Definition and Significance:
Fasting, in the biblical context, refers to the voluntary abstention from food, and sometimes drink, for a specific period of time. It is a spiritual discipline practiced by individuals and communities to seek God's guidance, express repentance, or prepare for a significant spiritual event. Fasting is often accompanied by prayer and is seen as a means to humble oneself before God, heightening spiritual awareness and dependence on Him.

Biblical Instances of Fasting:

1. Moses' Fast:
Moses fasted for forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai as he received the Law from God. This period of fasting was marked by intense communion with God and is recorded in Exodus 34:28: "So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments."

2. David's Fast:
King David fasted as an expression of repentance and intercession. In 2 Samuel 12:16, after the sin with Bathsheba and the illness of their child, it is written: "David pleaded with God for the child; he fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground."

3. Esther's Fast:
Queen Esther called for a fast among the Jews in Susa before she approached King Xerxes to plead for her people. Esther 4:16 states: "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

4. Jesus' Fast:
Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness before beginning His public ministry. This period of fasting was a time of preparation and testing, as recorded in Matthew 4:2: "After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry."

5. The Early Church:
The early Christians practiced fasting as part of their spiritual discipline. In Acts 13:2-3, the church in Antioch fasted and prayed before sending out Barnabas and Saul (Paul) on their missionary journey: "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' So after they had fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on them and sent them off."

Purpose and Practice:
Fasting serves multiple purposes in the biblical narrative. It is a means of seeking divine intervention, expressing grief or repentance, and preparing for spiritual endeavors. The practice of fasting is often linked with humility and a sincere heart, as emphasized in Joel 2:12-13: "'Even now,' declares the LORD, 'return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.' Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion."

Warnings and Misuse:
While fasting is a powerful spiritual tool, the Bible warns against its misuse. Fasting should not be performed for outward show or self-righteousness. Jesus cautioned against hypocritical fasting in Matthew 6:16-18: "When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Conclusion:
Fasting remains a significant spiritual practice within Christianity, serving as a means to draw closer to God, seek His will, and express devotion. It is a discipline that, when practiced with the right heart, aligns believers with God's purposes and deepens their spiritual walk.(imp. & p. p.) of Fast.3522. nesteuo -- to fast
... abstain from food. Word Origin from nestis Definition to fast NASB Word Usage
fast (14), fasted (2), fasting (4). to fast. From nestis ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3522.htm - 7k6684. tsum -- to abstain from food, fast
... 6683, 6684. tsum. 6685 . to abstain from food, fast. Transliteration: tsum
Phonetic Spelling: (tsoom) Short Definition: fasted. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/6684.htm - 6k

6685. tsom -- fasting, a fast
... Word Origin from tsum Definition fasting, a fast NASB Word Usage fast (17),
fasted* (1), fasting (7), times of fasting (1). fasting. ...
/hebrew/6685.htm - 6k

Mattidia Has Unintentionally Fasted one Day.
... Homily XIII. Chapter XI."Mattidia Has Unintentionally Fasted One Day.
"But since your mother has real confidence in the efficacy ...
/.../the clementine homilies/chapter xi mattidia has unintentionally fasted.htm

How St Francis Passed the Time of Lent in an Island, on the Lake ...
... LITTLE FLOWERS OF SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI CHAPTER VII HOW ST FRANCIS PASSED THE
TIME OF LENT IN AN ISLAND, ON THE LAKE OF PERUGIA, WHERE HE FASTED FORTY DAYS ...
/.../the little flowers of st francis of assisi/chapter vii how st francis.htm

First Sunday in Lent. Then was Jesus Led up of the Spirit into the ...
... And he fasted forty days and forty nights. ... And he fasted forty days and
forty nights. From the Gospel. [Matt.4:1-2]. 10,10,10,10. ...
/.../winkworth/lyra germanica the christian year/first sunday in lent then.htm

Whether Christ's Temptation Should have Taken Place after his Fast ...
... xvi inn Evang.) explains the fact that "He fasted forty days and forty nights,"
saying that "during that time He partook of no food whatever." It seems ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether christs temptation should have.htm

The Holy Spirit Sending Men Forth to Definite Lines of Work.
... We read in Acts 13:2-4, "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost
said, Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called ...
/.../torrey/the person and work of the holy spirit/chapter xviii the holy spirit.htm

Separated unto the Holy Ghost
... and Saul. "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate
me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. ...
/.../murray/absolute surrender/separated unto the holy ghost.htm

Preface to the Benedictine Edition.
... discourse against the Jews, held in the month of September of the year 386, Chrysostom
in reproving many of the Christians at Antioch who fasted and kept ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/preface to the benedictine edition.htm

Acts xii. 18, 19
... "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. ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily xxvii acts xii 18.htm

The Controversy Concerning Fasting
... He taught His disciples when they fasted to anoint their head and wash their
face. ... "When ye fasted and mourned, did ye at all fast unto me? ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 2 18 the controversy concerning.htm

First Missionary Journey Scripture
... The Call+ to this work was by the Holy Ghost in the city of Antioch (Acts 13:1-4).
Luke says, "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said ...
/.../sell/bible studies in the life of paul/study iii first missionary journey.htm

Fasted (20 Occurrences)
... (imp. & pp) of Fast. Multi-Version Concordance Fasted (20 Occurrences). Matthew
4:2 When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward. ...
/f/fasted.htm - 12k

Wept (78 Occurrences)
... Judges 20:26 Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came
to Bethel, and wept, and sat there before Yahweh, and fasted that day until ...
/w/wept.htm - 31k

Nights (27 Occurrences)
... Nights (27 Occurrences). Matthew 4:2 When he had fasted forty days and forty nights,
he was hungry afterward. (WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). ...
/n/nights.htm - 14k

Abstinence (2 Occurrences)
... grow cold and formal. `Wherefore have we fasted and thou seest not?' the
exiled Jews cry in their captivity. `We have humbled our ...
/a/abstinence.htm - 25k

Mourned (54 Occurrences)
... 2 Samuel 1:12 They mourned, and wept, and fasted until evening, for Saul, and for
Jonathan his son, and for the people of Yahweh, and for the house of Israel ...
/m/mourned.htm - 23k

Fast (157 Occurrences)
... 10:2, 3). Moses fasted forty days (Exodus 24:18; 34:28), and so also did Elijah
(1 Kings 19:8). Our Lord fasted forty days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2). ...
/f/fast.htm - 49k

Jabesh (21 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV). 1 Samuel 31:13 They took their bones,
and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days. ...
/j/jabesh.htm - 14k

Bones (98 Occurrences)
... (KJV WBS YLT). 1 Samuel 31:13 They took their bones, and buried them under
the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days. (WEB ...
/b/bones.htm - 40k

Besought (57 Occurrences)
... 2 Samuel 12:16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and
went in, and lay all night upon the earth. (KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS RSV). ...
/b/besought.htm - 23k

Nehemiah (9 Occurrences)
... with sadness of heart. For many days he fasted and mourned and prayed for
the place of his fathers' sepulchres. At length the king ...
/n/nehemiah.htm - 24k

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