FASTING
by Pastor Fred W. Rollins

THE WORDS "FAST" and "FASTING" occur over seventy times in the Bible. By fasting, of course, we mean to go without food for the body. Fasting used to be a very vital part of Israel's worship.

We have records of many Bible characters who fasted, Moses, David, Esther, Daniel, Elijah, Jesus, the Disciples, the Pharisees, and the early Church and others. Zechariah speaks of the fast of the 4th month, of the 5th month, of the 7th month, and of the 10th month.

The Disciples of John said to Jesus, "... We and the Pharisees fast oft ..." (Matthew 9: 14.)

Moses and Elijah and Jesus are the three Bible characters who each fasted for 40 days, Moses did this twice, and these three appeared together on the Mount of Transfiguration. At 120 years of age Moses' "Eye was not dimmed nor his natural force abated." Elijah was translated that he should not see death, and Jesus after accomplishing His work, was also translated. Possibly there is a greater significance in these facts than many realize.

Fasting seems to have a very real meaning, with God, and it is one way people have used to approach God in times of great importance.

This thing used to puzzle me, I wondered if God was pleased to see us suffer or if His attention was especially called by our "penance."

The heathen beat their drums to attract their gods and the Prophets of Baal cut themselves with knives and lances till the blood gushed out upon them and the "Holy Men" of India walk through fire and sit upon beds of spikes, etc., to attract their gods.

Is our God like that? Is there any similarity between these acts?

Christianity is in no wise like the religions of the heathen. There is sense and meaning and reason in everything Christian, when once we understand it. No other form of worship gives the body the emphasis that Christianity does. No other form honors the body as Christianity does.

I never understood my Bible very well until I understood this fact. You will find practically every truth in your Bible in some way connected with the body. God is very much interested in these bodies which He has so "Fearfully and wonderfully made" and He is interested in our health and in our eating and in our not eating because of its effect on the body. And we please God more than we may realize by what we eat and by our self-control in eating.

Now notice a few Scriptures:

". .. the righteous God trieth the heart and the reins." R-E-I-N-S. (Psa. 7: 9.)

What are these "Reins"? The Hebrew word is "KELAYOTH" and 18 times in the Old Testament it is translated "KIDNEYS." 13 times it is translated "Reins," 31 times altogether, and 31 times it should have been translated "KIDNEYS."

The American Standard Version is even worse, for they used the words "mind" and "heart" and where they could not possibly use those words they used the correct word "Kidneys." Probably they could not make sense out of the Divine word.

The translators should have understood the function of the kidneys, and had they understood the relation between God and health and the body no doubt they would have used the word "kidneys" whenever God did.

Notice a few passages using the word "kidneys" instead of "reins" as in the King James Bible:

". . . The righteous God trieth the hearts and the KIDNEYS." (Ps. 7: 9.)
"... My KIDNEYS also instruct me in the night seasons." (Ps. 16: 7.)
"Examine me, 0 Lord, and prove me; Try my KIDNEYS and my heart. (Ps. 26. 2.)
"But, 0 Lord of hosts, that judgest righteously, that triest the KIDNEYS and the heart ." (Jer. 11: 20.)
"... Thou art near to their mouth, and far from their KIDNEYS." (Jer. 12: 2.)
"I the Lord search the heart, I try the KIDNEYS, even to give to every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." (Jer. 17: 10.)
"But, 0 Lord of hosts that triest the righteous, and seest the KIDNEYS and the heart ..." (Jer. 20 12.)
"All the ecclesias will know that I am He Who is searching the KIDNEYS and hearts." (Concordant Version, Rev. 2: 23.)

Strong’s Concordance has correctly translated it "Kidneys."

Now all this is very important for God tries the kidneys, Sees the kidneys, Searches the kidneys as well as the hearts.

The more you understand your kidneys the more precious will these passages become.

For one thing your kidneys are a filteration plant. They filter the food you eat, they take out of your food the poisons and certain acids and superfluous substances so that only what is good may go into your blood stream.

Overwork those kidneys and overcrowd them, eat too much and clog those kidneys and some poisons are sure to get into the blood stream, and consequently sickness and disease and death will ensue.

David said-"My KIDNEYS also instruct me in the night seasons."

That is the time when you may feel the poisons most and it is indeed a wise man who will allow his KIDNEYS to instruct him in the night seasons; to teach him what to eat and what not to eat; to teach him how much to eat and when to refrain from eating.

Now God watches the KIDNEYS, He tries the kidneys, in other words, God is interested in the foods you eat, and in the excesses.

Now the finest thing to correct all this and to clean out the poisons and to set us normal again is a good fast. Doctors are more and more coming to see this and near-miracles are taking place simply through the fast.

When your system is normal through a good fast it effects your mind, your appetites, your self-control, your diseases, your tissues, your blood, in fact the entire man. Consequently it effects prayer, your thinking, your morals.

A glutton full of poisons, from excesses, and lacking in self-control cannot command God for he is "Corrupting the Temple" and he is no match for evil spirits.

When Jesus came down from the Mount and found the Disciples unable to cast out a demon he said: ". . . This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting." (Mark. 9: 29.)

Even demons fail to respect those who need to fast. And it is a safe assertion that we all need to fast occasionally, and thus give the Holy Spirit a better Temple in which to do His work.

Fasting puts us in tune physically and we need to be in tune with God physically and consequently, spiritually. Fasting affects our health and we need to be healthy to be at our best spiritually. When your system is free from poisons you can pray better, sing better, feel better. You are normal and that is why God is pleased to answer you.

Some people have been telling us: "Oh well, this old body doesn't count." Such people do not know much about their Bibles. You have to be right physically before you can be right spiritually or mentally. We fear that modern theology is not giving proper emphasis to the body and the health of the Christian. And many consider a sick Christian is quite normal. "Ye shall serve Jehovah your God, and He will bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee." (Exodus 23. 25.)

Sickness is abnormal among God's people and should never be [normal]. Consider the commands of God: "Sing!" How can you sing if you are sick? You do not have "Peace that passeth all understanding" when you have a splitting headache. You do not "Rejoice always" when you have a cancer. You do not "Build up the saints" when you have the influenza. You do not display "Patience", when you have the seven years itch.

Don't you see that health goes with a good Christian life? And I believe one great reason why we have so many inconsistent Christians is because we have so many sick Christians. A sick Christian is hard to live with and we are not apt to see the fruits of the Spirit very much in such a person. Also it is true that most people (even in the depression), are digging their own graves with their teeth and are in need of a good fast.

Ah yes. Fasting is vitally connected with prayer, because health is vitally connected with prayer.

This is not all that can be said on this subject of fasting. I know that many have not fasted with health as their object. They have fasted often because of a great grief or an unbearable burden. They have fasted because desire and appetite have fled. But the results are the same to the body whatever the cause and when a person is more concerned about other things than he is about eating and drinking he is getting back to normal physically, mentally and spiritually.

And don't forget to WATCH YOUR KIDNEYS. Let your kidneys instruct you. Some Churches are hollering all the time about the heart, but Jesus Christ says: "I am He Who is searching the KIDNEYS and the heart." Jeremiah said (Jer. 12: 2): "Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root; they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit Thou art near to their mouth, and far from their KIDNEYS." "Near to their mouth and far from their kidneys."

I fear that is all too generally true of a lot of people today. And before prayer can be answered a fast will be necessary that God may not only be near to their mouths and near to their hearts but also near to their kidneys.