FASTING
H6684 tsûm tsoom verb
A primitive root; to cover over (the mouth), that is, to fast: - X at all, fast.
H6685 tsôm tsôm tsome, tsome noun
From H6684 to fast; a fast: - fast (-ing).
G3522
nēsteuō nace-tyoo'-o verb
From G3523 not having eaten; to abstain from food (religiously): - fast.
Webster's 1828
F'AST, v.i.
To abstain from food, beyond the usual time; to omit to take the usual meals, for a time; as, to fast a day or a week.
To abstain from food voluntarily, for the mortification of the body or appetites, or as a token of grief, sorrow and affliction.
F'AST, n.
1. Abstinence from food; properly a total abstinence, but it is used also for an abstinence from particular kinds of food, for a certain time.
2.Voluntary abstinence from food, as a religious mortification or humiliation; either total or partial abstinence from customary food, with a view to mortify the appetites, or to express grief and affliction on account of some calamity, or to deprecate an expected evil.
Let's observe each instance of fasting to understand why and how it works.
Chapter 16 is about the Day of Atonement
Leviticus 16:29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls (by fasting), and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger (of kin) that sojourneth among you:
16:30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before Yahweh.
Jeremiah 33:8 And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against Me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against Me.
16:31 It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and you shall afflict your souls (fast), by a statute for ever.
In the OT, there was sacrifice in addition to fasting.
Today we must make spiritual sacrifices, meaning we must sincerely offer our time, repentance, gratitude, love and obedience.
When Christ died, the priesthood and it's ordinances expired. We no longer have a mediator (priests, sacrifices) between us and Yahweh. We must go directly through Christ. This can only be done by obedience and allegiance.
Chapter 23 covers all the feasts.
Leviticus 23:26 And Yahweh spake unto Moses, saying,
23:27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and you shall afflict your souls (with fasting), and offer an offering made by fire unto Yahweh.
Day of Atonement. A day of fasting.
23:28 And you shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before Yahweh your God.
23:29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted (fast) in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.
23:30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.
23:31 You shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
23:32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and you shall afflict your souls (with fasting): in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall you celebrate your sabbath.
Again, no more animal sacrifices, only spiritual sacrifices. These feasts are all for a purpose. Four days after the day of Atonement begins the Feast of Tabernacles. (See 'Feast Days' in Calendar menu)
Numbers 29:7 And you shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month an holy convocation; and you shall afflict your souls (by fasting): you shall not do any work therein:
It must be noted that the “churches” do not support these feast days. They teach that the OT was a Jewish book and we are all “saved by grace” in the NT. That these feasts do not pertain to us. What they do not understand or care about is that the Jews are NOT Israel, they are descendants of Cain and of Esau. They also teach that we are “Gentiles”. Only lies come from the pulpit.
When you have true knowledge and believe everything in the original scriptures, you will understand that we are true Israel and these feasts DO pertain to us. It is our heritage and history. We are the true sons of Jacob and children of the Most High.
The tribe of Benjamin at the time of the Judges were an idol-worshiping homosexual bunch which had done wicked things to a Levite and his concubine. This started a war with the rest of the tribes of Israel. Many on both sides were killed, Benjamin was almost wiped out entirely.
Judges 20:25 And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.
20:26 Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before Yahweh, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh.
20:27 And the children of Israel enquired of Yahweh, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
20:28 And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And Yahweh said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.
Yahweh was allowing those Israelites which He knew were not upright to be killed. Now the upright men are left and will execute His judgment on the children of Benjamin. Phinehas received an answer from Yahweh after fasting.
1Samuel 7:5 And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto Yahweh.
7:6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before Yahweh, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against Yahweh. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.
7:7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the masters of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
7:8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto Yahweh our God for us, that He will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.
7:9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto Yahweh: and Samuel cried unto Yahweh for Israel; and Yahweh heard him.
Psalm 99:6 Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon His name; they called upon Yahweh, and He answered them.
7:10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but Yahweh thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.
Yahweh hears when we fast. Fasting brings us closer to Yahweh.
1Samuel 31:11/1Chronicles 10:12 And when the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul;
31:12 All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Bethshan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.
31:13 And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
2Samuel 1:12 And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Yahweh, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.
2Samuel 12:13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against Yahweh. And Nathan said unto David, Yahweh also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
12:14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of Yahweh to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
12:15 And Nathan departed unto his house. And Yahweh struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.
12:16 David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.
12:17 And the elders of his house arose, and went to him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread with them.
12:18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?
12:19 But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
12:20 Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of Yahweh, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat.
12:21 Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.
12:22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?
Jonah 3:9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?
12:23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
1Kings 21:7 And Jezebel his wife said unto him (Ahab), Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
21:8 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.
21:9 And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people:
21:10 And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.
21:11 And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them.
21:12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
21:13 And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
21:17 And the word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
Psalm 9:12 When He maketh inquisition for blood, He remembereth them: He forgetteth not the cry of the humble.
21:18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.
21:19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith Yahweh, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith Yahweh, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
21:20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of Yahweh.
21:21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,
21:22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked Me to anger, and made Israel to sin.
21:23 And of Jezebel also spake Yahweh, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
21:24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.
21:25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of Yahweh, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
21:26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom Yahweh cast out before the children of Israel.
21:27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
21:28 And the word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
21:29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before Me? because he humbleth himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.
2Kings 9:25-26
25 Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, Yahweh laid this burden upon him;
26 Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith Yahweh; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith Yahweh. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of Yahweh.
We have seen that Jezebel proclaimed a fast through evil, and Ahab fasted because of that evil. Ahab was forgiven, but Jezebel and Ahab's son's were slain.
2Chronicles 20:1 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.
20:2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.
20:3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek Yahweh, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.
20:4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of Yahweh: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek Yahweh.
20:5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Yahweh, before the new court,
20:6 And said, O Yahweh God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
20:7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?
20:8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
20:9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.
20:15 And he (Jahaziel) said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith Yahweh unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
Fasting brings Yahweh to the rescue.
Ezra 8:21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of Him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.
8:22 For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek Him; but His power and His wrath is against all them that forsake Him.
8:23 So we fasted and besought our God for this: and He was intreated of us.
Yahweh listens when we fast.
Nehemiah was still in Babylon and was asking about the Judahites that were left of the captivity and of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 1:3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
The Babylonians took Jerusalem and destroyed it and carried off the Judahites into captivity about a hundred years before.
1:4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
1:5 And said, I beseech thee, O Yahweh God of heaven, the great and terrible (revered) God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love Him and observe His commandments:
1:6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.
Nehemiah prayed for his kinsman and their revival. Nehemiah and Ezra were allowed to return to Jerusalem to rebuild.
Nehemiah 9:1 Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.
9:2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
Ezra 10:10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.
The “churches” obviously support interracial marriage and homosexuality by their toleration and admittance and marriage of them. This is not obeying Yahweh.
9:3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of Yahweh their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped Yahweh their God.
Haman was an Canaanite Jew that tried to get the king Ahasuerus (Artaxerxes) to order the death of all the Judahites.
Esther 4:3 And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Judahites, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
4:15 Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,
4:16 Go, gather together all the Judahites that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. (v11)
4:17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.
Long story short, Haman was slain and the fasting of Esther and the Judahites delivered them from Haman the Jew's plot of genocide.
Funny, today we are force fed the lies of the hoaxocaust every year. Here in scripture we see that it is the Jews that want to genocide us true Israelites!
Esther 9:24 Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Judahites, had devised against the Judahites to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;
9:25 But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Judahites, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
9:26 Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,
9:27 The Judahites ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year;
9:28 And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Judahites, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.
9:29 Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Judahite, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim.
9:30 And he sent the letters unto all the Judahites, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus (Artaxerxes), with words of peace and truth,
9:31 To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Judahite and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry.
9:32 And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book.
PURIM
The 14th of Adar, observed in celebration of the deliverance of the Judahites from genocidal massacre by Haman the Canaanite Jew.
Psalm 35:11 False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.
35:12 They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling (bereavement) of my soul.
35:13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
35:14 I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily (with sadness), as one that mourneth for his mother.
Psalm 69:7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face.
69:8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.
69:9 For the zeal of Your house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached You are fallen upon me.
John 2:17 And His disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal for Your house hath eaten Me up.
Romans 15:3 For even Christ pleased not Himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on Me.
69:10 When I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach.
Psalm 109:24 My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.
109:25 I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads.
109:26 Help me, O YAHWEH my God: O save me according to Your mercy:
Brotherly love and it's rewards
Isaiah 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
58:2 Yet they seek Me daily, and delight to know My ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of Me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God.
58:3 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 labours.
Malachi 3:14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept His ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before Yahweh of hosts?
Leviticus 16:29 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger (kinsmen) that sojourneth among you:
Leviticus 23:27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto Yahweh.
58:4 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.
Septuagint: 3 saying, Why have we fasted, and thou regardest not? why have we afflicted our souls, and thou didst not know it? Yahweh says: Nay, in the days of your fasts ye find your pleasures, and all them that are under your power (employees) ye wound.
4 If ye fast for quarrels and strifes, and smite the lowly with your fists (as if you are pious), wherefore do ye fast to Me as ye do this day (meaning in the dispersion), so that your voice may be heard in crying? (as if their fasts in captivity were sincere)
58:5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to Yahweh?
Zechariah 7:5 Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years (in Babylonian captivity), did ye at all fast unto Me, even to Me?
58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
Yahweh wants us to love and help our brethren. Septuagint says, from thine own seed (flesh).
When we fast, it must be sincere. We cannot fast and then resume our oppression over our brethren.
Jeremiah 14:10 Thus saith Yahweh unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore Yahweh doth not accept them; He will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.
14:11 Then said Yahweh unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.
14:12 When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and an oblation, I will not accept them: but I will consume them by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence.
The people would not refrain from idolatry and race-mixing, so Yahweh was going to send the Babylonians to punish them. The sentence was served. Their fasting (insincere fasting) was not acceptable. Too little too late. Judgment was on it's way.
Jeremiah 36:5 And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up (locked up); I cannot go into the house of Yahweh:
36:6 Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of Yahweh in the ears of the people in Yahweh's house upon the fasting day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities.
36:7 It may be they will present their supplication before Yahweh, and will return every one from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that Yahweh hath pronounced against this people.
36:8 And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of Yahweh in Yahweh's house.
36:9 And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before Yahweh to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.
Allegorical Prophecies
The story of Daniel in the Lion's Den typifies this world where wicked men plot to overthrow the righteous, and seem to succeed, but Yahweh preserves His people and the wicked often fall into their own trap and perish.
The lion's den.
While in captivity, Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes of king Darius. They tried to entrap him by taking away the right to pray to God. Daniel prayed anyway.
Daniel 6:16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, He will deliver thee.
6:17 And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his masters; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
6:18 Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
6:19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
6:20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
6:21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
6:22 My God hath sent His messenger, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before Hhim innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
Darius was an Adamite of the Genesis 10 nations, which is why he fasted and trusted that God would deliver Daniel.
Daniel 9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;
9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
The 70 years of the Judahites in the Babylonian captivity.
9:3 And I set my face unto Yahweh God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
9:4 And I prayed unto Yahweh my God, and made my confession, and said, O Yahweh, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love Him, and to them that keep His commandments;
The covenant and the commandments are 2 separate things.
Exodus 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments.
Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that Yahweh thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
9:5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
9:6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in Thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
9:7 O Yahweh, righteousness belongeth unto Thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither Thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against Thee.
Daniel confirms that the Israelites have been dispersed after the Assyrian captivity in the 700's BC and here in Babylon in the 500's BC. They eventually went on to settle the nations of Europe and eventually regathered here in America, fulfilling the 2520 year punishment in 1776!
The “churches” teach that the tribes disappeared or were absorbed by other nations.
Friends, we are the descendants of these 12 tribes of Israel, not the Jews. The Jews are descendants of Cain and Esau.
9:8 O Yahweh, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against Thee.
“confusion of face” refers to race mixed children. Mixed races among the Israelites. Here in America we now have 'confusion of face'. America was a white Christian nation, if our forefathers rose from the graves, they would see 'confusion of faces' in the country they built and died for!
9:9 To Yahweh our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against Him;
9:10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of Yahweh our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets.
These Judahites had a lot to fast for. The result of their idolatry and race-mixing was the Babylonian captivity. In addition to accepting their punishment they repented and fasted.
Joel 1:14 Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of Yahweh your God, and cry unto Yahweh,
1:15 Alas for the day! for the day of Yahweh is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved (delivered) out of it.
This is not a warning of punishment for sin, rather it is long past that point and the punishment is coming regardless. This is a call to recognition and penitence, that one may be granted mercy in order to withstand and survive the punishment when it does come.
Joel 2:11 And Yahweh shall utter His voice before His army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth His word: for the day of Yahweh is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
2:12 Therefore also now, saith Yahweh, turn ye even to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto Yahweh your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil.
Even in their destruction, Yahweh shall have mercy upon His people if they repent. The call for them to rend their hearts, and not their garments, is a call to sincere repentance, and not a mere pretense of repentance. A successful defense against the invaders shall not determine one's survival, for Yahweh has already indicated that the invaders are unstoppable, and the destruction of the kingdom is certain. Rather, only a repentant heart and a willful turn in obedience to God shall determine one's survival.
2:14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto Yahweh your God?
2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
The children of Israel as a nation are the bride of Yahweh their God, and they will have mercy and survive if they marry themselves to Him, which requires submission and obedience to Him.
Jonah 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
3:5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
Nineveh was spared. The king of Assyria, once he heard Jonah's warning, evidently took it to heart, and issued a proclamation demanding that his entire kingdom repent and fast from any and all wickedness.
Zechariah 7:4 Then came the word of Yahweh of hosts unto me, saying,
7:5 Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those seventy years (in Babylonian captivity), did ye at all fast unto Me, even to Me?
7:6 And when ye did eat, and when ye did drink, did not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
7:7 Should ye not hear the words which Yahweh hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?
Zechariah 8:19 Thus saith Yahweh of hosts; The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love the truth and peace. (Jer 52:6,12)
These fasts in the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth were for the house of Judah. This represented the famine during the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians and the burning of the Temple and the houses. These were special fasts for the house of Judah only, because it only involved them during the invasion.
Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted (tried) of the devil.
4:2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungred.
Even when Yahshua had fasted, for 40 days, and was hungry, He was still able to pass the test.
This is our model and example. Spirit over flesh.
Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6:17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Verses 16-18, we see that outward displays of piety are scorned. Fasting must be sincere, not for the praise of men.
Matthew 9:14/Mark 2:18-20/Luke 5:33-35 Then came to Him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but Thy disciples fast not?
9:15 And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn (hunger), as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
Calling the apostles sons of the bridechamber is a clear reference to those Old Testament prophecies where Yahweh promises to betroth the children of Israel once again, after having put them off in divorce in the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities.
Matthew 15:32/Mark 8:3 Then Jesus called His disciples unto Him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with Me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.
15:33 And His disciples say unto Him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?
15:34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.
15:35 And He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
15:36 And He took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
After the disciples could not cure a possessed child...
Matthew 17:18/Mark 9:29 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
17:19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
17:21 Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Luke 18:9 And He spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
18:14 I tell you, this man (the publican) went down to his house justified rather than the other (the Pharisee): for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Job 22:29 When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and He shall save the humble person.
The Pharisee boasted that he was not a sinner, and proclaimed his own righteousness through his fulfillment of tithes and his fasting, which are in that manner no better than rituals – things which men perform merely to display their own justification, as if they could save themselves through that display.
This also goes for those who, by their own declaration, claim they are “saved”. Salvation means preservation, which means that it is 'ongoing', if you 'practice' His example. Scripture does not teach “once saved, always saved”. (See 'Saved' in Word Studies)
Acts 10:30 And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour (3pm) I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
10:31 And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.
10:32 Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter; he is lodged in the house of one Simon a tanner by the sea side: who, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee.
This was part of the story of Cornelius, who was uncircumcised (an Israelite of the house of Israel that lived outside Judaea) and Peter. Yahweh was teaching Peter that those Israelites that did not return to Judaea after the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities and forgot their heritage and brotherhood were also reconciled under the new covenant. The “churches” teach that this vision and story is allowing you to eat pork! This vision has nothing to do with eating unclean animals. (See Acts chapter 10 in Scriptures menu to understand)
Acts 13:2 As they ministered to the Prince, and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, Separate Me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
13:3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Answers come with fasting.
The Greek: Acts 14:23 And elders being elected by them in each assembly, praying with fasting they presented them in whom they had confidence with the authority.
They were the elected elders that were prayed for to have confident authority over the assembly.
Paul, along with several other prisoners, boards a boat bound for Rome. The ship runs into bad weather as it sails to reach the port of Phenice on the western side of Crete. It is soon driven off course and out to sea. Unable to be controlled, the ship wanders the Mediterranean for roughly two weeks.
Acts 27:30 And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,
27:31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
27:32 Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.
27:33 And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
27:34 Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.
27:35 And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.
1Corinthians 7:5 Defraud (withdraw) ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan (the adversary) tempt you not for your incontinency (self control).
We can see that fasting brings us closer to Yahweh. Fasting is an honorable act in addition to repentance. Fasting brings answers and solutions. Fasting is choosing Spirit over flesh.
Fasting is a type of preparation and provision.
It should be done with seriousness and sincerity.
Fasting is the willful deprivation of the body's nourishment and pleasure. The body requires food but our hearts and minds must require Yahweh for the full source of our strength during a fast.
We are to fast on the Day of Atonement. This year, 2016, the tenth day of the seventh month falls on the 27th of September. Prepare yourself and fast starting at 6pm until the next day. The day begins at sundown and you should eat breakfast and lunch. Skip dinner and don't eat until dinner the next day.
Day of Atonement
The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to Yahweh by fire. (Leviticus 23:27)
The Day of Atonement involves two different sacrifices. One goat is sacrificed for the people of Israel. The other goat is cast out into the wilderness. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to Yahweh and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before Yahweh to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat. (Leviticus 16:9-10)
There are two interpretations of the ritual of the scapegoat. 1. The scapegoat is Azazel, the fallen angel that corrupted Adamkind. The sins of Israel are placed upon this goat’s head and it is sent out into the wilderness to die. (Lev. 16:21-22.) This interpretation symbolizes the death of the children of the wicked one, the Edomites and Canaanites (Jews), who will be cast into outer darkness at the Judgment Day. (Obadiah 9, 10) 2. The second interpretation is that it represents Jesus Christ, who took away our sins at the Cross. The “place not inhabited” would thus be heaven, which is a place not inhabited by men but also the place where He waits until His return. Either way, the sins of Israel are entirely removed. Both interpretations make sense in terms of the events anticipated at the Judgment Day.
For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you that you may be clean from all your sins before Yahweh. It shall be a Sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict your souls by a statute forever. (Lev. 16:30-31)
This is the only day on which we are commanded to fast. The fasting represents our letting go of our own sins and of all connection with this evil world. Although our stomachs may grumble for want of food (representing our attachment to this world), we are to fast in cognizance of our spiritual Being and ultimate redemption. Unlike the unconditional forgiveness granted at Passover, the cleansing on the Day of Atonement requires our conscious participation, with the people praying and fasting for themselves and for all Israel, to release us from the bondage of this world.
Being the tenth day of the seventh month, the Day of Atonement mimics the tenth day of the first month, on which the people selected their sacrificial lambs for Passover. (Ex. 12:3) On the Day of Atonement, we select ourselves and sacrifice our old “self” for the ritual cleansing. This is the soul-searching of repentance in preparation for the Judgment Day, which is symbolized by the Feast of Tabernacles.