolate thevalue and principle God's given
us through this practice.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
Yeah, and certainly none of this should be what is
good for you, might not besomething that should be bound
upon another person, and I thinkNate is correct.
From a strictly technical sense, fasting in the Bible is
strictly about food.
Yeah, second Corinthians 7talks about the husband-wife
relationship and says that theyshould not deprive one another,
except for a time.
(27:49):
They don't talk about fastingfrom the sexual relationship,
they talk about abstaining.
Well, and what's it for thepurpose of?
For the purpose of for a timeof prayer.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
So it's the same concept, but they don't call it
fasting, right.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Right, that's a good point.
That's a good point.
Okay, totally beneath yourself.
Okay, everybody.
Point for John.
So now you know he has one fromand that we ought to practice
that individually.
We shouldn't bind it on others,because even the scripture
doesn't bind it on.
You know, god is not explicitin his instruction to New
(28:20):
Testament Christians like thoushalt fast, no, but we see it as
an example of when people werein stressful situations or there
was something that they reallywanted and they were asking God
for it, they fasted along withtheir prayer, and it was not
necessarily a public thing, itcertainly wasn't for a show, but
but it was something that they,that they did.
(28:42):
So I think that we would dowell to to fast, and I'm going
to throw down a challenge forthe three of us and anybody who
wants to join 70 hours, 68 hoursand one minute.
No, I was just going to say Ithink we should.
We should Fast for 24 hours.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Should we go backpacking next weekend?
No, can I?
Speaker 3 (29:04):
start after my draft, my fantasy draft.
That happens in a couple hours.
Tonight.
There's going to be chili there.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Oh yeah, he didn't say anything about chili.
Obviously that's a deal breaker.
That's perfectly fine, that'sperfectly acceptable.
No, but we should.
Yeah, obviously that's a dealbreaker that's perfectly fine,
that's perfectly acceptable.
Speaker 2 (29:19):
No, but we should.
We should plan that no weshould, and I'd like to, yeah,
and then I think that we shoulddocument our, our experience
with that, like, well, what is,what is the purpose of fasting,
what were the challenges that Iface and what did I do as, as as
a part of those challenges andeven better, how do we record a
podcast?
Wow, we're fasting to finish upour fast.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
It's like how bad would that episode be if we're
like jittering over it.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
Oh, we'll have it.
Speaker 3 (29:44):
We'll have in and out sitting right there I get, I
get really angry by about hour12 no, no, oh, you already know,
okay, yeah, yeah and then itmellows out big that's right.
Speaker 1 (29:53):
Yeah, there you go the hunger pangs all right, you
set this up, and I'll I mean thefast like you set it up, man,
oh yeah, okay, okay, but we haveto pray.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
Together.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
Well, I mean, that's the whole point, right?
Well, you're just fasting forhealth, or you're fasting?
Speaker 2 (30:09):
for oh right.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
Yeah, we've got the.
We have the gospel meeting.
What were the team forum comingup?
Speaker 2 (30:19):
just tell all the kids fast and pray.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
We're not spending any money on this.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
We're fasting we're fasting.
Speaker 3 (30:24):
It's a good way to save some money.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
There you go, which we don't fund by the church, by
the way do you want to do theoutro, or I'm fasting from the
outro, so I think we should allfast.
We should, but it's not boundon any of us as necessary.
Well, nate, thanks for answeringthat question.
Hopefully we've answered thatquestion.
I think it is one of thoseprinciples and one of those
(30:47):
things that we don't think aboutvery often and we actually
should.
We should think about how to bemore disciplined and how to
focus more on God.
Be more disciplined and how tofocus more on God, but in the
context, there's lots of verseswhere we see topics that maybe
isn't a command and it's someprinciple we can learn from it.
So hopefully we've answeredthat question.
We want to thank everyone forlistening to the Exhorter
podcast.
If you have any more topicslike that you'd like to share
(31:08):
with us.
You can see us online.
You can go to the Facebook pagewebsite.
Just comment on any posts andwe'd love to hear from you, and
we have a few more topics comingup as we start this next season
of the Exhorter Podcast.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
Thank you for listening Like subscribe share
with your friends.
Speaker 3 (31:25):
Well, maybe, if you feel like you don't have time to
listen to our podcast, maybeyou can do a fast of your own,
like fast, or abstain from a TVshow like the Acolyte, or, and
instead listen to us.
Yeah, we're much more value toyour, to your soul, listening to
us than watching that pile ofgarbage.
Speaker 2 (31:43):
I did want to say something about this episode
though.
Yeah, that went by really fast.
Speaker 3 (31:51):
And for peanut butter cookies.
Those were okay, but peanutbutter cookies are kind of mid.
Oh, have her, have her do some.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
have her do some monster.
For peanut butter cookies.
Those were okay, but peanutbutter cookies are kind of mid
oh.
Have her do some monstercookies.
Have her do some monstercookies.
Poor Ashley, Ashley.
No, I said that they wereexecuted.
Well, Give me a cookie so I caneat it and say I like it Peanut
butter cookies are an inferiorcookie.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
I'm just saying that.
I told her that today they'redry.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Really you don't like peanut butter cookies?
I Really you don't like peanutbutter cookies.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
I told her the same thing today.
I said I'm not a big fan ofpeanut butter Honey cookie or
other ones.
Are you allowed to have?
Speaker 1 (32:19):
peanut butter cookies in your house.
Speaker 2 (32:21):
Doesn't this just make one of your kids blow up?
No, she's allergic to tree nuts, not fake nuts.
Peanuts aren't even nuts,they're a legume.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
They're a bean.
I could answer this like JordanPeterson.
That depends on what you meanby fasting, is it?
Just about the food.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
That was a bad.
That was not a good JordanPeterson, but it did sound like
another creepy person Bane itkind of sounded like Bane I was
born in the dark.
Speaker 3 (32:50):
I was born in the dark.
Or if you don't know how toanswer you can just get out of
it by cackling.
Is that a common one?
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (32:57):
Just get out of it by cackling.
Speaker 3 (32:57):
Is that a common one?
Speaker 2 (32:58):
Just get out of it by cackling, unburdened by your
burdens of time.
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