13 Things the Bible Says Regarding Dieting

1. January.

The month of new beginnings and resolutions, however, the end of the month is upon us and I have to wonder….

How many of us have already broken our resolution to watch what we eat this year?

2. The Bible tells us many things about diets, but one thing it doesn’t say is we should fast in order to loose weight. While we do need to take care of our bodies and we do need to refrain from gluttony, that is no indicate that we are to fast in order to loose weight.

3. Fasting was used during ancient Israel to express grief. 1 Chronicles 10:12 explains the men of Gilead fasted after King Saul’s death to express their sadness and feelings of loss.

4. Fasting was used to recognize times when God delivered His people. Zecharia 8:19…This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.”

5. Times when God’s people were repenting and grieving for disobedience and sin also called for fasting…..Judges 20:26…then the Israelites, all the people, went up to Bethel, and there they sat weeping before the Lord. They fasted that day until evening….. and 1 Samuel 7:6….When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.”

6. Fasting is also appropriate to exhibit our humility before the Lord…..Levitcus 16:29 and Psalm 69:10….When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn…..

7. For those times we want guidance from the Lord fasting clears our senses and helps us to focus on Him. Exodus 34:28 and 2 Chronicles 20:3-4

8. David fasted to show his repentance once he learned the child he conceived with Bathsheba in adultery would die….2 Samuel 12:16…David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground.

9. Once Elijah warned Abhab concerning judgement against him for the murder of Naboth (1 Kings 21:27…When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted…) he was ready to fast to show his repentance.

10. Ezra fasted for travel mercies before journeying from Babylon to Jerusalem. He asked the Lord for His blessing, guidance, and safety …Ezra 8:21.

11. Daniel fasted on the behalf of the Jewish nation in order to entreat God to restore them from exile in Babylon…. Daniel 9: 3-4.

12. Jesus also fasted at the start of his ministry ……Matthew 4:2….After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

13. Finally, Paul and Barnabas fasted when they were called by God to undertake a journey taking the Gospel to Asia Minor ….Acts 13: 1-5

Other bloggers participate in Thursday 13….you can find them here.

Wordless: Verse 59

This picture is Merom in the Golan Heights in Galilee.

It is the place mentioned at Joshua 11: 1-7where Joshua led Israel to defeat a group of Canaanite tribes under King Jabin of Hazor in a surprise attack.

Other bloggers are participating in Wordless Wednesday. You can find them here

Wordless: Verse 58

This painting is King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba by Konrad Witz. He worked in the early 1400s, and few of his paintings survive.

King Solomon, of course, was the son of King David and Bathsheba….He was the 3rd king of the united Israel and was known for his great wisdom and construction of the Temple in Jerusalem.
This painting is from a panel from the Heilspiegel Alterpiece and can be seen at Staatliche Museen, Berlin.

Of course, in reality King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba would NOT have been dressed in clothing more typical of the Middle Ages….this IS typical of artist from the time period though….they often portrayed Biblical figures in settings and costume that was contemporary for the times.

Find other wordless images published by other bloggers here.