Fasting Questions (Leviticus, pray, sin, disciples)

[Sheila Renae]

Could we have misunderstood the reasons for fasting and what God actually wanted to achieve by having us fast? Was it a dual lesson?

To me fasting would have more to do with resisting sin and temptations than in not eating. Meaning to fast from one's sins. The more we remove ourselves from sin and temptation the easier it becomes to resist it and never repeat it. Then it becomes easy to teach what we learned. To fast from sin and pray seems like it makes more sense to me than to do away with eating. To starve yourself seems like it would only bring delusions. I know I'm ignorant about fasting and probably wrong about these things, but why on earth would doing without food have anything to do with serving God?

But what does this "not eating" food mean? Why did people in the Bible "not eat?" We find a clue in Leviticus 16:29. This verse says that fasting is synonymous with "afflicting one's soul." We gain some insight here about how the Hebrews viewed fasting. Fasting is more than just "afflicting one's body". It is "afflicting one's soul." In other words, fasting in the Hebrew mind is something my soul participates in. Fasting is denying my self. Fasting is "afflicting one's soul" -- an act of self-denial.

Isn't it better to deny one's sins than to deny one food to eat? Maybe God used fasting as a way to teach obedience and compliance. But what good to keep the sin and remove the food?
Yeshua Bless You
Matthew 9:14-15(does this mean sin no more? It IS what it means to me.) The disciples did not fast--they had already been cleansed from sin.

[Sheila Renae]

Found the answers to my own questions. Isaiah 58:1-12. Fasting is about starving sins.
Yeshua Bless You