Daniel-Ezra-Isaiah Fast
My wife Kim and I have been experimenting with a new way of eating for the last 3 weeks. For 10 days (the longest 10 days of my life), we ate only fruits and vegetables. After the 10 days, we added protein to our diet in the form of peanut butter, cheese, chicken, and fish mostly. We also allow ourselves occasional treats such as eating out (like pizza, the thing I craved more than chocolate, bread, beef, and junk foods) and ice cream. I plan on repeating this “fast” of fruits and vegetables only for 7 days each month.
Now believe me, my past diet did not include a lot of fruits and vegetables, unless you count french fries as a vegetable. We watched a documentary called “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” which chronicled the journey of a man as he used juicing over a 90 day period to get healthy again. It was very interesting and inspiring, and Kim and I immediately decided to give it a try. Juicing is where various fruits and vegetables are processed so that only the juice remains, and the other parts (pulp, seeds, skin, etc.) are removed. I have to admit, the first juice that Kim made looked like grass clippings in water, and tasted much like that too!
As I looked at the parts of all those fruits and vegetables we had just bought at the store and then juiced being thrown onto the compost pile I thought “what a waste.” This part of the fruits and vegetables contained much of the minerals and vitamins of the plant, and plenty of beneficial fiber as well. I began to research alternatives to juicing and discovered blending and smoothies. This is where fruits and vegetables are prepared and then placed into a blender to make what is called a “green smoothie.” This made more sense to Kim and I, and blending smoothies is how we have been able to include so many different fruits and vegetables into our daily diet. I typically drink a green smoothie for breakfast and lunch, and then eat a healthy dinner. So far, I personally am very pleased with the physical results of the fast. I do not have hunger cravings, and if anything, I feel full most of the time. I have lost about 12-14 pounds over the last few weeks, and my high blood pressure medication dosage has been cut in half. I have noticed that my skin seems healthier, and I have had more energy.
I have been calling this the Daniel-Ezra-Isaiah Fast based on the following passages from the Old Testament: Daniel chapter 1, verses 8-17, Ezra chapter 8, verses 21-23, and Isaiah chapter 58, verses 1-12. In the past, I have used these passages of scripture as a basis for what I called “juice fasting”. I drank only juice and water for a 24 hour period, in order to prepare my body for eating healthier, but also, to prepare my mind and spirit to hear from God on a particular issue or group of issues. Last year I listened to the audio book called Fasting for Spiritual Break Through by Elmer L. Towns. Towns listed several types of fasts, and gave verses from the Old and New Testaments which each type of fast is based on. I highly recommend his book if you are interested in learning more about fasting from a Biblical perspective.
Ezra chapter eight tells the story of Ezra and his family and group of Jews who are returning to Jerusalem. Earlier in the Book of Ezra, Zerubbabel was appointed by King Cyrus to lead the first group of Jews out of captivity and back to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple. Ezra is later sent by King Artaxerxes to return the Law of God to those in Jerusalem. He is given gold and silver for the Temple of God, and the Temple vessels which had been looted when the Temple had been destroyed. Later, Nehemiah will be sent with a third group of returning Jews to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah is one of my favorites, and is an example of great leadership in the Bible.
This passage in Ezra finds the group of Jews camped out by the Ahava Canal (translated as the “I give love” river) just outside Babylon. They are preparing to leave on their journey back to the Promised Land, back to Jerusalem. Ezra proclaims a fast so that “we might humble ourselves before God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions”. Ezra states that God answered their prayers. This passage really hits home for me. We have a tradition of praying before every meal in our house, and each of us takes turns praying each time. One of the things we always do is thank God…thank Him for taking care of each of us and our family members as we go about our daily life, keeping each of us healthy, and particularly for blessing us so much with all we have and with having more than we need. God blesses us so much every day that sometimes we forget just how much we really are blessed. It is my constant desire and struggle to not take these blessing for granted, and to make sure I am being a good steward of what God has blessed me with. A fast can petition for God’s protection as you journey through life.
Lastly, the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah is a passage which documents the correction and encouragement of the Prophet Isaiah to the Children of Israel. Isaiah describes God’s people by saying “For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near to them.” He points out that their fasts are not done properly and for the right reasons. He asks “is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?”
Isaiah tells the people what a fast acceptable to the Lord can accomplish. It can “loose the chains of injustice and untied the cords of the yoke, set the oppressed free and break every yoke”. A yoke or chain is a symbol of something that oppresses or binds you. Maybe and addiction, a sin you struggle with, a weakness that Satan exploits against you, or an attitude that keeps you from being used by God properly. Isaiah goes on to say a fast can allow you to “share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter- when you see the naked to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood.” This passage points directly at providing for other’s needs, whatever that need might be. Included in this is the ability to see and acknowledge the need in the first place.
Next Isaiah promises “your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: Here am I.” Your light will break forth refers to a radiance of health your body reflects, and healing will quickly appear. God made our bodies to be sustained by eating fruits and vegetables originally in the garden of Eden. It was only after the fall, and after Noah and his family was delivered through the flood that God indicated that man should include animal flesh in our diet. Prior to the flood, the Earth was a different place, and fruits and vegetables would have been able to provide every nutritional need that man had without supplementing their diet with meat. A rear-guard is a portion of a military force which is detailed to follow behind the main force and protect them from being snuck-up on from behind. A rear-guard provides a great sense of relief and security to the entire detachment and allows them to achieve their objective without constant worry and fear of attack. Having the glory of the Lord as our “rear-guard” provides ultimate security and assurance to a Believer that God will be there when we need Him most, and will respond “Here am I.”
Isaiah promises that “the Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” What a promise made to those who fast in an acceptable manner to the Lord and do the things they should! I highly recommend a fast to those who are looking to grow closer in their walk to God, or to just rejuvenate and refresh your body and your mind. God Bless!
