Biblical Health

3 John 2 “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

God is the grand healer and Jesus Christ is the great physician. God “healeth all thy diseases” (Psalm 103:2-3), and says “I am the LORD that healeth thee” (Exodus 15:26). The health of our countenance (Psalm 42:11; 43:5), and wholeness of our body (Job 5:18), comes from the Lord, so whenever someone is cured, it is by the operation of God, whether we recognize it or not (Hosea 11:3; see also Psalm 107:20). God declares, “I wound, and I heal” (Deuteronomy 32:39). We do not deserve––nor are we entitled to––wholeness. Good health is a blessing that God does not owe us, but which he graciously bestows (see 1 Corinthians 4:7; James 1:17). Any healing we receive from the hand of God is his “mercy” (Philippians 2:26-27).

Luke, whom Paul called “the beloved physician” (Colossians 4:16), and who also accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys, records with technical medical terminology the many ways in which Jesus restored people to health. In his earthly ministry, Jesus Christ healed all manner of infirmities, for he “Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:17): Jesus rebuked the “great fever” of Simon’s mother in law (Luke 4:38-39), caused the leprosy to depart from “a man full of leprosy” (Luke 5:12-13), lifted up a man “which was taken with a palsy” (Luke 5:17-25), restored “a man whose right hand was withered” so that it was whole as his left hand (Luke 6:6-10), and stopped the bloody issue which lasted twelve years from a woman which the physicians could not heal (Luke 8:43-44; see also Luke 7:2, 21; 8:2). In a word, the savior “healed all that were sick” (Matthew 8:16), “any sick with divers diseases” (Luke 4:40). Jesus therefore has the ability, if he sees fit, to take away any illness. His only question to the weak was, “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28).

Obedience is Health

All of God’s commands are ultimately given for our good. Moses said that “the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always” (Deuteronomy 6:24). God said through Jeremiah that he intended to give the Israelites singleness of heart to fear him, “for the good of them” (Jeremiah 32:39). It is for our profit that God deals with us as sons and daughters (Hebrews 12:10), and with our best interest in mind that God says “thou shalt” and “thou shalt not”.

God’s judgements have a vitalizing property to them, whereby they can “quicken,” or liven, us (Psalm 119:37, 40, 88, 93, 156). God calls his statues the “statutes of life” (Ezekiel 33:15), and “a wellspring of life” (Proverbs 16:22), “For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh” (Proverbs 4:22; see also 3:8). The ordinances of God were given that we may live (Deuteronomy 4:1, 4; 8:1).

Leviticus 18:5 “Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord.” (cf. Romans 10:5; Galatians 3:12).

Life and the Lifespan

Doing that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord is the only sure means of thriving (Deuteronomy 6:3, 18; 12:25, 28; Jeremiah 7:23), because it was “well with him” that did judgement and justice (Jeremiah 22:15-16), and it “shall be well with them that fear God” (Ecclesiastes 8:12-13; see also Psalm 128:2; Isaiah 3:10). God guarantees that in submission to his word it will “be well with thee,” and that we will have longevity (Deuteronomy 4:40; 5:29, 33; Ephesians 6:3; cf. Exodus 20:12). Figuratively speaking, we can find a gray head of hair in the way of righteousness (Proverbs 16:31). Bloody and deceitful men, by contrast, “shall not live out half their days” (Psalm 55:23). God’s word speaks of the blessing of making it to old age (Zechariah 8:4; Job 5:26), and the curse of an early death (1 Samuel 2:31-33).

• The faithful Joshua and Caleb outlived the faithless congregation of Israel (Numbers 14:22-24)
• Gideon’s boldness carried him to die “in a good old age” (Judges 8:32), but Samson’s lust cut his hair, sight, and his life short (Judges 16:30-31).
• Many of the righteous kings of Judah ruled for many decades: (e.g., David for 40 years: 2 Samuel 5:4-5; Solomon for 40 years: 1 Kings 11:42; Hezekiah for 29 years: 2 Chronicles 29:1), whereas a significant number of the unrighteous monarchs of Israel had a short-lived reign (Ahaziah for 2 years: 1 Kings 22:51; Zachariah for 6 months: 2 Kings 15:8; Shallum for one month: 2 Kings 15:13).

Abraham (Genesis 25:8), Isaac (Genesis 35:29), and Jacob (Genesis 47:8-9) all died as very old men. Joseph held onto life long enough to see four generations of his children (Genesis 50:22-23), as did Job who “saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations” (Job 42:16-17). Paul the apostle’s years spanned till he was “Paul the aged” (Philemon 9). The lifespan of mankind seems to decrease gradually after the Fall with the increasing sinfulness of man (see Genesis 5), until finally we are left with only a few dozen years to walk the earth before meeting the death which is appointed unto man (Hebrews 9:27).

Psalm 90:10 “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of    strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut     off, and we fly away.”

Godly people, however, do not just have more years, but also have better years (see 1 Timothy 4:8; John 10:10). As the Israelites were brought out of Egypt and fed by God, the Bible says that “there was not one feeble person among their tribes” (Psalm 105:37). Our moral goodness actually makes our life itself qualitatively good, like Caleb who had the same strength at age 80 as he did at age 40 (Joshua 14:11). The 120-year-old Moses was still youthful in his vigor and abilities:

Deuteronomy 34:7 “And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his   eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.”

Righteous people are not immune to illness, but they are characteristically more robust than the wicked, and can often recover faster and have their health “spring forth speedily” (Isaiah 58:8). The obedient Christian has the promise of God that he will deliver them “from the noisome pestilence” (Psalm 91:3). God often forsakes the stretcher of the godless, but the godly who languish will have God “strengthen him” and “make all his bed in his sickness” (Psalm 41:1-3).

Exodus 23:25 “And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.”

Disobedience is Harm

Many of the diseases which pester the human race can be sent as a judgement of God. Walking contrary to God is like licking everything around you and exposing yourself in every way to ill. To the disobedient, God proclaims that he will “bring seven times more plagues upon you” (Leviticus 26:21), “make the pestilence cleave unto thee” (Deuteronomy 28:21), and “make thy plagues wonderful” and “of long continuance” (Deuteronomy 28:59; Leviticus 26:39).

There is an eerie connection between sinfulness and illness: e.g., fornication and STDs (see 1 Corinthians 6:18), drunkenness/smoking and cancer (see Proverbs 23:31-32; Deuteronomy 32:33), gluttony and diabetes/high-blood pressure (see Proverbs 23:20-21). The message of Jesus to a man who was lame for thirty-eight years whom Jesus made to walk again is his advice to any that want to stay healthy: “Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee” (John 5:14).

Deuteronomy 28:22, 61 “²² The Lord shall smite thee with a consumption [a wasting    disease], and with a fever [a high body temperature], and with an inflammation [a     localized physical pain], and with an extreme burning [a severe pain], and with the  sword, and with blasting [a withering], and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish. ⁶¹ Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them   will the Lord bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.”

• Egypt’s Boils: In the sixth plague that God laid upon Egypt, due to Pharaoh’s refusal to let Israel go, the Bible describes that the handfuls of ashes which Moses sprinkled toward heaven became “a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt” (Exodus 9:9). These boils were so severe that the magicians could not stand before Moses because of them (Exodus 9:11). Apparently, this sight terrified the Israelites, and impressed them so greatly that this “botch of Egypt,” which was naturally incurable (Deuteronomy 28:27), became one of their greatest nightmares. Moses said that Israel sincerely knew this evil disease of Egypt (Deuteronomy 7:15), and was profoundly afraid of it (Deuteronomy 28:35, 60).
• Philistia’s Emerods: When the Philistines defeated Israel in battle, they took the Ark of the Covenant which was carried onto the battlefield. Because, by this deed, the Philistines prevented the service of God, God’s hand was “heavy upon them” and physically harassed them with “emerods” (1 Samuel 5:6). This is most probably a reference to a bubonic plague for three reasons: (1) the method of infection was via transmission through mice (1 Samuel 6:5), which are a beloved host of the fleas which inject the bubonic plague. (2) The main area of infection was in the Philistine’s “secret parts” (1 Samuel 5:9), or groin, where the bubonic plague usually first hits. (3) The nature of the infection was so acute that only buboes (swollen lymph nodes resulting from the bubonic plague) seem to accurately match the grief of the Philistines: “he destroyed them” (1 Samuel 5:6); “a very great destruction” (1 Samuel 5:9); “the cry of the city went up to heaven” (1 Samuel 5:12). To prove that this was indeed a divine calamity, When the ark moved from Ashdod to Gath, the emerods were transferred to that city, so that the Ekronites later denied the reception of the ark into the coasts of Ekron as one would have evaded an explosive, saying, “They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people” (1 Samuel 5:10). When the ark returned to Israel, the Philistines learned that it was not merely “a chance” that happened to them (1 Samuel 6:1-16).
• Skin Diseases: The Lord can furthermore touch one’s skin in punishment for their sin. For her racism and undermining of the leadership of Moses, Miriam’s skin was whitened with leprosy for seven days (Numbers 12:1-2, 9, 12). When Uzziah went out of his place by offering the incense that only the priests were supposed to do, “the leprosy even rose up in his forehead” (2 Chronicles 26:19), and “Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death” (2 Chronicles 26:21). Gehazi’s greed gained him the leprosy of Naaman (2 Kings 5:27), and Azariah’s partial righteousness led him to be smitten with leprosy (2 Kings 15:5).
• Bowel Diseases: Man’s gut is the center of his body, and also occasionally becomes the target of God’s wrath. Jehoram married the pagan daughter of Ahab (2 Chronicles 21:6), and engaged in much idolatry as a result (2 Chronicles 21:11). Jehoram was doubled over by disease of his bowels from “day by day” until at last his bowels fell out (2 Chronicles 21:15, 18-19). It appears that people in the apocalypse on the receiving end of God’s fury will also be exceedingly troubled in their bowels by being forced to drink bitter water (Revelation 8:10-11).
• Bodily Pains: Whenever people use their body parts in defiance to the creator who fashioned it, God may unmercifully cripple them. Asa bound the feet of the prophet that preached against him in a prison house (2 Chronicles 16:10-11), and God vengefully recompensed him by making him to be “diseased in his feet” with what looks to be gout (2 Chronicles 16:12; 1 Kings 15:23). King Jeroboam no sooner stretched forth his hand against the man of God from Judah than that God immediately dried it up (1 Kings 13:4).
• Venomous Bites and Stings: The humble and submissive creatures of God are ready to pounce and fly upon the proud and unruly humans (e.g., see bears: 2 Kings 2:24; lions: 2 Kings 17:25). Those who forget God should remember that he said, “I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust” (Deuteronomy 32:24). Many a time has God threatened to summon serpents to slither about and bite his wayward people (Jeremiah 8:17; Amos 5:19; 9:3), and he did in fact release venomous snakes into the camp of Israel when the sound of complaining was heard (Numbers 21:4-6). The pain-inducing sting of the hornet aided in driving out the wicked Canaanites from squatting in the land of promise (Exodus 23:28; Deuteronomy 7:20; Joshua 24:12). The end times will usher in, at the fifth trumpet, demonic insectoid beings which will torment unrepentant man by the scorpion-like tails which they strike with (see Revelation 9:1-11).
• General Plagues: Beside the rest of the health-defying dreads which an unholy person should beware of, yet still in God’s bag of diseases resides and remains cultured a host of generic plagues which he has often spread abroad. Murmuring Israel was plagued (Numbers 16:44-50), and David’s pride brought a plague upon Israel (2 Samuel 24). Just as the unlawful observance of the Passover by Hezekiah introduced a malady into Israel (see 2 Chronicles 30:20), so also the unscriptural way of observing the Lord’s Supper made many Corinthians “weak and sickly” (1 Corinthians 11:30). Anyone can, from Abijah the son of Jeroboam the king (1 Kings 14:1-4), to the laboring peasant, simply “fall sick” when they fall away from God, turning from God to sickness.

Biblical Nutrition, Fitness, Hygiene, and Medicine

From 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, we learn four important truths about our body: (1) Our body is useful: a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19a); (2) our body is not ours: it belongs to God (1 Corinthians 6:19b); (3) our body is valuable: bought with the blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:20a); our body is purposeful: for God’s glory (1 Corinthians 6:20b). How we treat the body we have been given matters (see 1 Corinthians 10:31). We should not hate our own flesh, but rather nourish and cherish it (Ephesians 5:29). There are some Biblical guidelines for being healthy which should be observed.

Nutrition: Bodily Nourishment

As New Testament Christians, we can eat anything we desire (1 Timothy 4:1-5; Mark 7:19; Romans 14:5-6). Nonetheless, it makes sense that our diet should not be complicated or bland. Simply put, any food which the Bible speaks positively of is acceptable to be eaten. The creation was vegetarian before the Fall of Man (Genesis 1:29-30), but animals were given as food not long after (Genesis 9:3). Though not sinful (Romans 14:2-3), vegetarianism and veganism are foolish alternatives for the weaker Christian (see also Acts 10:13).

Jesus tells us to pray for “daily bread” (Matthew 6:11), and is recorded in the scripture to have reached for fruit like figs (Mark 11:13), eaten bread, animal products like butter and honey (Isaiah 7:15), and animals like fish (Luke 24:41-43) and beef (see the Christophany: Genesis 18:7-8). Daniel was sustained on a diet of pulse, which is edible seeds and (possibly) could have included vegetables (Daniel 1:12-16). Paul told the men and shipmates on board the prison ship with him to take bread, “for this is for your health” (Acts 27:24), because bread “strengtheneth man’s heart” (Psalm 104:15). God commended Canaan to his people on numerous occasions by saying that it is “a land that floweth with milk and honey” (Leviticus 20:24).

It is best to eat food which is natural and organic, in the form as it has been created by God, and not highly genetically modified by man. What is more, to be hydrated and healthy, we must also drink much water. Water is life (Ezekiel 47:9; see also Revelations 21:6; 22:17), therefore for adults drinking at least 2 liters per day is required, and drinking upwards of 1 liter per hour is recommended.

1 Corinthians 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

Fitness: Bodily Discipline

Because God takes more pleasure in those fearing him than in “the legs of a man” (Psalm 147:10-11), and considers godliness more valuable than bodily exercise, a godly man/woman will prefer their service to God above their physical frame. Nevertheless, “bodily exercise profiteth little” (1 Timothy 4:8).

There is a scriptural virtue of physical strength––the virtuous woman “girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms” (Proverbs 31:17), and “A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength” (Proverbs 24:5). To those whose arms are too weak to be able to serve Christ, and whose feet are too delicate to be called beautiful as they carry one to preach the gospel (see Romans 10:15), God says “quit you like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13; see also Zechariah 8:9, 13). However, the physical exercise we perform should be for necessary strength, not for vain appearance (Proverbs 31:30).

Beyond this, we should be sure to get necessary sleep (7-9 hours per night for adults). The disciples said, “if he sleep, he shall do well.” (John 11:12). The Sabbath law is done away in the New Testament (Colossians 2:16-17), but there was a principle of rest that God sought to teach his people by it: “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

Hygiene: Bodily Cleansing

In the Bible, those with good hygienic standards, like Solomon and his wife, are exalted for their freshness and fragrance (see the Song of Solomon). God required personal cleanliness among his people in their ceremonies (Exodus 30:18-19) and clothing (Exodus 19:10, 14; see Ezekiel 44:18). The Lord also legislated sanitation practices (Deuteronomy 23:12-14).

The Evil of Littering

• Littering is Selfish and Unloving: To throw rubbish just anywhere that is convenient for us is to behave in a self-centered way. The Bible says “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” (Philippians 2:4). Tossing our unwanted garbage in public locations is thus for a person to “seek his own” (Philippians 2:21; 1 Corinthians 10:24) and be a lover of their own self (see 2 Timothy 3:1-2). A litterer does not love their neighbor as themselves (Matthew 22:39), and is in violation of Jesus’ golden rule (Matthew 7:12), because they would not want others to foul their own space.
• Littering is Not Good Stewardship: Trashing the creation that we are placed in to “dress” and “keep” (see Genesis 2:15) is bad stewardship of it. God has made us to have dominion over the earth to subdue it and utilize it (Genesis 1:26), but not to corrupt it. Slugs leave behind their slime, and we should not be sluggards (Proverbs 6:6; 10:26; 26:16).
• Littering is Disrespectful and Harmful: Leaving one’s trash in public places is to act unmindful of another person’s property. We do not own the land that we make a mess of, another person––and ultimately God––owns it: “for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me” (Leviticus 25:23). God speaks against the people who ruin the environment, asking “but ye must foul the residue with your feet?” (Ezekiel 34:18). Someone else has to live with the debris which we leave behind (Ezekiel 34:19). Godly people, by contrast, heal the land (2 Kings 2:21-22).

Medicine: Bodily Treatment

Against Vaccination

Luke 5:31 “They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.”

Vaccinations Are Unnatural: God has created us (Psalm 139:13-16) with an immune system which is able to adapt and overcome illness when we acquire it, making us stronger. Vaccinations go against nature, thus weakening the immune system, and removing herd immunity (see 1 Corinthians 11:14).

Most Vaccinations Are Unnecessary: Most people never would have caught the majority of diseases for which they get vaccinated.

Most Vaccinations Are Unhelpful: Because typically there are many strains of a given virus, and because vaccines often require booster shots, the effectiveness of vaccines is questionable at best.

Most Vaccinations Are Unsafe: Statistical evidence shows direct relationships between certain vaccines and mental disorders (e.g., Autism). Moreover, many of the ingredients used in vaccines are dangerous to the human body when injected (e.g., formaldehyde, mercury, aluminum).

Medically speaking, one should utilize naturopathic medicine. This means that we would do best if we seek for a natural cure to our health problems. Because most sicknesses means not being entirely whole, all that one must do is supply their body with the proper nutrients or fitness that it needs to recuperate. The Bible endorses herbal remedies. In the book of Ezekiel, it speaks of a tree whose “leaf thereof” is “for medicine” (Ezekiel 47:12). An abundance of natural medical treatments are referred to in the word of the Lord: applying bandages (Isaiah 1:6; Jeremiah 30:13; Ezekiel 30:21; 34:4), oil and wine (Luke 10:34), fruit such as figs (2 Kings 20:7; Isaiah 38:21), and ointment (Jeremiah 51:8), like the “balm of Gilead” (Jeremiah 8:22), which was made from a Middle-Eastern flowering plant. When Timothy’s stomach was sick, Paul did not tell him to take drugs or to go to the hospital, but rather said to drink a little juice “for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities” (1 Timothy 5:23).

Psalm 104:14 “He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth”

How to Behave When Sick

The unrighteous kings, Ahaziah of Israel and Asa of Judah, embody the wrong response to sickness. After falling from his upper chamber, Ahaziah became sick (2 Kings 1:2). Instead of turning to the Lord, he sent messengers to enquire of the false god “Baalzebub” of Ekron. In the same fashion, those who seek help from false religion or satanic powers to get healing are repeating Ahaziah’s error, and shall “surely die” (2 Kings 1:3-4). Asa erred in the direction of the world. With an exceeding great disease in his feet, Asa “sought not to the LORD,” by refusing to turn from his sin, “but to the physicians,” by taking all forms of medication available (2 Chronicles 16:12).

The righteous king of Judah, Hezekiah, one day became “sick unto death” (2 Kings 20). Hezekiah’s response to his sickness is a model for every child of God:

• Hezekiah believed and received the word of God (2Kings 20:1)
• Hezekiah prayed unto the Lord (2 Kings 20:2)
• Hezekiah continuously walked with God (2 Kings 20:3)
• Hezekiah had great faith in God’s power (2 Kings 20:6-11)
• Hezekiah returned to total service when he was healed (2 Kings 20:8)

What to Do When Ill

1. Maintain MORALE When You Become Sick

Having a good spirit in life is essential to preventing and overcoming disease. A sick heart is worse than a sick body (see Proverbs 13:12). The best medicine is godly joy, and the worst aggravator is ungodly sorrow: “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones” (Proverbs 17:22; see also 15:15). No matter what the affliction, “The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity” (Proverbs 18:14). Seeing as “The tongue of the wise is health” (Proverbs 12:18; see also 16:24), taking in a constant and daily dose of godly edifying through undisturbed Bible reading/listening to preaching does more to alleviate one’s ailment than any other fluids. When King Saul was troubled by an evil spirit, the godly music which David played for him on the harp refreshed him (1 Samuel 16:14-23). We should also allay our mental grief with heavenly music.

2. Maintain GOOD WORKS When You Become Sick

In every trouble they pass through, a righteous Christian will suffer, if need be, for the sake of others (2 Corinthians 1:6). Life’s challenges will either bring us closer to or further from God. God takes a special liking toward using affliction to push his people to seek him (Hosea 5:15), to learn his word (Psalm 119:71), to cleanse away their evil (Proverbs 20:30), and to keep his word (Psalm 119:67). God smites physically to heal spiritually (Isaiah 19:22). Sickness is a reason to begin praying more (James 5:13; see also Jonah 2:2; Psalm 30:2), to be in church more (see Hebrews 10:27-31), and to start preaching more. Although there may be some limitations upon a sick person, holy people have served God even when they fell ill. Epaphroditus bore provisions for Paul from the Philippians in spite of the fact that he was “nigh unto death” due to his sickness (Philippians 2:25-30). Paul told the Galatians:

Galatians 4:13 “Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto    you at   the first.”

3. Maintain FAITH When You Become Sick

In the time of bad health, we must say with the Psalmist, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord” (Psalm 118:17), and to God, “What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?” (Psalm 30:9). God cares about our health just as a father pities his child (Psalm 103:13-14). The ill friend of Jesus Christ should always remember that in heaven there is––as it were––a servant telling the savior like Lazarus’ sisters said of him, “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick” (John 11:3).

When one’s body is worn, withered, and weakened, they must ever remember that God has a purpose for all the diseases which we catch and for every pain which we feel (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10). The Lord refines us by our tribulation, and has “chosen thee in the furnace of affliction” (Isaiah 48:10; see Job 23:10). It is with every infirmity as it was with the sickness of Lazarus, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby” (John 11:4). The more “light affliction” which we experience on earth, the more glory there will be revealed in us in the kingdom of heaven (2 Corinthians 4:16-17), where there shall not be “any more pain” (Revelation 21:4; see also Luke 10:9).