What are the Different Types of Fasting in the Bible?

The Bible often mentions fasting. It can take different forms and occurs on different occasions. The Old Testament tells us in particular of several episodes of fasting, personal (such as the fasting of Moses or that of David) or community, such as the fasting of Esther. Of variable duration, they can take different meanings for the Hebrew people: a period of penance, supplication, purification, etc.

Here are some examples of fasting in the Bible:

The supernatural fasts of Moses, Elijah and Jesus

Moses, Elijah and Jesus each spent a period of 40 days and 40 nights fasting, alone.

• Moses spent this period of fasting on Mount Sinai, when God gave him the 10 commandments. This episode is relayed in the Book of Exodus: “Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.” (Exodus 34:28-29).
• Elijah walked 40 days and 40 nights to Mount Horeb, where he met God. This walk was done in fasting and prayer.“The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:7-9)

• Jesus went to the desert after his baptism, and there he remained in prayer and fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, as the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us: “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” (Matthew 4:1-2)

These fasts are supernatural. They concern specific moments in the history of men and God (First Covenant, temptations of Jesus…) and the chosen of God, who are the prophets and Christ himself. They go beyond all natural laws and are supported by the Holy Spirit.

There is therefore no question of imitating them, but, during the Lenten period, which lasts 40 days, of humbly remembering them by living out a time of prayer and sobriety ourselves.

Daniel's fast: a partial fast of purification

Twice, the book of Daniel tells us about a fasting practice of the prophet. First over a period of 10 days in Chapter 1 and then over a period of 21 days, he abstained from meat and wine.

These periods were experienced as periods of purification and allowed Daniel to better welcome the gifts of God, to be more receptive to his messages.

“At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.” (Daniel 1:15-17)

David's fast: a fast of supplication and mourning

The Bible tells us how King David fasted for 7 days for his sick son and after his death. Fasting accompanies the suffering of the heart. Body and heart are in unison.

“David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground.” (2 Samuel 12:16)

Esther's fast: a fast of battle and intercession

The Book of Esther tells us how Queen Esther saved the Jewish people. A woman of heart, she offered everything to God for the salvation of her people: her beauty, her intelligence, her piety, and her fervour.

Then Queen of Persia, Esther called for a fast of three days and three nights in the face of the threat of a massacre of the Jews ordered by Haman, the King's advisor. It is a total fast during which she does not eat or drink but also leaves all her queen's ornaments (clothes, perfumes, etc.). “ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:15 -16) Through this fast, Esther offered herself totally to God, stripping herself before Him in a posture of great humility and acceptance of her weakness. She entrusted him with her decisive encounter with the King and the future of her people.

God, touched by this impulse and by the intercession of Esther, allowed the decree to be annulled.

The repentance fast

At different times in the Bible, one-day fasts are observed as a sign of repentance for faults and sins committed. This is the case of the inhabitants of the city of Nineveh, whom the prophet Jonah warns:

“Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.” (Jonah 3:4-10)

Catholics are invited to a day of fasting as a sign of repentance on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Pray and meditate with the Bible on Hozana!

With its various offerings, Hozana helps you to walk in your daily life as a Christian; whether you want to live out a period of fasting, pray with your guardian angel, or discover divine mercy, there will always be a community of prayer to accompany you!