3) they inquired of the Lord

We will see these three things as vital in the understanding of this study. Fasting is defined in a couple of places, the first being Ezra 8:21. It is important for us to define what a fast is so we can understand what the purpose of it is.

21 ¶ Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.

The purpose of a fast is to afflict ourselves to seek the Lord! The longest discourse on fasting is in Isaiah 58:3-9.
Lets take a look at this passage. We know that to understand verse three, we must use the three rules of Biblical interpretation-Context, Context, Context. The books context, as most books is set in the first chapter- Israel is sick from the head to the toe. More immediate context is in 57: 3-4.
3 ¶ But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the whore.
4 Against whom do ye sport yourselves? against whom make ye a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? are ye not children of transgression, a seed of falsehood...

We see that God's children are "sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer" and "children of transgression". That leads us into chapter 58:1 where God tells Isaiah to shew my people their transgressions.. and their sins. God goes on.. "Yet they seek me daily". This is similar to Amos 5, where the people are living in sin but still singing and bringing offerings. God says He rejects and hates their songs and assemblies. In Is. 58:2, God goes on to tell about how they (His people) do all these things, AS a nation that did righteous. They continue on in sin, acting like a nation that did righteousness, and God hates it.
In verse 3, His people say
v3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge?

The people are asking God why they fasted and He isn't acknowledging it. They even understood that the purpose for a fast was to afflict their souls. God tells us why He won't acknowledge it.
v3 Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours.

Rather than truly afflicting themselves, and fasting to make their voice known on high, they are finding pleasure when they fast. In verse 5 the Lord describes what kind of fast He has chosen.

5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?
6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?

So, as we "afflict our souls" we will "loose the bands of wickedness...", and THEN

9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am!!!!

That helps understand what a fast is for, but brings up another big question, "How do I do it?". I have heard a thought that you can fast from things such as TV or Magazines or Athletics or anything else that takes your focus off the Lord. That is not Biblical. We are not to fast from the things of the world, we are to put them away for good and hate them. A fast is when you stop doing something for a time, we are to stop participating in worldly things PERMANENTLY!
We could go to the book of Matthew, and look at when the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness to be tried of the devil, and he fasted for forty days, and afterward he HUNGERED! It would be easy to see that he hungered because he was fasting from bread (food). Or we could look at Mat. 15:32, where Jesus said that He had compassion on the multitude because they had nothing to eat, and he would not send them away "fasting". We could clearly see that fasting has to do with not eating, but instead, we will stick to the Old Testament.

One of the clearest places to see what person is fasting from is in 2 Samuel 12. The context of David’s fast (16ff) is when the prophet Nathan comes to David to reprove him. In verse 14 the prophet tells David that his son will die. David, in verse 16, fasted and lay upon the earth all night. In the following verses, the elders of David’s house came to him to try to get him to eat bread. Why would they want him to eat bread? Because he was fasting, and A FAST IS ABSTAINING FROM FOOD.
(this is a good point to make sure to encourage you to be diligent to go to, read, and study every scripture. Don’t be slothful. :)
As you read the verses following, you will see that after David rose up from his mourning and fasting, he immediately washed, anointed himself, and changed apparel (which is interesting-Ruth 3) then he sat down and ate! The servants were bewildered, after fasting seven days, he went strait to the table. Look at what David said.
22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?
23 But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again?

David was fasting and weeping so that the Lord might be "gracious" to him!
Psalm 109:24 says " My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness."
Why would David’s "flesh fail of fatness", because a fast is abstaining from food.

Ester defines a fast for us.
4:16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

Why they did not eat nor drink, i do not know. Most times a fast is from food only (from what i have seen), there is another exception to that however........Moses.

In Duet 9:9 Moses is recorded as going up into the mount to receive the law, and staying up there for 40 days and forty nights without food or water!!!!! Scientist may say that that would be impossible..........Faith. We just have to believe what God's Word says. So why was Moses fasting? It seems to me, and I would welcome your responses on this, that he was fasting because he was going to receive Divine revelation. He was inquiring of the Lord, or expecting to receive from the Lord, or maybe he was afflicting himself to get to know the Lord. He did receive the law, and the Lord commanded him to go down to the people that he led out of Egypt (12). Then after he saw the peoples horrific sin, he fell down before the Lord again, for another forty days and nights. This time it was for the sins of the people.

There are many great prayers in Scripture: the one that Christ prayed for the disciples, the one that Moses prayed for the people, the one that Ezra prayed for the people, the list goes on and on. One such great prayer is in Daniel 9. Before his prayer we are told some things about him.
v3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes

One other progression that is very interesting is in Nehemiah 9.
1 ¶ Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.
2 And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.
3 And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God.

The people fasted, separated themselves, read Gods Word, confessed, then worshipped the Lord. As we look back to the beginning of the study, we saw that in Isaiah 58, they tried to worship while in sin, whereas these people went into the Word which will always point out sin, then they confessed, then they worshipped.

If you want to study more on progressions such as this one, look at:
Joel 1:14, 2:12-17

Jonah 3:5-8
Nehemiah 1:4

SO, to review and sum up all that we have looked at, a fast is a time when you afflict and "chasten your own soul"(Ps. 69:10) in order to humble your soul (Ps 35:13) to focus your attention on seeking the Lord. Most of the time it is through prayer, and sometimes it is when you are mourning (1 Sam. 31:13, Ezra 10:6, Ester 4:3, 2 Sam. 1:12). Do not be discouraged, fasting does add power to your prayers (if you don't believe me, ask Ahab 1 Kings 21:28-29). But you must ask in faith (Mat 17:20-22, Mat 21:22, Mark 11:23-24, 1 Tim. 2:8, Hebrews 11:6, James 1:6). And you had better fast before it is too late (Jer 14:12). Now is the time to afflict your soul, the coming day will be the "cheerful feast"(Zach 8:19) ALWAYS WATCH AND PRAY.

P.S. This is a study on fasting in the Old Testament. If one was to say that it was abolished or replaced, he would need to see

Mat 4:2 Jesus fasted (prepare for testing)
Mat 6:16 Jesus tells you details about when you fast
Mat 17:21 this type won't come out except with prayer and fasting (must be in faith)
Mark 2:18 equivocates mourning with fasting Mat 9:14
Luke 2:37 Anna (the prophetess) served God through prayers and fastings
Acts 10:30 Corneleus fasted for 4 days and God heard his prayers
13:2-4 they fasted, then the Holy Ghost said (they received from God)
Acts 14:23 Paul and Barnabas fasted and prayed
1 Cor. 7:5 Husbands and wives don't deprive one another except to fast and pray (good example of afflicting the soul)
2 Cor 6:5
11:27 often fastings.