4 The Prophecy of the Ten Kingdoms
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Yom Kippur Fast Abolished
Again God says;
“Why do you fast to Me like you do today to make your voice heard on high? You humble yourself, bow your head, put on sackcloth and ashes, and call it an acceptable fast, but it is not. The fast I have chosen is to loosen every bond of wickedness, break harsh agreements, restore to liberty those who are bruised, and tear in pieces every unjust bond. Feed the hungry with your bread, clothe the naked, bring the homeless poor into your house, don’t despise the humble, and don’t turn away members of your own family. Then your light will break out like the dawn, your healing will come quickly, righteousness will go before you, and the glory of God will surround you. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer and while you are still speaking He will say ‘Here I am,’ if you free others, don’t swear falsely, or murmur, give your food to the poor with a cheerful heart, and show compassion on the afflicted.” Based on Isaiah 58:4-10
20Brethren, in this passage God has proven by His foreknowledge and love for us, that the people whom He has purchased for His beloved Son were to believe in sincerity; therefore, showing all these things to us, we should not run as proselytes to Jewish law.
Commentary
In this chapter Barnabas explains that passages like Isaiah 58:4-10 not only showed God hated it when the priests would just go through the motions of fasting on the Day of Atonement (also called Yom Kippur), instead of truly repenting. The fast commanded on the Day of Atonement was supposed to teach us to abstain from wickedness and give to those who are in need.
Zechariah 7:4-10 also taught that a true fast is giving your food to those who really need it. The rabbis had no right to declare new days of fasting. God ordained only one: Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
Some thought fasting would automatically guarantee an answer to prayer (Isaiah 58:3-4). Against this, the prophets taught that without proper understanding and conduct, fasting was useless (Isaiah 58:5-12; Jeremiah 14:11-12; Zechariah 7).
These passages indicate that, since the fast is a typological prophecy that pointed to our need to repent and accept Jesus’ death on the cross, we need no longer observe the Yom Kippur Fast, nor any other fast created by the ancient rabbis.
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