With FASTING

[SANTOSO]

Beloved ones, this is what we have heard about fasting:

““Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, WITH FASTING, with weeping, and with mourning.””
‭‭Joel‬ ‭2:12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Let us hear and heed what our Lord said to turn Him with all our hearts, WITH FASTING, with weeping and with mourning.

How our hearts should perceive and understand FASTING, that the Lord said?

This is what we have heard our Lord said:

““Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭58:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Selah

 

[SANTOSO]

The fasting that our Lord have chosen to loose the bonds of wickedness. What is this wickedness ?

According to Hebrew Lexicon, Strong’s#07563 — wickedness or
râshâ‛, as defined by Brown-Driver-Briggs’:

1) wicked, criminal
1a) GUILTY one, one GUILTY of crime (substantive)
1b) wicked (hostile to God)
1c) wicked, GUILT of SIN (AGAINST GOD or MAN )

So the fast, that the Lord have chosen to loose the bonds of wickedness, is to loose the bonds of guilt of sin.

How we are to loose or free ourselves from this bonds of wickedness or bonds of guilt of sin, against God and man ?

For we heard apostle Paul said:

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself A RANSOM FOR ALL, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.”
‭‭I Timothy‬ ‭2:5-7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Beloved ones—the Lord, God the Father have chosen for us to be loosed from this bonds of guilt of sin by the Man, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a RANSOM, for He mediates us with God and men.
Selah

 

[SANTOSO]

Beloved ones, how we came to be bonded with this wickedness or guilt of sin ? From the definition, we perceived and understood that we have offended God and men. this brought us to bondage of guilt of sin.

That is why our Lord Jesus said：

““And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.

But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭11:25-26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Beloved ones, the fast that our Lord have chosen is to loose the bonds of wickedness, is that we have anything against anyone, that we release forgiveness to them, that our Father in heaven may also forgive us our trespasses.

Beloved ones, let us loose the bonds of wickedness by releasing forgiveness to those who wronged us, that we may keep the fast that our Lord have chosen.
Selah

 

[SANTOSO]

Also, we heard our Lord :

““Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness, TO UNDO THE HEAVY BURDENS,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭58:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

How we should perceive and understand FASTING, that the Lord said, TO UNDO THE HEAVY BURDENS ?

If we are to undo heavy burdens, we should perceive and understand what made the burdens HEAVY? What WEIGHT on the burdens ?

This is what we have heard:

For we heard:
“Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just WEIGHT is His delight.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

So what has been weighing on the burdens was unjust weight, that displeased the Lord.

Unjust weight is not behaving according to what God said.

So what is the unjust weight, that weight HEAVY on the burdens ?

This is what we have heard:

“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become GUILTY before God. Therefore by THE DEEDS OF THE LAW no flesh will be justified in His sight, for BY THE LAW IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF SIN”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭3:19-20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Under the weight of the law, all the world have become guilty before God.

Since by the deeds of law no flesh will be justified in the Lord’s sight because the flesh have unjust weight, looking to be justified by the deeds of the law. So the unjust weight is the deed of the law.

For by the knowledge of sin, that is, the law of sin, no flesh will be justified in the Lord’s sight. So the knowledge of sin, that weight heavy on the burdens.

So the unjust weight, is the knowledge of sin, that weight HEAVY on the burdens.

If it has been a just weight on the burdens, that burdens would be light.

For we heard our Lord Jesus said:

“For My yoke is easy and My burden is LIGHT.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:30‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

For the burden of our Lord Jesus Christ, is light, for He is a just weight, that the Father delights.
Selah.