FASTING FOR REAL (10 OF 52)
Scripture: Isaiah 58:1-12
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Fasting for Real (10 of 52)
Series: Lectionary, Year A
Christopher B. Harbin
Isaiah 58:1-12
When we hear of fasting, we think of denial. We consider giving up things essential to life: food and drink. We consider fasting a very spiritual practice that perhaps only the ultra-spiritual would take to heart. We can perhaps imagine someone fasting one day a week during Lent or skipping a meal. Beyond that, we just don't think too much about it. John Wesley fasted two days a week, which to us seems odd, eccentric, and perhaps even showy. Could there possibly be more to it than those considerations?
In Ancient Israel, there were times of fasting proclaimed by the kings, by prophets, and by other leaders in special times of distress. People would vow not to eat as a demonstration of their dedication to Yahweh or in seeking deliverance or guidance in a tricky context. They lived in subsistence conditions that made fasting a much bigger deal than it would be for most of us. Depriving themselves of food for a day is one thing when we are mostly overweight to begin with. It is another thing altogether when most of the population rarely gets enough to eat.
When the nation came together for a proclaimed fast, it was a big deal. Perhaps it did not impact the wealthy as much as the poor, but it was understood to make a big statement. In the fast, they called upon Yahweh to listen to their cries, understand their distress, and intervene on their behalf. Just as a hunger strike is used today to gather attention to a specific issue and demand change, so a national fast might be proclaimed as a means of putting pressure on Yahweh to respond to their cries.
The prophets were not impressed. Isaiah declared that using a fast in as a tool to manipulate Yahweh was worse than a worthless exercise. All the shows of faith, ritual, rite, and ceremony were pointless if they were done to get something from God. They were proclaiming fasts to pressure Yahweh when they should have ...
Series: Lectionary, Year A
Christopher B. Harbin
Isaiah 58:1-12
When we hear of fasting, we think of denial. We consider giving up things essential to life: food and drink. We consider fasting a very spiritual practice that perhaps only the ultra-spiritual would take to heart. We can perhaps imagine someone fasting one day a week during Lent or skipping a meal. Beyond that, we just don't think too much about it. John Wesley fasted two days a week, which to us seems odd, eccentric, and perhaps even showy. Could there possibly be more to it than those considerations?
In Ancient Israel, there were times of fasting proclaimed by the kings, by prophets, and by other leaders in special times of distress. People would vow not to eat as a demonstration of their dedication to Yahweh or in seeking deliverance or guidance in a tricky context. They lived in subsistence conditions that made fasting a much bigger deal than it would be for most of us. Depriving themselves of food for a day is one thing when we are mostly overweight to begin with. It is another thing altogether when most of the population rarely gets enough to eat.
When the nation came together for a proclaimed fast, it was a big deal. Perhaps it did not impact the wealthy as much as the poor, but it was understood to make a big statement. In the fast, they called upon Yahweh to listen to their cries, understand their distress, and intervene on their behalf. Just as a hunger strike is used today to gather attention to a specific issue and demand change, so a national fast might be proclaimed as a means of putting pressure on Yahweh to respond to their cries.
The prophets were not impressed. Isaiah declared that using a fast in as a tool to manipulate Yahweh was worse than a worthless exercise. All the shows of faith, ritual, rite, and ceremony were pointless if they were done to get something from God. They were proclaiming fasts to pressure Yahweh when they should have ...
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