Psalms 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; 4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
This passage of scripture tells us that God has a healthcare plan for earth's inhabitants who are plagued by myriads of diseases and health problems. The pharmaceutical industry has ballooned into a multi-billion dollar enterprise, while God's affordable healthcare plan sits on the back burner, waiting to be adopted by suffering millions. There are a few aspects of our passage in psalms which deserve our attention, for most people are not aware that a comprehensive health plan has been written in the Bible. Let's list them:
[1] The plan has "benefits" [2] It encompasses "all diseases" [3] It "renews our youthfulness" and [4] It includes "forgiveness". In other words, God's plan for our health is a holistic plan which when espoused and implemented results in "benefits" to anyone who subscribes to it. The plan includes diet, exercise, appropriate sleep, and temperance among other things. One of the first issues addressed by the Lord when the children of Israel left Egypt was diet. They had become accustomed to the food that was consumed in Egypt, and therefore their diet required a major overhaul in order for them to enjoy long life and good health. God then gave to Moses many detailed, dietary instructions as to how His people could enjoy good health by eating properly. Those who followed God's wise directions benefited tremendously as evidenced in the following verses. Let's read:
Psalms 105:37 He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.
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.
And of Caleb, who followed all the instructions God gave, the sacred record is written:
Joshua 14:6 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea. 7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. 8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God. 10 And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. 11 As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.
One of the instructions The Lord gave to the children of Israel dealt with the eating of fat and blood. The Lord in His wisdom prohibited the use of fat and blood as articles of food, knowing the dangers associated with the ingestion of these products, and the diseases that would certainly follow their consumption. Let's read:
Leviticus 3:17 It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.
Leviticus 7:22 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. 24 And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it. 25 For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people. 26 Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. 27 Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.
The words "cut off" refer to the natural results that would accrue, if the instructions were not followed. God would not "cut them off", for He takes no pleasure in the death of anyone; but by their course of action, the laws of cause and effect would run their natural course, resulting in numerous diseases and ailments which would end prematurely, the lives of those who disregarded the counsels given. Let's read:
Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
2nd Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Modern science has now confirmed what The Lord was saying thousands of years ago, that the consumption of animal fat is a major contributing factor to coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, and sudden cardiac arrest. Some of the foods commonly used for consumption, that are high in saturated fats include cheeses derived from the fat of animals, meat with high fat content, butter from animal milk, and most french fries served at fast food outlets. As a matter of fact, a typical double cheese burger contains approximately twenty nine grams of total fat.
The result is that over half a million people in the U.S alone die from heart disease each year, and that number went up to seventeen million people worldwide in 2011. By following the instructions given in God's word pertaining to fat and blood, very many unnecessary diseases can be avoided, and billions of dollars saved each year, which reminds us of the reasons given in the scriptures for the laws and statutes God gave to us. They were not given to withhold good from us, but were all given for the health and happiness of the human family. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 4:40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, for ever.
We therefore end with a text and a promise which we hope will inspire trust and confidence in the Eternal God and the Bible He has given for our benefit. Let's read:
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
May this be our experience for always. "Good night" and God bless!