Your health is important. God is interested on how healthy you are as a person; His ultimate plan is to see you enjoy good health and sound mind. The above Bible text as quoted from Exodus 15:26:
1. Does not mean that anyone who is a child of God will never be sick.
2. Does not mean that all who are sick are so because they are not God’s children.
3. Does not imply that every sickness is a result of disobedient to God.
4. Does not mean that sickness is caused by God.
5. It means that God is interested in our health.
6. It proves God’s ability to heal diseases.
7. It points to the fact also that, there is no illness that is difficult for God to heal
8. There are different kinds of diseases.
9. There are certain lifestyles that could expose someone to some diseases.
10. Obedience to scriptural principles can bring about health in wholeness.
The third epistle of John takes us into the divine mindset of God concerning our wellbeing: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers,” (3 John 1:2).
In dealing with the Israelites God said to them: “You shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you” (Exodus 23:25). The Bible admits to the reality of sicknesses, death and dying. This can be traced back to the fall of man in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15-17 KJV)
15: And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16: And the Lord, God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
But the man and his wife, disobeyed the divine injunction, which brought God’s curse upon them and introduced sickness and death to the human race. In Genesis 3:15-17 (KJV), God pronounced His judgment:
15: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
16: Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
17: And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.
The presence of sin through the fall corrupted the human body, and subjected it to decay; that it became perishable. Romans 5:12 says: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
Man’s single act of rebellion, opened the channel to both spiritual and physical causes for sickness and death.
Over the years research has shown that the following habits can result to illness:
• Not drinking enough water.
• Eating late at night.
• Drinking very cold water.
• Not getting enough exercise.
• Skipping sleep.
• Eating too much sodium.
• Eating lunch at your desk.
• Not changing or sanitising your kitchen sponge frequently
• Lack of rest.
In God’s journey with the Israelites, God revealed certain ceremonial rules that will help them to be ceremonially clean and prevent certain diseases that could afflict them as a result breaking such rules, which includes:
The law of isolating people with certain diseases because it was contagious (Leviticus 13:9-11 KJV).
9: When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought unto the priest;
10: And the priest shall see him: and, behold, if the rising be white in the skin, and have turned the hair white, and there be quick raw flesh in the rising;
11: It is an old leprosy in the skin of his flesh, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean, and shall not shut him up: for he is unclean.
The Law Of Washing
Leviticus 15 (Living Bible)
1-2: The Lord told Moses and Aaron to give the people of Israel these further instructions: “Any man who has a genital discharge(a) is ceremonially defiled. 3: This applies not only while the discharge is active, but also for a time after it heals. 4: Any bed he lies on and anything he sits on is contaminated. 5: so anyone touching the man’s bed is ceremonially defiled until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. 6: Anyone sitting on a seat the man has sat upon while defiled is himself ceremonially impure until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. 7: The same instructions apply to anyone touching him. 8: Anyone he spits on is ceremonially impure until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. 9: Any saddle he rides on is defiled. 10: Anyone touching or carrying anything else that was beneath him shall be defiled until evening, and must wash his clothes and bathe himself. 11: If the defiled man touches anyone without first rinsing his hands, that person must wash his clothes and bathe himself and be defiled until evening. 12: Any earthen pot touched by the defiled man must be broken, and every wooden utensil must be rinsed in water.
13: “When the discharge stops, he shall begin a seven-day cleansing ceremony by washing his clothes and bathing in running water. 14: On the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and come before the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and give them to the priest. 15: The priest shall sacrifice them there, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering; thus the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the man because of his discharge.
16: “Whenever a man’s semen goes out from him, he shall take a complete bath and be ceremonially impure until the evening. 17: Any clothing or bedding the semen spills on must be washed and remain ceremonially defiled until evening. 18: After sexual intercourse, the woman as well as the man must bathe, and they are ceremonially defiled until the next evening.
19: “Whenever a woman menstruates, she shall be in a state of ceremonial defilement for seven days afterwards, and during that time anyone touching her shall be defiled until evening.
20: Anything she lies on or sits on during that time shall be defiled. 21-23: Anyone touching her bed or anything she sits upon shall wash his clothes and bathe himself and be ceremonially defiled until evening. 24: A man having sexual intercourse with her during this time is ceremonially defiled for seven days, and every bed he lies upon shall be defiled.
25: “If the menstrual flow continues after the normal time, or at some irregular time during the month, the same rules apply as indicated above, 26: so that anything she lies upon during that time is defiled, just as it would be during her normal menstrual period, and everything she sits on is in a similar state of defilement. 27: Anyone touching her bed or anything she sits on shall be defiled, and shall wash his clothes and bathe and be defiled until evening. 28: Seven days after the menstruating stops, she is no longer ceremonially defiled.
The Law Of Keeping Sewage Far From The Living Area
Deuteronomy 23:12-15, K J V
12: Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:
13: 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:
14: For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
These laws were made by God to keep the people physically clean. These laws are still applicable today.
• Ven. Stephen Wolemonwu is the Rector Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State (08035413812)
If we must avoid certain illnesses in our society today, good hygiene and proper sanitation must not be compromised both by the government agencies and the citizens. The presence of dirt around us and continuous environmental pollution is the major cause to certain airborne diseases and population of our health centres, clinics, and health facilities.
I came across these habits that can help anyone to be healthy
1. Eat more fruits and vegetables!
2. Exercise regularly – start a fitness routine.
3. Have a good morning routine.
4. Stretch your body more.
5. Practice mindfulness and meditation.
6. Cardio is your friend.
7. Listen to your body.
8. Walk more.
9. Eat less red meat.
10. Be more positive.
11. Do something for someone else.
12. Breath work.
13. Schedule time just for you.
14. Take the stairs.
15. Try fasting every now and then.
16. Take cold showers.
17. Start your day off with a glass of water preferably warm water.
18. Wash your hands regularly.
19. Have your grooming essentials.
20. Don’t over eat.
21. Make an effort to move more.
22. Do bodyweight workouts.
23. Cook more meals at home.
24. Start jumping rope.
25. Do more pushups.
26. Figure out ways to manage your stress.
27. Strengthen your core.
28. Eat more ginger and garlic.
29. Read more.
30. Laugh out loud sometimes when necessary and smile more!
In Philippians 2:30, Paul spoke of someone who worked so hard in ministry that he was near death: “Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.”
Lack of proper care and overworking of the body could result to illness.
• Ven. Stephen Wolemonwu is the Rector Ibru Ecumenical Centre, Agbarha-Otor, Delta State (08035413812)
