Fairness in fasting
‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: Judge fairly and honestly…’ (Zech. 7:9, NLT).
Long ago, because they were held captive in a foreign land, the Israelites were fasting in the fifth and seventh months of every year for a period of seventy years! After those seventy years, God told them that it wasn’t for Him that they had fasted! As at the time God sent this word to them, they were already thinking of observing the next one. If God rejected their fasting, it must be that something was missing (Zech. 7:1-6).
Imagine that a boy had started observing this fast since he was ten; and had observed this fast faithfully for seventy years, he would be eighty now! But now, God said it was all a sheer hunger exercise! And someone might ask, ‘I thought fasting is an important exercise for spiritual growth?’ Yes, that’s correct. God Himself commands fasting. But His kind of fasting requires more than abstinence from food.
According to God’s word there are practices that should go along with true fasting. The first reason why the Israelites fasted and mourned for those years without results was their unfair and dishonest judgments. The Israelites would probably favour a guilty person in their judgment system because they were getting certain benefits from him. Meanwhile the innocent person suffered. The law and right became so twistable that it can be twisted in favour of a guilty but ‘beloved’ candidate. The lack of justice was a reason why God refused to listen to them.
Their unfairness actually had its roots in the lack of mercy and kindness in their hearts. So they oppressed the widows, orphans, visitors and the poor. After all, such people are too disadvantaged to defend themselves. Even when they tried to respond, their voices were not heard. The loudness of the prevailing injustice drowned their cry for help. But God heard them amidst the tumult and intervened by fighting for their violated rights.
Today, there are people who fast regularly. There are denominations that also observe yearly fasting. But fasters need to consider these: “Are you fair to others? Are you merciful and kind to people who are too powerless to fight you back? Are you selfish or selfless?” Friend, God is really concerned about the oppressed. He will never take it lightly with their oppressors. Fasting is very powerful and we need to observe it regularly. But it will not avert God’s anger upon religious but wicked souls. May God have mercy on us. In Jesus name!
Today’s Corporate Prayer: O Lord, deliver me from useless fasting and undue attachment to food. In Christ Jesus mighty name!
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BIBLE IN A YEAR: Psa. 114 – 116
Tabitha omobolanle Faleye is a lover of Christ and His works and a copy writer/content developer.
