Bible Laws
The Foundation Of Good Health
Your
health is a matter of CAUSE and EFFECT! There are REASONS for sickness
and there are LAWS which will promote better health. The MAKER'S
INSTRUCTION BOOK reveals those laws of good health. You need to
understand and apply them!
GOD gave to the ancient
Israelites — basic laws of health which — if obeyed —
would quickly prevent or stamp out the terrible
incidence of disease afflicting our modern world. Does that sound
shocking? Biblical health laws reveal in plain language the way to
avoid much illness and disease. They reveal how to prevent contagious
diseases and widespread epidemics. They show how to avoid a host of
modern maladies. In this article we will give you the documentation —
the proof.
Strictly speaking, of course, the Bible is not a
"health textbook" or medical manual. But it does lay the FOUNDATION of
knowledge, and reveals many health laws which stumbling, groping
mankind has required thousands of years to discover — yet all this time
these laws have been written in the pages of that Book which is so
often ignored or lost in a seldom-perused corner of the family
bookshelf.
The Bible is God's Instruction Book for mankind. It
tells how the human body and mind best function. It reveals the basic
keys to the abundant, radiant, robust and vigorous healthy life.
Why has mankind generally ignored this source of health information?
Why
did so many physicians overlook and ignore it for countless centuries,
consequently having to learn the hard way about preventing sickness and
disease?
Let's take a brief look at some of the major
discoveries of medical science regarding health, and see what the Bible
says about them.
The Black Death
During
the 14th century bubonic plague struck Asia and spread to Russia,
Persia, Turkey, North Africa and Europe. Perhaps one third of the
European population died in those tragic years.
Relentlessly,
the plague invaded every city, hamlet or village. Millions lost their
lives to the "grim reaper." Panic and confusion were rampant. Death was
everywhere. The toll was so great that bodies were thrown into huge
pits, mass graves.
What led to the incredible spread of the
"black death"? Modern science now knows that unclean streets, poor
sanitation, and filth were great contributors. In the 14th century,
cities in Europe were filthy, laden with garbage. Refuse was simply
thrown in the gutter in London and Paris.
The Jewish physician
Balavignus lived in those times and saw that miserable sanitation was a
major factor in the spread of the disease. He instituted a cleanup
movement among the Jews. The rats, consequently, left the Jewish
ghettos and moved into the "Gentile" sectors of the city. As a result,
the Jews' mortality rate from the plague was only jive percent of what
it was among their non-Jewish neighbors!
The general population
soon saw the difference, but instead of emulating the Jewish hygienic
measures, the people began to suspect the Jews of causing the plague
and poisoning wells — and a general massacre was launched. Balavignus
himself, persecuted and tortured, was finally compelled to "confess"
that he and others were responsible for the disease.
How was the
black death finally conquered? Declared David
Riesman, professor of the History of Medicine at the University of
Pennsylvania: "Isolation of the sick and quarantine came into use.
These practices not only eliminated the plague as a pandemic menace for
the first time in history but also led to general laws against
infectious diseases, thereby laying the foundations upon which modern
hygiene rests" {Medicine in the Middle Ages, p. 260).
Laws of Quarantine
Another
plague which prevailed in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries in
Europe was leprosy. England, Sweden, Iceland and Norway showed alarming
gains in the numbers of leprosy cases in the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries. But when the authorities began to institute the quarantine,
in the form of segregation of leprosy cases, the plague was again
brought under control.
In Norway rigid national quarantine was
introduced in 1856 because of the widespread severity of leprosy.
"Ninety years later the health authorities were able to report that
Norway had only jive percent of the number of lepers that were there
before segregation. Similarly favorable reports come to us from Finland
and Sweden, where enforced segregation of lepers had also been
instituted," writes D. T. Atkinson (Magic, Myth and Medicine, p. 64).
Where did these quarantine laws come from?
This
same author tells us, "It is most singular that a description of
leprosy, as found in the thirteenth chapter of Leviticus, could have
been written so long before our time. It is to be noticed that such an
accurate description of this dread malady as it appears in the Biblical
narrative is not to be found in the literature of any nation for the
next seventeen hundred years" (ibid., p. 25-26).
Astounding? Why should it be, since the Bible was divinely inspired by the God who created mankind?
Speaking
of the Biblical laws regarding leprosy, Atkinson states: "The laws of
health laid down in Leviticus are the BASIS OF
MODERN SANITARY SCIENCE.
Moses ordered
that cases of leprosy should be
segregated, that dwellings from which infected
Jews had gone should be inspected before again being occupied, and that
persons recovering from contagious disease were not to be allowed to go
abroad until examined. The modern quarantine harks back to these
sanitary regulations of the Old Testament" (p. 58).
Similarly,
Arturo Castiglioni in A History of Medicine tells us, "The laws against
leprosy in Leviticus 13 may be regarded as the first model of a
sanitary legislation" (p. 71).
Sanitation and Hygiene
The
Old Testament contains many injunctions which relate to health. If the
world would have obeyed them, its disease toll would have been
drastically cut.
Until the close of the 17th century, hygienic
conditions in cities were generally deplorable. Excrement and filth
were often dumped into the streets. Flies, breeding in the filth,
spread and carried disease to millions.
However, the principle
of burying excrement and filth was given by the Scriptures over 1400
years before Christ. God told Moses and the children of Israel: "Thou
shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth
abroad: and thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be,
when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt
turn back and cover that which cometh from thee" (Deut. 23:12-13).
Says
medical historian Arturo Castiglioni, "The regulations in Deuteronomy
as to how soldiers should prevent the danger of infection coming from
their excrement by covering it with earth constitute a most important
document of sanitary legislation" (A History of Medicine, p. 70).
Castiglioni
declared, "Study of Biblical texts appears to have demonstrated that
the ancient Semitic peoples, in agreement with the most modern tenets
of epidemiology, attributed more importance to animal transmitters of
disease, like the rat and the fly, than to the contagious individual"
(ibid., p. 71).
Three thousand years later, when the bubonic
plague devastated Europe, this knowledge had generally been lost. Some
blamed noxious fumes in the air; others attributed it to the stars;
some thought it was caused by a conjunction of Mars, Jupiter and
Saturn; yet others blamed the Jews, and many blamed God.
Generally,
the world did not wake up to the importance of hygiene and cleanliness
until about the end of the 18th century. Yet vital principles of
sanitation and cleanliness were expounded by God to Moses almost 3,500
years ago!
The Biblical laws of cleanliness, washings, and
purification were not all merely customs or rituals. They protected the
camp of Israel from the dangers of contagious diseases and deadly
plagues!
States Dr. D. T. Atkinson, "In the Bible greater stress
was placed upon prevention of disease than was given to the treatment
of bodily ailments, and in this no race of people, before or since, has
left us such a wealth of
LAWS RELATIVE TO HYGIENE AND SANITATION as
the Hebrews. These important laws, coming down through the ages, are
still used to a marked degree in every country in the world
sufficiently enlightened to observe them. One has but to read the book
of Leviticus carefully and thoughtfully to conclude that the
admonitions of Moses contained therein are, in fact, the groundwork of
most of todays sanitary laws.
As one closes the book, he must,
regardless of his spiritual leanings, feel that the wisdom therein
expressed regarding the rules to protect health are superior to any
which then existed in the world and that to this day they have been
little improved upon" (Magic, Myth and Medicine, Atkinson, p. 20).
Unfortunately,
even in our modern world people are beginning to lose sight of the
vital importance of sanitation and hygiene in combating and preventing
illness and contagion. Our modern cities are becoming increasingly
congested, polluted, filthy and dirty. Garbage strikes pose serious
health problems. Our air is becoming unfit to breathe because of
pollution; and our water is becoming increasingly contaminated with
industrial chemicals, urban wastes, and a host of modern
pollutants unheard of even twenty years ago!
Could the
continuing decrease of sanitation, and the growing violation of
Biblical hygienic and health principles, be contributing factors in the
escalating incidence in modern degenerative and contagious diseases
around the world?
Think about it.
The Bible and Heart Disease
At
first one might think it strange that the Bible would have something to
say about cardiovascular disease or arteriosclerosis — but it does!
In
1970 heart disease claimed 750,000 victims in the United States — it is
far and away the number-one killer. Similar statistics could be cited
for England, Australia, New Zealand, and other nations.
Modern
researchers have pinpointed several contributing causes of heart
disease including improper diet, overweight, smoking, lack of exercise
and nervous stress. What does the Bible have to say about heart
disease? Much more than you probably imagine!
First, the Bible
clearly recommends a balanced life — "moderation" in all things (see
Phil. 4:5). It condemns gluttony and overeating (Prov. 23:20-21).
Secondly,
many Biblical principles condemn smoking and cigarettes as a lust of
the flesh which denies the body. (Write for our free booklet You Can
Quit Smoking and our free reprint "Should a Christian Smoke?")
Thirdly,
the Bible tells us we should exercise regularly and moderately
throughout our lives. I Timothy 4:8, correctly translated, shows that
bodily exercise profits "for a little while" — that is, in this life.
Fourthly,
the Bible admonishes us to avoid nervous stress, anxieties, and worries
which can trigger heart attacks. Many scriptures could be cited to
prove this. (See, for example, Proverbs 15:13; 17:22; Psalms 119:165;
Matthew 11:28-30; John 14:27; Philippians 4:7.)
Perhaps the most
interesting point of all, however, is the fact that medical science has
proved there is a correlation between heart disease and cholesterol in
the bloodstream. Cholesterol, a fatty, waxy material which your body
needs in limited amounts, is a curse to health when it
clogs vital arteries. Diets high in cholesterol may cause the blood to
be burdened; excessive amounts collect on the inside of the coronary
arteries. Fatal coronary heart disease has been related to diets
containing high levels of cholesterol and fat, though other factors are
also involved.
But what does this have to do with the Bible?
Simply this: Dr. Paul Dudley White, the heart specialist who treated
President Eisenhower while he was in the White House, once quoted
Leviticus 7:23, "Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or
of goat." Animal fats are high in cholesterol. Therefore, Dr. Paul
Dudley White asserted, "It is conceivable that a few years from now we
medical men may repeat to the citizens of the United States of America
the advice that Moses was asked by God to present to the children of
Israel 3,000 years ago."
How could Moses have known? But, of
course — it wasn't Moses' words but GOD'S instructions which the Bible
records! Here is further evidence that the Biblical health laws
"scooped" modern medical science by 3,400 years!
Bible Dietary Laws
Proper diet is also important in the prevention of disease.
In
Leviticus 11 we read of important dietary laws which God gave His
people. Among other things, He forbade them to eat the flesh of pigs or
swine, rabbits, or shellfish (Lev. 11:6, 7,9-12). Were these laws
merely ceremonial, ritualistic, and therefore, abolished today?
Not
at all! Writes Dr. Louis Lasagna, "Many of these make good medical
sense . . . The prohibition of hare and swine as sources of food
certainly must have diminished the incidence of disease, in view of the
capacity of these animals to transmit tularemia and trichinosis,
respectively. The transmission of gastrointestinal infections
(including typhoid fever) via polluted shellfish or water also
testifies to the apparent wisdom of the Hebrews in warning against such
sea food and impure water" {The Doctors' Dilemmas, p. 85).
If
you would like more information on this subject, write for our free
article "Is All Animal
Flesh Good
Food?" It will explore the meaning of these
vital dietary laws to our present generation. Suffice it to say,
however, that Dr. Lasagna's comments on the ancient dietary laws of the
Hebrews show that those were indeed wise and good laws!
The Bible Versus Venereal Disease
The
fastest spreading contagious disease in the Western world today is
venereal disease. In the United States, someone contracts venereal
disease every 12 seconds! Dr. Geoffrey Simmons of the Los Angeles
County Health Department predicts that by 1975 the present two million
annual cases of V.D. in the United States will rise to five million.
But why? What is the cause?
Medical authorities frankly admit
that V.D. is spread through sexual contact. Homosexuals account for
nearly one fifth of the reported cases! As long as there is
promiscuity, free sex, and homosexuality, there is bound to be venereal
disease.
But the solution to this terrible worldwide curse is as
simple as it is ancient: "Shun immorality! Any other sin that a man
commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own
body" (I Cor. 6:18, Moffatt translation).
What does the Bible
say will happen to those who devote themselves to sexual vice, who
dishonor their own bodies ? God says: "... their women have exchanged
the natural function of sex for what is unnatural, and in the same way
the males have abandoned the natural use of women and flamed out in
lust for one another, men perpetrating shameless acts with their own
sex and getting in their own persons the due recompense of their
perversity" (Rom. 1:26-27, Moffatt).
The growing incidence of
this ancient plague speaks eloquently that the solution is prevention!
Thousands of years ago the Biblical standards of morality safeguarded
against this plague which blights the lives of as yet unborn
generations. There is no safe, reliable "cure" for this disease —
except prevention. Why do millions insist on hiding their eyes from
this obvious truth?
When God
created mankind, He said, "Therefore shall a
man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and
they shall be one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). If this one basic, scriptural
principle were obeyed, today, the world would see the end of venereal
disease. It would be totally stamped out!
The Bible, clearly, is
a remarkable book. Its various portions, written from 4,000 to 2,000
years ago, speak authoritatively regarding health and disease
prevention. The Bible not only gave laws of sanitation and hygiene
thousands of years before the world in general stumbled across those
laws by "accident," but it also gave other fundamental principles of
prevention of disease which the world still refuses to face!
The Solution to Mental Illness
There
are an estimated 20 million Americans who are mentally ill — suffering
various forms of neuroses, psychoses, and emotional mental problems.
The
National Association for Mental Health admits, "We know very little
about the causes of mental illness, and until we know much more, we
cannot identify any sure way to prevent mental illness."
Wrote
Dr. Sarnoff A. Mednick in Psychology Today, "We have been working on
the problem of schizophrenia, however, for more than 100 years, and at
this point it is fair — in fact necessary — to say that we know very
little definite about the origins of this disease. Zero" (Mednick,
"Birth Defects and Schizophrenia," Psychology Today, April, 1971).
When
medical authorities admit they don't know the causes of mental illness,
or how to prevent it, perhaps we should look to another source —
another Authority — for counsel and advice. What about the Bible?
Does
the Bible say anything about mental and emotional illness? In view of
the amazing statements in the Bible pertaining to other modern
afflictions, it would be surprising if the Bible didn't say anything
about mental illness.
God warned 3,400 years ago that if men
insisted upon breaking His laws and commandments, and living their
own ways, the result
would be disastrous. God said if we broke His laws we
would be smitten with mental illness — "The Eternal will strike your
minds with madness, blindness, and dismay, till you grope at noon like
a blind man in the dark, and fall into disaster" (Deut. 28:28-29,
Moffatt).
The original Hebrew word for "madness" in this verse
is shiggaown and refers to insanity. Fully 25 percent of our hospital
beds today are occupied by victims of schizophrenia!
What is the
solution to the plague of mental illness devastating millions of lives
today? If our modern nations would obey God's laws, God would remove
these curses which we have. brought upon ourselves (Deut. 28:58-62;
Lev. 26:40-46).
Obedience to the laws o{ God is the key to
mental health. "Great peace have they which love thy law," David wrote
in the Psalms (Ps. 119:165). God's Law is the way to a long life,
happiness and peace (Prov. 3:1-2).
God's Law, summarized, is the law
of love — outgoing concern for others (Matt. 22:36-40). Love is the
fulfilling of God's Law (I John 5:3; Rom. 13:10). Perfect, mature love
casts out fear, worry, anxiety, depression, and the negative emotions
which can wreck mental health. "There is no fear in love; but perfect
love casts out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not
made perfect in love" (I John 4:18). This kind of love is outgoing
concern for the welfare of other people, as opposed to self-centered,
selfish concern for one's own self. It is the attitude of giving
service to others, helpfulness. Jesus said it is more blessed to give
than to receive (Acts 20:35).
This kind of love is the essential
key to mental health and emotional well-being. It conquers the negative
emotions of jealousy, envy, fear, hatred, vanity, worry, anxiety,
inferiority, etc.
If a person has true love for others, he will
radiate cheerfulness and joy. Cheerfulness and joy are tremendous
antidotes for mental illness. Modern clinical evidence supports the
statement of Solomon who declared, "A merry heart doeth good like a
medicine" (Prov. 17:22). Also see Proverbs 12:25 and 15:13.
The Great Paradox
Paradoxically,
the world has come to acknowledge many of the health principles
outlined in the Bible, but still refuses to acknowledge the Source.
When will men cease to overlook the Source Book for good health ?
God's
laws were designed to PREVENT illness — to maintain vibrant good
health. But the world only gives lip service to them and ignores their
source. What a paradox!
It is time we admitted that thousands of
years ago when pagan, Gentile nations — steeped in idolatry and
superstition — were propounding all kinds of weird remedies and quack
cures for illness, there was a nation free from idolatrous
superstition, which was taught principles of health and disease
prevention which are still valid today!
What does this momentous
fact mean? Just this: The Bible is no mere book of men — its authorship
is divine! Biblical health laws prove — along with the proofs of
Biblical prophecy — that the Bible was divinely inspired by the Eternal
God!
There is a Creator God. He "manufactured" the human race.
And He wrote an "Instruction Book" that goes along with His product,
and tells how it is best operated. Just as any automobile manufacturer
sends an instruction book along with each new automobile, so God gave
us an Instruction Book -— the Bible — which tells us how to live, and
how to have robust, radiant health and vitality!
The Bible is
the foundation of all knowledge, including the knowledge of health. If
society will build on its fundamental precepts wisely and soundly, we
can avoid the tragedy of increasing sickness and disease. We can begin
to eliminate the terrible scourges of modern disease.
Biblical
laws are the keys to abundant health. They were devised for your
protection and well-being. But if you break them, they will break you.
Will you begin to obey those laws ?
Your
future health — physically, mentally and emotionally — will depend in
large measure on how you answer that
question!
by William F. Dankenbring Tomorrow's World Magazine 1972
