16 Bible Verses about Asceticism, Types

The people of Israel went up to Bethel and mourned. They sat there in Jehovah's presence and fasted until evening. They offered fellowship sacrifices and burned some sacrifices whole in the presence of Jehovah.

David and all his men tore their clothes in sorrow. They grieved and mourned and fasted until evening for Saul and Jonathan and for Israel, the people of Jehovah, because so many had been killed in battle.

Jeremiah told Baruch: I am no longer allowed to go to Jehovah's Temple. On a day of fasting, you must read from the scroll Jehovah's message that you wrote as I dictated. You must read it to the people in Jehovah's Temple. You must also read it to all the people of Judah when they come from their cities.

She had been a widow eighty-four years. She never left the temple. She worshipped and fasted with supplications day and night.

I looked to Jehovah God to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

Elijah finished speaking. Ahab tore his clothes and took them off. He dressed in sackcloth. He refused food (fasted) and slept in the sackcloth. He was gloomy and depressed.

Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel came together, taking no food and putting sackcloth and dust on their bodies.

Concerning the things that you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch (have sex with) a woman.

He said to the people: Get ready for the third day. Do not go near a woman for sexual intercourse.

The high priest answered David: I do not have any ordinary bread here. But there is holy bread for the young men if they have not had sexual intercourse today.

These are they who were not defiled with women. They are virgins. These are they who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed (bought) from among mankind. They are the first fruits to God and to the Lamb.

Jehovah said to Moses: Tell the Israelites: 'A man or a woman may make a special vow to live as a Nazirite dedicated to Jehovah. Nazirites must never drink wine, liquor, vinegar made from wine or liquor, or any kind of grape juice. They must never eat fresh grapes or raisins.read more.
As long as they are Nazirites they must never eat anything that comes from a grapevine, not even grape seeds or skins. As long as they are under the Nazirite vow no razor may touch their heads. During the entire time that they are dedicated to Jehovah as Nazirites, they will be holy. They must let their hair grow long. While they are dedicated to Jehovah as Nazirites, they must never go near a dead body. Even if their own father, mother, brother, or sister dies, they must not make themselves unclean by going near them. Nazarites show their vow to God with their long hair. As long as they are Nazirites, they will be holy to Jehovah. Someone might suddenly drop dead next to a Nazirite and make the Nazirite's hair unclean. Seven days later he must shave his head in order to be declared clean. The eighth day he must bring two mourning doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. The priest will sacrifice one as an offering for sin and the other one as a burnt offering. The priest will pay compensation for the wrongdoing and make peace with Jehovah for the person who touched the dead body. That same day the person must dedicate his head again. Once again he will dedicate himself to Jehovah as a Nazirite for the same length of time as before. He must bring a one-year-old male lamb as an offering for guilt. The first time period will not count. He has to start over from when he became unclean. These are the instructions for Nazirites to complete their vows: They must come to the entrance of the tent of meeting. They are to bring these offerings to Jehovah: a one-year-old male lamb as a burnt offering, a one-year-old female lamb as an offering for sin, and a ram as a fellowship offering. All of these animals must have no defects. They must also bring a basket of unleavened bread containing some rings of bread made with olive oil and wafers of unleavened bread brushed with olive oil, along with other grain offerings and wine offerings. The priest will bring these offerings to Jehovah. He will make the offering for sin and the burnt offering. He will sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to Jehovah. He will offer the basket of unleavened bread along with it, and make the grain offerings and wine offerings. The Nazirites will shave their heads at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Then they will take the hair as proof that they had made this vow, and put it on the fire under the fellowship offering. The priest will take one of the shoulders from a boiled ram, one ring of unleavened bread from the basket, and one wafer of unleavened bread and hand them to the Nazirites after they have shaved off their hair. The priest will present them as an offering to Jehovah. They are holy and belong to the priest, along with the ram's breast that is presented and the thigh that is given. After that, the Nazirites may drink wine.' These are the instructions for those who have vowed to bring their offerings to Jehovah as Nazirites. They must bring these offerings in addition to anything else they can afford. They must fulfill the requirements of these instructions for Nazirites and finish whatever they vowed to do.

Jehovah's angel appeared to her and said: You have not been able to have children, but you will become pregnant and have a son. Do not drink any wine or beer, or eat any forbidden food. After your son is born never cut his hair. This is because from the day of his birth he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite. He will begin the work of delivering Israel from the Philistines.read more.
Then the woman told her husband: A man of God came to me. He looked as frightening as the angel of God. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name. He told me I would become pregnant and have a son. He told me: 'Do not drink any wine or beer, or eat any forbidden food. This is because the boy is to be dedicated to God as a Nazirite as long as he lives.' Then Manoah prayed to Jehovah: Please, Jehovah, let the man of God that you sent come back to teach us what we must do with the boy when he is born. God did what Manoah asked. His angel came back to the woman while she was in the field. Her husband Manoah was not with her, She ran to tell him, The man who came to me the other day appeared to me again. Manoah followed his wife to the man and asked, Are you the man who talked to my wife? Yes, he answered. Manoah said: When your words come true, what must the boy do? What kind of a life must he live? Jehovah's angel answered: Your wife must be sure to do everything I told her. She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine. She must not drink any wine or beer, or eat any forbidden food. She must do everything I told her to do.

She kept asking him, day after day. He got sick and tired of her nagging him.

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, in the days of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, king of Judah: Go into the house of the Rechabites and talk to them. Take them into the House of Jehovah, into one of the rooms, and give them wine. I took Jaazaniah, the son of Jeremiah, the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons and all the Rechabites.read more.
I took them into the House of Jehovah, into the room of the sons of Hanan, the son of Igdaliah, the man of God. This was near the rulers' room, over the room of Maaseiah, the son of Shallum, the keeper of the door. I set out some large bowls full of wine together with some cups. Then I said to the Rechabites: Have some wine! But they answered: No! The ancestor of our clan, Jonadab son of Rechab, made a rule that we must obey. He said: 'Do not ever drink wine or build houses or plant crops and vineyards. Instead, you must always live in tents and move from place to place. If you obey this command, you will live a long time.' We have obeyed all the instructions that Jonadab gave us. We never drink wine, and neither do our wives, our sons, or our daughters. We do not build houses for homes for we live in tents. We own no vineyards, fields, or grain. We have fully obeyed everything that our ancestor Jonadab commanded us. We live in tents, and we have obeyed everything our ancestor Jonadab ordered us to do. But when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded this land, we said: 'Let's go to Jerusalem to escape the Babylonian and Aramean armies. That is why we are living in Jerusalem.' Then Jehovah spoke his word to Jeremiah. He said: This is what Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: 'Tell the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem, Will you ever learn your lesson and obey my words? Declares Jehovah. Jonadab, Rechab's son, ordered his descendants not to drink wine. This order has been carried out. His descendants have not drunk any wine to this day, because they have obeyed their ancestor's order. I have spoken to you again and again, but you have refused to listen to me. I have sent all my servants the prophets to you again and again. They said: Turn from your evil ways, do what is right, and do not follow other gods in order to serve them. Then you will live in the land that I gave you and your ancestors. However, you refused to listen to me or obey me. The descendants of Jonadab, Rechab's son, have carried out the orders of their ancestor, but you refuse to listen to me.' This is what Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: 'I am going to bring on Judah and on all those who live in Jerusalem all the disasters that I threatened. I have spoken to them, but they did not listen. I called to them, but they did not answer.' Then Jeremiah said to the family of Rechab: This is what Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: 'You obeyed the order of your ancestor Jonadab, followed all his instructions, and did exactly what he told you to do. So this is what Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: A descendant of Jonadab, Rechab's son, will always serve me.'

But I discipline my body, and bring it into subjection, so that after I have preached to others I will not be disqualified.