The wrong fast

“Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labors. Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.” - Isaiah 58v3-4

Fasting is a good thing, isn’t it? We know that fasting was a big part of the Old Testament worship, Jesus taught how to fast, and the early church fasted. There can be no denying that fasting is a Biblical concept.

Here is Isaiah 58 we find people criticized by God for their fasting. The reason is clear, like any other “religious” activity it is possible to fast the wrong way. As usual the key here is motivation. Israel was fasting as a religious practice. They were proud about their fasting and they were contentious about it. They made it a “big deal” instead of the simple one on one practice that it was supposed to be. They fasted, not so God would be pleased, but so that they could get what they wanted.
Jesus Himself warned against this same kind of fasting – lets be sure that when we fast out fasting is not done to be heard or seen, but with a proper motivation.