21 Bible Verses About Fasting, and the Fast Isaiah Says God Chooses

Scripture treats fasting as an ordinary practice: Jesus said “when you fast,” not if, and taught his followers to keep it private. People in the Bible fast in a crisis, in repentance, before decisions, and as a long habit. Isaiah 58 adds a warning: God rejected the fasts of people who exploited their workers (58:3-4) and described the fast he chooses, which includes freeing the oppressed and sharing food with the hungry. The twenty-one verses below cover each of these,…