Health in the Bible – part 1
Did you know the bible has wonderful health instruction? You will find references to health and good sensible advice scattered all through the books of the Bible. Some advice you find in Leviticus, like washing your hands after touching diseased or dead things and quarantining people with infectious disease wasn’t part of our modern health principles until the late 1800 early 1900’s.
Quarantines could have helped limit the spread of this deadly disease, but except for the city of Dubrovnik in Croatia, they were not used. Dubrovnik required a 40-day isolation before allowing people entry to the city. This 40-day period is the origin of the word quarantine, from the Italian meaning “forty days.”
Until the 1700s, many in science and medicine thought diseases like the Black Death were caused by poisonous air. Eventually scientists discovered that microbes spread disease from one person to another, and they realized it would be possible to contain disease with quarantines.
Centuries earlier, however, around 1500 BC, the Israelites under Moses practiced medical quarantine at Yahweh’s direction. Those with contagious diseases had to live alone outside the camp until they recovered their health.
As for the leper who has the infection, his clothes shall be torn, and the hair of his head shall be uncovered, and he shall cover his mustache and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ He shall remain unclean all the days during which he has the infection; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp. (Leviticus 13:45-46 NASB)
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the sons of Israel that they send away from the camp every leper and everyone having a discharge and everyone who is unclean because of a dead person. You shall send away both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp so that they will not defile their camp where I dwell in their midst.” The sons of Israel did so and sent them outside the camp; just as the Lord had spoken to Moses, thus the sons of Israel did. (Numbers 5:1-4 NASB)
Sound health principles have been in the Bible for thousands of years. Likewise, the good news of eternal health is also given in the Bible in John 3:16.
Science Catches Up to the Bible
Three thousand years before man understood the reasons for quarantines, Yahweh instructed Israel under Moses to quarantine infectious diseases in order to preserve the health of the nation.
How was Moses able to write about this so long before other men understood it?
Although the Bible is not primarily a science textbook, it does hint at many scientific truths like this one and like those mentioned in this Science in the Bible series, truths that long pre-date their discovery by today’s scientists. This is strong evidence of divine authorship of the Bible.”
(You will find many other interesting articles on his site.)
So, are health principles really a part of true Bible religion?
3 John 2 says ‘ Beloved I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health… 3 John 2 and Jer. 29:11 says “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
When Jesus walked the earth the bible tells us that “..Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching… preaching… the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and… disease.” (Matt.4:23).
Daniel and his three companions refused to be defiled with the delicacies from the kings table. They knew they what they ate and how they lived had a definite effect on spiritual life. Seventh day Adventists have believed that for a long time. We believe that our bodies are the temples of God (1 Cor 3:16-17 and that God wants us to use our bodies and our spirits to glorify him 1 cor 6 :19,20.
We know now without a doubt from the latest scientific research how connected our mind, spiritual nature, and body are and how interrelated and interdependent they are on each other.
Why did God give health principles to His people?
“The Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes,
to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive”
(Deuteronomy
6:24).
“You shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your
water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you” (Exodus
23:25).
God knows us because he made us so it makes sense to follow his guide lines for health doesn’t it? If we Follow God’s principles this is a promise – saving health Psalm 67:2 KJV and more abundant life (John 10:10).
The Bible rates health right near the top of the list in importance (3 John 1:2). The diet God gave people at the beginning of Creation was fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds (Genesis 1:29, 2:16; 3:18).
The following are some of the simple, but important, health laws found in the Bible:
- Eat your meals at regular intervals (Ecclesiastes 10:17).
- Don’t overeat (Proverbs 23:2, Luke 21:34).
- Make mealtime a happy time (Ecclesiastes 3:13).
- Don’t harbor envy or hold grudges (Proverbs 14:30, Matthew 5:23,24).
- Maintain a cheerful, happy disposition (Proverbs 17:22; 23:7).
- Balance work and exercise with sleep and rest (Exodus 20:9,10, Ecclesiastes 2:22,23; 5:12, Psalm 127:2).
- Keep your body clean (Isaiah 52:11).
- Be temperate in all things (1 Corinthians 9:25, Philippians 4:5).
- Help those who are in need (Isaiah 58:6-8).
- Bury body waste to avoid disease (Deuteronomy 23:12-13).
- Avoid eating animals that were strangled (Acts 15:20,29; 21:25).
- Avoid eating animals that die by themselves (Leviticus 17:15; 22:8, Deuteronomy 14:21, Ezekiel 4:14).
- Do not boil a young animal in its mother’s milk (Deuteronomy 14:21).
- Do not eat animal fat or blood (Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 3:17; 7:23-27; 17:10-14, Deuteronomy 12:16).
- Put full trust in the Lord (Proverbs 4:20-22; 19:23).
In part 2 we will continue this important discussion.