Exodus 15:24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink? 25 And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, 26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee. 27 And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.
This passage of scripture deals with the promises God made to the children of Israel, and also to Christians living today, to take away all diseases and sicknesses from us, only if we comply by following diligently, the instructions and commands given to us, to promote and foster longevity and health. It must be observed here that the Hebrews had several odds stacked against them, for most, if not all of them had become to a flesh based diet in Egypt, where meat and fish were staples, yet God proposed to take them from that point to bring them to where they ought to be. This meant that their former lifestyles and eating habits would not figure prominently in the outcome from this point forward, because by obedience to God in all things, the downward, deteriorating trend was to be signally reversed. Let's read:
When God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, it was His purpose to establish them in the land of Canaan a pure, happy, healthy people. Let us look at the means by which He would accomplish this. He subjected them to a course of discipline, which, had it been cheerfully followed, would have resulted in good, both to themselves and to their posterity. He removed flesh-food from them in a great measure. The perverted appetite was to be brought into a more healthy state, that they might enjoy the food originally provided for man,—the fruits of the earth, which God gave to Adam and Eve in Eden.
Had they been willing to deny appetite in obedience to His restrictions, feebleness and disease would have been unknown among them. Their descendants would have possessed physical and mental strength. They would have had clear perceptions of truth and duty, keen discrimination, and sound judgment. But they were unwilling to submit to God’s requirements, and they failed to reach the standard He had set for them, and to receive the blessings that might have been theirs. (Diet and foods. pp 64).
Those who would comply would reap huge benefits in real time, because the instructions of God are always given for our very best good, hence the reason why Moses lived to be 120 years of age, at a time when the average lifespan of a man was not even fifty years. What is also worthy of note is that after the murmuring mentioned in our passage for today, the Lord led them to a place that had both fruit and water, a providence that is distinctly similar to His future providence, in which He will lead us to the tree of life, and the river of clear water that flows from the throne of God.
The question then is, if Moses was enabled to live a full life with no depletion of strength, vigor, and vitality, can we in our day, experience the same quality of life and length of days, if we also were to diligently follow God's rules on health, and if so, does the conventional wisdom of man on aging then prove false? When Moses was called to lay down his rod permanently, The Lord called him to the top of mount Nebo, a command which required aerobic, mountain climbing for approximately three miles, and this he did with no problem, for the Bible specifically states that his natural force was not abated, neither were his eyes dim, a fact that will refute most of our current theories on the aging process. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 34:1 And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan. 7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
In our day, we do ourselves great harm by partaking of the diets concocted by man, and even though The Lord permitted man to eat flesh foods after the flood, yet it was never His ideal will. The formula God instituted for health and longevity therefore consists of the following basic instructions, all of which can be found in the Bible with some research, for here we are pressed for time and space to present all the various scriptures which deal with the specifics. First, there is trust in God's goodness, knowing that He only gives good gifts to His children. Next, we have the total elimination of all flesh foods and fish, replacing them with a diet of fruit, nuts, and grains, and the many different vegetables that can be bought at your local supermarket.
Then we have the issue of not eating between meals, thereby giving our digestive system enough time to process the foods we ingested, and ample room to eliminate that which is not used. Adequate rest and exercise every day, together with copious amounts of water, round out the entire program, and wherever we may fall short, because of the depleted nutritional value of the food we eat, God will take up the slack by His miraculous power, because the elements of faith and prayer are also closely intertwined with any program that produces good health and longevity.
Let us therefore as Christians try our best to comply with the basic formula given to us by God, because the promises pertaining to health and length of days, were not for the Hebrews only, but for all who by faith, would walk in the precepts of life. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which poses a rhetorical question to us, and the answer lies in our willingness to follow where God leads the way. Let's read:
Jeremiah 8:21 For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me. 22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!