That We Might
Have Joy
The Law of The Fast
in the Gospel of the Lord
By
Michaelbrent Collings
CHAPTER 2 – A short
history of the Fast
This
short piece is not intended as a definitive work on the history of the practice
of fasting. However, a short history of
fasting among God's people will give us a sort of foundation upon which we may
lay further knowledge. This background
will hopefully allow us to understand where fasting came from. More than that, as we come to see how fasting
began and has been sustained by the Lord, it will hopefully instill in us a
true conviction of the importance of this important law.
Fasting
is an eternal principle. As such, it
has been present in some form or other since the foundation of the world wherever
there have been righteous followers of God.
We have already discussed President Cannon’s remark that “wherever there
is a Church of Christ organized, there has been… the practice among them.”[1] Speaking further on this very subject, David
O. McKay writes:
Historians
tell us that the custom of fasting dates back to the early history of the human
race. They surmise that it was first
practiced because of the salutary influence that it has on the health and also
because of the increased power such voluntary abstinence gives the spirit in
holding under subjection the purely physical appetites of the body. It may be nearer the truth, however, to say
that fasting originated when the Lord first revealed to man the gospel plan…[2]
Joseph
Fielding Smith concurs with this statement of the ancient origin of the fast:
Fasting
we may well assume is a religious custom that has come down from the beginning
of time, and always associated with prayer.
There are numerous customs and practices that were given anciently about
which the knowledge became so common that their origin has been lost in
antiquity; therefore we cannot give time or place where the first commandment
on fasting was given. It was common in
the most ancient times, and there are numerous incidents recorded in the Old
Testament indicating that it was well established not only among the true
worshipers of Deity but also among the heathen nations. All of this indicates the antiquity of
fasting, which we may presume was revealed to Adam.[3]
Fasting,
then, has been a principle from the very dawn of this world’s existence. Revealed to Adam, it took its place as an
important aspect of the Lord’s true Gospel, and God’s people continued to
practice it through the different dispensations. “Fasting and prayer have been referred to almost as a singular
function from the earliest times.
Adam’s generation fasted and prayed, as did Moses on Sinai.”[4]
This
practice continued to and through the time of the captivity of Israel. Moses, deliverer of the children of Israel,
practiced the divinely inspired fast.
When he went up to Mount Sinai to commune with the Lord, he received
Divine guidance, speaking to the Lord and hearing His words. This he did fasting: “And he was there with
the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink
water.”[5]
Upon
Moses’ return from this most sacred communion, he gave to the people of Israel
the ten commandments, the basis for the law the covenant people of God would
follow for millennia to come. And this
law also included provision for an annual fast day:
Also
on the tenth day of the 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 the Lord.
And ye
shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an
atonement for you before the Lord your God.
For
whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be
cut off from among this people.[6]
This
“day of atonement” was a day of fasting: literally, a day to draw nearer to God
(to become “at one” with the Lord) by subjecting the body to a fast, thus
closing the gap between spirit and flesh.
And so
the divine law of the fast continued to be observed throughout the
dispensations. King David fasted for
the safety of his son. Ezra, Nehemiah,
and many others of the Old Testament offered up their hearts in the spirit of
fasting.
Another
striking example of the general observance of the fast is shown us in the book
of Esther. Esther, preparing herself to
plead before King Ahasuerus for the lives of the Jews in Persia, enjoined the
Jews to “Fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I
also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so I will go in unto the king…”[7] That fast bore fruit: Esther was favored by
the king, and her efforts led to the improving of her people's situation.
Down
through the years until the coming of the Savior, the people of God relied on
the fast as a spring of Divine guidance and a reservoir of power, an additional
token of their devotion to the Most High.
And
this power was utilized not only in the Old World, but in the New. The Nephites, the “branch run over the wall”[8]
who were an offshoot of the tribe of Joseph, also practiced this sacred
rite. Mosiah, Alma the father and Alma
the younger, the sons of Mosiah, all these and many other prophets are recorded
as fasting. They did so for sundry
reasons, and by their example no doubt inspired other righteous children of God
to do the same. Thus it was that the
Nephites “did fast much and pray much,”[9]
and “did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their
humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ…”[10]
The
practice and observance of the fast as a principle of righteousness and a
source of divine blessing continued down through the ages, until the coming of
Christ.
With
Christ’s advent, his condescension as he stepped down from his state in the
Heavens and took upon himself a body with all its attendant weaknesses and
potentials, the law was fulfilled and many aspects of it passed away. But not all were passed away. The principle of the fast remained. Christ himself fasted, going forth into the
desert to fast and commune with His Father.[11] He made much of the fast as a source of
increased power, telling his disciples that it was a requirement for the
successful fulfilling of certain priesthood blessings.[12] And beyond Christ’s own experiences, “In the
New Testament… there are numerous references to fasting and prayer, when
blessings were expedient from the Lord.”[13]
After
Christ ascended to the Heavens, the law of the fast continued, still holding
firm to its place as a divine practice and important observance for the
children of God, who came to be called “Christians.” Thus it was that Luke the physician could testify that Cornelius
had fasted,[14] thus it was
that Paul enjoined the Saints in Corinth to give themselves to fasting in
prayer.[15]
And
again, in the New World, the people of God continued to be a fasting
people. They fasted during the time of
the Savior’s material ministry to them immediately following His resurrection
and ascension, and continued the practice until the darkness of Apostasy spread
across their world, dimming the light of truth by covering it in blood and
warfare and wickedness.
Yet
still fasting was observed as a power on both continents, albeit continuing as
one of many ordinances that had come to “have a form of Godliness” while
“denying the power thereof.” Fasting
could be seen among the American Indian people (the remnants of the seed of
Lehi), practiced as a means of sanctification and contact with the Gods, or as
a sign of mourning.[16] In like manner, fasting continued among the
degenerate Christianity of the middle ages, those who were under the dark hand
of Apostasy. Justin Martyr, St.
Augustine, Origen, all these and more of the Christian “fathers” wrote and
spoke of the subject, preaching it as a manner of achieving Godliness.
So the
fast continued, now as a tradition rather than as a true and powerful exercise
of priesthood authority. Its power was
dimmed, as were so many other practices whose divine origins had been subverted
by heresies and a general embrace of Pagan teachings.
And
then, in the springtime of 1820, the light of God broke through the shadows of
Apostasy in a sacred grove in upstate New York. A prophet was called, and from that time forth began the
revelations that would once again restore the truth to the earth. Joseph Smith, called simply The Prophet by
many of those who sustained his role in God’s plan, organized and established
the true Church of Jesus Christ once more, under the approval and auspices of
Christ Himself. Once more divine power
flowed through the world. Truth was
restored, power realized, and correct practices reestablished.
One of
these was fasting:
From
the organization of the Church the principle of fasting in the spirit of prayer
has been a commandment of the Lord.[17]
Revelation after revelation in the Doctrine
and Covenants, a book largely comprised of revelations given to Joseph Smith,
spoke of fasting and prayer, elaborating upon the unique power of the fast in
God’s kingdom. Fasting had returned in
its power.
And in
its proper organization, too. Brigham
Young, the “Modern Moses” who led the people of God west, blazing trails and
establishing a modern Zion in the tops of the mountains, organized the
observance of the fast:
The
observance of a fast day, when donations for the support of the poor are to be
given to the Bishop for distribution, was instituted at an early day in [the
Salt Lake valley] by President Young.
It was a time of scarcity, when no one had any too much, and some did
not have enough. He gave instructions
that a general fast should be regularly observed throughout Israel and that the
food which would have been eaten, or its equivalent, should be given to the
poor. The occasion became a time of
spiritual refreshing, when in their assemblages the Saints were moved to the
exhibition of sincere brotherly love and to the expression of strong
testimonies of the truth of the Gospel, accompanied in many instances with
powerful manifestations of the spirit and the giving of precious experiences
and instructions.”[18]
Now
the Saints would have a common day to fast.
The first Thursday of every month was chosen, that the Saints might fast
and then come to the storehouse to give their offerings for the succor of the
afflicted. This practice continued
until 1898, when “November 5th… witnessed a change in the observance
of the fast day from the first Thursday to the first Sunday of the month.”[19] The change came about thus:
Hyrum
M. Smith, who later became a member of the Council of the Twelve, was a
missionary in Newcastle, England, in the year 1896. On the Thursday of the fast meeting, members of the Church in
that land had to get excused from their employment with a loss of pay. Some of them were workers in the coal
mines. When these came from the pits,
they had to go home, bathe, and change their clothes. This was a loss both of time and compensation. Hyrum wrote to his father, President Joseph
F. Smith, and asked why, under such circumstances, the fast day had to be a
Thursday and not a Sunday. President
Smith took the letter to the meeting of the First Presidency and the apostles
and presented it there. The following
is an excerpt from the minutes of the meeting held November 5, 1896:
President
Joseph F. Smith introduced the subject of fast meetings, suggesting that a
change of the time from the first Thursday to the first Sunday in each month
would probably be beneficial. This was
endorsed by President George Q. Cannon, and after other brethren had spoken on
the subject, it was decided that the Tabernacle services be dispensed with on
the first Sunday of each month, and that the saints in this city as well as in
the country wards, should have the privilege of meeting… to observe the fast
day.[20]
The
fast day observance has continued from that day. Every first Sunday – with some few exceptions for Stake and General
Conferences held on first Sundays – the Saints worldwide gather spiritually to
fast and pray for the welfare of those around them. The fast day has continued from Adam to the present, from first
revelation of the Gospel to final restoration in the dispensation of the
fullness of times. It has continued, it
has endured, it has helped us to come closer to God. Hyrum Smith spoke of the fast and its continuing place in history
in this wise:
Joshua
and the leading Elders of Israel were prostrate [fasting] before the Ark one
entire day after the defeat in the battle of Ai (Jos. 7:6). David fasted when his child was sick (II
Sam. 12:16). Moses fasted forty days on
Mount Horeb. Elijah fasted a similar
period, as did our Lord before entering upon His ministry. The children of God, in all ages, have found
comfort and strength in fasting and prayer.
In answer to prayer with fasting, extending over a period of two days
and nights, Alma was healed (Mosiah 27:22, 23). Alma fasted and prayed many days, in order to receive a testimony
for the truth (Alma 5:46). There are
many instances of fasting recorded in the Book of Mormon. Paul reminded the Saints that he and his
companions had proved themselves to be ministers of God in “fastings” as well
in all other circumstances (II Cor. 6:5)… The Latter-day Saints have a fast
Sunday every month, on which they bear testimony to the goodness of the Lord to
them, and remember the poor by donations.[21]
Yet
even today, after approximately six thousand years of observing this sacred
rite, the Saints are still largely unsure as to what fasting is, as to what it
does, as to why we do it. There are
conflicting viewpoints as to what a fast must consist of in order to actually
be a fast. Equally numerous are the
reasons one should fast. And yet
another set of views (ofttimes diametrically opposed) have evolved regarding
what the fast might accomplish.
What
is the truth? To answer that, we must
now break from our short treatment of the history of fasting and discuss the
question of how one defines a fast.
On to Chapter 3...
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