Fasting
2 Samuel 12:15b-23
#fasting
INTRODUCTION
The people did it as part of mourning for losses in battle in Judges 20.
The people did it to mourn the death of King Saul and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 31 and 2 Samuel 1.
King David did it while his child was ill in 2 Samuel 12. [this is where we will be today]
King Jehoshaphat proclaimed one for the whole nation of Judah in 2 Chronicles 20.
King Jehoakim son of Josiah proclaimed one for the people in Jeremiah 36.
Daniel did it in Daniel 9.
Ezra did it with others before going on a long journey in Ezra 8.
Esther, Mordecai, and the Jews did it when faced with problems of violence in the Book of Esther.
The People of Nineveh did it after hearing Jonah’s message in Jonah 3.
Anna the Prophetess did it in Luke 2 as she waited to see the Savior.
Jesus Christ did it after His baptism.
The Church did it in Acts 13 before sending out Barnabas and Saul on a mission journey.
Paul and Barnabas did it before appointing elders in each church in Acts 14.
What is the “it” I have been speaking about?
Fasting.
PURPOSE
This morning I would like to talk about fasting and dig into David’s fast in 2 Samuel 12 as a basis for our time in the Word. I want you to know why a believer in Jesus Christ should fast and give you the encouragement to dig into this spiritual discipline if the need arises.
TRANSITION
Before we get into 2 Samuel 12 and see fasting in action and dig deeper into that particular passage, I would like to answer some basic questions about fasting and get our minds and hearts right about the physical, emotional, and spiritual practice.
FIRST QUESTION: WHAT IS FASTING?
Throughout Scripture, fasting is referred to as the abstaining of food for spiritual purposes. It is not a hunger strike or a diet plan… these have with them a purpose that is not holy or spiritual. A hunger strike is usually political in nature and a diet plan is focused on health and weight loss. We are not talking about those… we are talking about fasting… if done the way Scripture describes, is a very spiritual practice to aid one’s spiritual life. Biblical fasting always centers on spiritual purposes. Fasting is the abstaining of food for spiritual purposes.
In Scripture, the normal means of fasting involves abstaining from all food, solid or liquid, but not from water. Luke 4:2 describes for us Jesus’ fast of forty days. We are told “He ate nothing” and at the end of the fast “He was hungry.” From a physical standpoint, this is the manner in which Scripture describes fasting. There are other fasts described in Scripture, such as the partial fast in Daniel 10 and the absolute fast in Esther 4, however, the normal means is not eating for a period of time.
ILLUSTRATION… Dallas Willard Quote, The Spirit of the Disciplines, pg 166
“In fasting, we abstain in some significant way from food and possibly from drink as well. This discipline teaches us a lot about ourselves very quickly. It will certainly prove humiliating to us, as it reveals to us how much our peace depends upon the pleasures of eating… Fasting confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding in Him a source of sustenance beyond food.”
For some reason in our postmodern world, we use the word ‘fast’ or ‘fasting’ when it comes to other things besides food. For example, I hear people say often that they are going to ‘fast from social media.’ Or I hear about people saying they will ‘fast from TV.’ Getting off of Facebook or Twitter or turning off the TV for an extended period of time will have benefits, maybe even spiritual benefits, but those things are not fasting. I would like to encourage you that if you find something like TV or movies or social media or the internet or gadgets are impacting you negatively and drawing you away from God… please take a break from them! But please realize, the ‘breaks’ are not ‘fasting.’
Fasting is the abstaining of food for spiritual purposes.
The normal question is: Well, why not? It is giving up something for spiritual benefit? You are correct, but ‘fasting’ specifically engages the physical body in a particular way that impacts our emotions and our spirits. God created us as physical, emotional, and spiritual beings. Fasting uses the physical part of us to reset and focus the emotional and the spiritual. Fasting is the abstaining of food for spiritual purposes.
ILLUSTRATION… Richard Foster Quote, “Celebration of Discipline” (1978), pg 60
“Fasting can bring breakthroughs in the spiritual realm that will never happen in any other way. It is a means of God’s blessing that should not be neglected.”
SECOND QUESTION: WHAT DOES JESUS SAY ABOUT FASTING?
Like tithing, there has been a debate over the years about whether or not Scripture commands fasting from the Christian. Is it a requirement? Is it as much a part of the fabric of Christianity as the Lord’s Supper or baptism or confession?
Although many passages deal with the subject of fasting, two stand out to me as important because Jesus Christ is the One doing the talking.
First, we have Matthew 6:16-18 which seems to indicate that fasting is as much a part of the Christian life as giving and praying. Giving and praying are the context of the verses.
READ Matthew 6:16-18
“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Jesus Christ says, “when you fast.” Not “if.” Is He then commanding us to fast? I really don’t think so. I think Jesus was teaching a group of people who commonly practiced fasting. The Pharisees and many Jews had as part of their week, a fast. So, although Jesus said, “when you fast,” He does not say “you must.”
Second, Matthew 9:14-17 directly states that the disciples would not fast while Jesus was with them, but that they would after He was gone.
READ Matthew 9:14-15
“Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
In this passage, we see that Jesus upheld the practice of fasting and expected His followers to do this discipline after He had left them. Perhaps it is the word “command” that is messing us up. Jesus never commanded fasting. He did not say, “you shall fast.” But He did expect that members of the Kingdom of God would practice fasting. Should we as Christians fast? Yes.
THIRD QUESTION: WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF FASTING?
First, fasting for a believer in Jesus Christ must only center on God. Zechariah 7:5 God asks the question: “Was it for Me you fasted?” Our fasting must be done under God’s direction and we must have our eyes fixed on Him. Our one intention should be to glorify our Father in Heaven. Fasting allows us to focus on God and pray and seek Him for a particular purpose. This usually happens in some sort of crisis, but it doesn’t have to be.
Second, fasting for a believer in Jesus Christ reminds us who sustains us in a physical way. Food does not sustain us. Colossians 1:17 states that “in Christ” all things hold together. In John 6:35, Jesus reminds us, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.” By abstaining from food, a person one feasts on the Word of God and is nourished by it and our focus on God is more.
Third, fasting for a believer in Jesus Christ helps bring balance to our lives. How often do the nonessentials of life take control? How often do we want things we don’t need? How often do things other than God do we allow to control us? Fasting helps keep the natural desires of our human selves in check and balanced our spiritual selves in our physical bodies. 1 Corinthians 9:27 describes this very thing.
READ 1 Corinthians 9:27
“But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
ILLUSTRATION… Ruth Haley Barton Quote, ‘Sacred Rhythms’ (2006), page 83
“Learning to honor the body as a place where God makes His presence known becomes an important discipline for the spiritual pilgrim.”
TRANSITION
So those are the basics of fasting and some basic questions and answers about fasting. A person abstains from food for a time and spends the time and energy he or she would have spent in preparing food and eating food in prayer and studying God’s Word. Fasting is a physical act that engages our emotions and spiritual life in God-designed ways.
I’d like us to look at 2 Samuel 12 this morning to see fasting in action. This sermon came about the same way as last week’s sermon. The past few weeks, you all know that I had COVID-19. I was blessed in that the virus did not send me to the hospital or threaten my health in any way. I had a persistent headache, a bad attitude, and sleeplessness. Those were my symptoms. Anyway, one night as I laid in bed not sleeping and trying to get to sleep, I put in earphones and let the YouVersion Bible app read the Bible to me. I often do this as I go to sleep. That is a normal thing for me. This happened on multiple occasions and I listened to the Bible for extended periods of time. I was listening to 2 Samuel and got to chapter 12 and I was struck by this episode in the life of King David.
READ 2 Samuel 12:15b-23 (ESV)
“And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick. 16 David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. 17 And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. 18 On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” 19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” 20 Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 21 Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” 22 He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
The background leading up to this passage is nothing short of tragic. King David has an affair with Bathsheba and as a result of David’s extra-curricular activities, Bathsheba is pregnant and David tries to hide what he did. He fails and decides to kill her husband. The Lord sends the Prophet Nathan to David to announce that judgment will come because of his willful sin (2 Samuel 12:1-12). David ends up confessing what he did (2 Samuel 12:13). In a heartbreaking message, the Prophet Nathan tells David that as a result of his sin, David would not die, but his newly born son would die (2 Samuel 12:13-14). The Prophet Nathan told David that because David had despised God and His commands and did evil in secret, the Lord would punish him in public.
What happens next?
The child born to David and Bathsheba gets sick. What we need to understand is the seriousness of sin. What does Romans tell us? Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The Words of Scripture are not symbolic in this passage. The wages of sin is… death. David sinned and his baby is going to die as a result.
That is serious. Yes, it is.
That is terrible. Yes, it is.
That is a tragedy. Yes, it is.
That is unfair. Yes, it is.
Listen, sin is serious. Sin is terrible. Sin is tragic. Sin is unfair. The results of our sin are catastrophic in our lives and David is seeing this first hand in his life. When you and I sin, it is serious. We like to downplay our sin. We like to think that when we sin it really hurts nothing. Sin is serious and terrible and tragic and unfair.
David makes a decision.
David makes a decision to fast and pray. He fasts and prays for 7 days the entire time the newborn is sick. David tells his servants after the child dies that he was fasting and praying for a particular purpose. He fasted that his child would live. He knew that as a result of his sin, death would occur. He knew that, but he also knew that God is compassionate and gracious and he asked God to be compassionate and gracious.
In this particular situation, God was compassionate and gracious in that He did not take David’s life or Bathsheba’s life and was compassionate in other ways such as giving them another son whom they named Solomon. This child died.
David fasted because he was asking of the Lord for grace and mercy for the life of his son. David fasted because he wanted all of his focus and energy and effort on praying. Fasting showed God that his request for healing and grace was serious. Fasting allowed David to focus his spiritual self on his prayers for his son.
The fasting and praying also helped David in another way I think. The child does die and because of his emotional and spiritual state, he is able to take the news and process it. I’m not sure how anyone processes the loss of a child. It is life’s greatest sorrow. Yet, David through his fasting is able to accept the will of the Lord and to take next steps forward.
Verse 20 shares with us that when he hears the news that the baby had died, he gets up and cleans himself up and goes and worships. Then he went and ate. Notice the three things David did: cleaned up, worshipped, ate.
The most surprising part of the three things that the Bible mentions is the worship. Please notice that David does not blame God or is not angry, but rather he accepts the punishment of his sin from God, he accepts what has happened, and he rests in the knowledge that he will be reunited in death with his son. He will see his son again in the next life and that brings David comfort. David worships and accepts the will of God.
When I look at the reaction and response of David after the death of his son, I cannot help but think that the fasting and prayer put him in the right state of mind to be able to deal with this heart breaking soul tearing tragedy.
APPLICATION
So, what does this have to do with us?
I would like you to know that fasting is a normal part of walking with God. Fasting combined with prayer and reading God’s Word is a spiritual practice that engages the body and the mind and our spirits to fully engage us with God.
* If you have a decision to make and you don’t know what to choose, fast and pray before making the decision and ask God to lead you in deciding. Jobs, dating, marriage, financial decisions, whatever. Fasting will attune you to God’s voice and you will make the proper decision.
* If you have a family member who is ill and you are praying for their recovery, fast and pray for the express purpose of asking for God’s grace and will do be done. Fasting will show our Heavenly Father how serious you are taking the request and we will be more fervent in our prayers.
* If you have a family member who has died recently and you are weighed down by loss, fast and pray inviting the Holy Spirit to minister to your heart in the midst of your grief. You might feel lost in your thoughts and emotions and fasting will frame your mourning and allow God to pour into you.
* If you have an emotionally charged situation you are facing or you have a difficult conversation coming up, fast and pray to get your emotions balanced and ask God to press into your heart the right words to say and to know what not to say. Fast and go into the emotional situation balanced and full of God’s wisdom.
The spiritual discipline of fasting is available to us to physically, emotionally, and spiritually connect with our Father in Heaven in order to navigate the hardest parts of this life. He will save. He will correct. He will strengthen. He will direct. He will fill us. He will shield us. We need only ask Him and be open to the work of the Holy Spirit.
GOSPEL PRESENTATION
I wanted to mention one thing before we finish our time in the Scripture this morning. We read from a passage this morning where a baby dies. That is tragic. The baby died as a direct result of his father’s sin. That is terrible. I want you to know that sin is tragic. Sin causes ripples of hurt and destruction wherever it is… you and I cause that by our sinful actions and attitudes and emotions. There are two ways through sin. One is the way described in the passage this morning… we pay the penalty of sin through death. The other way is Jesus Christ Who paid for our penalty on the cross. He died so that the terrible consequences and guilt and suffering of sin would fall on Him and not us. Sin is a serious problem. Jesus is the serious answer to that problem.
CONCLUSION IN PRAYER
