Health And Wellness From God's Perspective
In the previous article I introduced myself and also the theme of my first series of articles. I will be discussing Health and Wellness from God's Perspective in the next three articles under the title, "No Feeble One Among You"!
"He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes" (Psalms 105:37-KJV).
The NIV Version renders it in the following way:
"He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold, and from among their tribes no one faltered" (Psalms 105:37-NIV).
Here the psalmist David is highlighting two things. The first is that the Israelites spoiled the Egyptians just before they left Egypt. On that first Passover night, after the death of every firstborn Egyptian, they were so eager to see them go that they would have given them anything for which they asked. One could say it was reparations for all the years of ill-treatment. The second was that at the time of their departure they were all in good health. It is quite telling that though they were sorely oppressed in Egypt they were all in good health, even in the presence of horrible diseases [1].
God's divine intention and intervention in the health of Israel is clearly evident. God has a similar desire for all of humanity today. In many ways, He has kept us, especially from health and wellness preventing elements of which we are totally unaware. I sincerely believe that I was inspired to write this weblog in order to equip you with some of the knowledge and necessary tools to promote your own health and wellness. I have accepted this challenge with humility and awareness of the gravity of my responsibility. Before I proceed, here is another relevant scripture. Deuteronomy 29:5-6 in the Amplified Version says:
5 I have led you in the wilderness forty years; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn out on your feet. 6 You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or strong drink, so that you might know that I am the Lord your God [on whom you must depend].
We have already established that God kept them in good health while they were under Egyptian bondage. From Numbers 11:5 we also know that while under Egyptian bondage their diet consisted of fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic [2]. Their slavery diet may have been substandard compared to the diet of the average Egyptian, but they still thrived (Ex. 1:12-13). Whether it was in the diet itself or because of supernatural enablement I am not certain; but I suspect it is some element of both. Deuteronomy 29: 5-6 makes it evident that during their sojourning in the dangerous wilderness, God's grace and preservation extended beyond their physical health to their clothes and shoes as well. Verse six is quite interesting in that it highlights the fact that their diet was even more restricted in the wilderness. They were fed primarily something that appeared supernaturally like dew on the ground every morning, except for the Sabbath days. It was called manna which means, "what is it?" [3]. Like they did on their Egyptian diet, they thrived physically on manna. The following scripture from Deuteronomy 8:3 in the NET version is quite telling when it says,
"So he humbled you by making you hungry and then feeding you with unfamiliar manna. He did this to teach you that humankind cannot live by bread alone, but also by everything that comes from the Lord's mouth."
In my own sojourning on the earth this is a truth that I have come to recognize. If I were to use bread as a symbol of my limited understanding, intellect, dedication, ambition, self-driven efforts or even the counsel of well-meaning people, it would still not be enough. Simply put, we do not know enough. We do not know what we do not know to even go searching for what we do not know. Herein is the folly of trying to live life independent of the one who knows all things, created all things, and sees and knows the end from the beginning. Psalms 14:1a emphatically declares, after removing the "there is" incorrectly inserted by perhaps well-meaning translators, "The fool hath said in his heart, no God...." Based on this definition I would readily admit that we have all been foolish at times. My prayer for myself and for all humanity is that we see the ultimate value and wisdom in placing our lives into the hands of the omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient one; allowing Him to guide us in absolutely ALL things. Truth be told, our lives are not our own. He lovingly created us out of Himself and placed us in a garden, a place where we had everything that we needed: provision, power and purpose. When we abandoned Him He lovingly immersed us in a temporary reality in which we discover our insufficiency without Him. Through the cross, He has also lovingly reconciled us back to Himself. Ultimately, through active intimacy with Him we become who He is, LOVE.
Here are four takeaway points from this article:
- There is no area of our lives about which God is not concerned, including our nutrition, shelter (clothing), etc.
- We should seek God's guidance in everything including the necessary steps to ensure good health and wellness.
- The steps that lead to good health and wellness cannot be generalized to everyone uniformly and may require divinely-inspired, individualized restrictions.
- God's individualized (dietary, lifestyle) instructions comes from a place of intimate knowledge of our human physiology, our individual epigenetic and genetic makeups, our trans-generational exposures and ultimately His love and His desire for the best for us (Jer. 29:11) [4].
I close with the Apostle John's prayer in 3 John 1:2, which is also my prayer for you.
2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.
We will start from this point in the next article.
References
1. ^ Deuteronomy 7:25, Saturday March 28th 2020
2. ^ Number 11:5, Saturday March 28th 2020
3. ^ Bible Study Tools/Manna, Thursday, April 9th 2020
4. ^ Jeremiah 29:11, Friday March 27th 2020
Disclaimer
The contents of article are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This article does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
#2: No Feeble One Among You - part 1
This is the first of three articles that addresses God's intent toward us where health and wellness is concerned.