The will of God for the human family is always joy, peace, contentment, service, prosperity, and both physical and spiritual health, and every command and instruction He has given to us centers around these central themes, without exception. As a matter of fact this sacred truth is embodied in a single verse of scripture that has now become a trump card for many televangelists and laity alike. However, the passage in question is not lopsided in nature, but rather calls for a fine-tuned balance between the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of our being, for they are all intertwined into one complete and inseparable whole. Let’s read:
3rd John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that
thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
This well-known text suggests that any imbalance between the three facets of our being will have very deleterious effects on the others, and thus we are instructed to bring all three dimensions into one harmonious whole, through the grace and power of God, and in co-partnership with Him. The way that this is accomplished is very simple so that anyone who is willing may understand, for it involves following the commands and instructions of the Almighty with a diligent, willing, and consistent mind.
Any other method that is suggested is doomed to failure from the start, for anything that is contrary to what God says is inherently dangerous in nature, and should therefore be avoided like the plague. When God took the Hebrews out of Egyptian bondage, He made a very solemn promise to them, and the promises then made do extend down to our era, for they were not only for the Hebrews, but for any member of the human family who would believe and obey the instructions given on an ongoing basis. Let’s read:
Deuteronomy 7:11 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.
7:12 Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers:
7:14 Thou shalt be blessed above all people”…
7:15 And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee”….
This is a very serious promise indeed and it is reiterated in the words of the Psalmist who further amplifies on the very same theme. When writing about the same topic, David includes the washing away of sins, together with all of the other benefits that come with serving God. Now it’s not that our focus in accepting Christ should be benefits per se, however, God has plainly stated what He would do for us if we enter into a saving relationship with Him, and therefore there is absolutely no harm in finding out what those mega promises are, that He has given to the faithful. Let’s read:
Psalm 103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, [bless] his holy name.
103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
103:3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
103:4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
103:5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good [things; so that] thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The word “Renew” is a very disturbing word, for it suggests that the aging process we have now been accustomed to, can be forestalled to a great extent if the conditions laid down are met. In addition to this, when the word “Renew” is understood in the context in which it is given, it is clearly seen that the renewal of our youth is directly tied to what we eat, because the passage states that God will satisfy our mouth with good things, in order that our youth may be renewed like the eagles’. There is only one question remaining to be answered, “What are those good things” David is speaking about?
Before we proceed with the discovery of those “Good things” it is necessary that we do some preliminary investigation, beginning with the meaning of the word “Renew” as taken from the dictionary, and also from the original Hebrew. The word “Renew” in the English dictionary means: “To make new again, or to restore” so if David is saying that God promises to restore or renew our youth he is suggesting that the faithful can live forever young during our sojourn on this planet, not suffering any depletion in energy and strength, just as when we were sweet sixteen.
Now this is a very serious claim to make, especially in the context of our current knowledge and understanding of the normal aging processes, and so it becomes necessary for us to observe what the Hebrew says of the word “Renew”. The Hebrew word is “Chadash” which also means to renew or “Repair”, and therefore if we were to add the word repair to the concept of renewal of our youth, then it means that we should be able to heal much more quickly in our senior years, just like we did when we were teens. A very disturbing claim indeed!
The diseases of the Egyptians as referred to in the book of Exodus came to our knowledge with the many excavations of the tombs of the Pharaohs that have been dug up during the last two centuries. The mummies contained in these tombs shed a significant amount of light on what caused their early and often sudden demise, and in our close investigations of the diseases of these mummies, it is the will of God that we reason soberly from cause to effect so that we can make wise choices moving forward.
A careful analysis of many Egyptian mummies reveal that they died of the following diseases which are given in order of destructive potency: Cancer, leprosy, diseases of the aorta and coronary arteries, tuberculosis, polio, arthritis, together with such ailments as arteriosclerosis of the kidney and heart, some of the common causes of death in the ancient Egyptians. In addition to all this, the average lifespan of a one year old child was less than forty years, in males and less in females, which brings us to the question of what was causing these untimely deaths amongst the populace?
What is worthy of note in the promises of long life and health made by God to us through His servant Moses, is that Moses himself had actually grown up in the court of pharaoh, and must therefore have been exposed to the same diet and conditions that many of the elite in Egypt were partakers of, yet of Moses we read an entirely different lifespan and aging process, than most of his former peers. Thus we must of necessity search for answers as to why the great difference in length of days and quality of life that Moses experienced, when contrasted with the pharaohs of his era. Let’s read:
Deuteronomy 34:5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.
34:7 And Moses [was] an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
In the instruction given to us through Moses, as it pertains to the removal of all sicknesses, the word diligently is used repeatedly, which tells us that the information given must not be followed in a haphazard manner, being based on feeling and impulse, but rather a well-structured regimen which incorporates the proven knowledge gained from a careful study of the word of God in tandem with the scientific knowledge we have at our fingertips, which are not at odds with the scriptures. Let’s read:
Deuteronomy 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe [and] to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
28:2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
28:13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do [them]:
Exodus 15:26 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.
The Lord removed to a great extent, flesh foods as a part of the Hebrews’ diet, and one of the main reasons this was done was to get rid of the leading causes of cancer and coronary heart diseases in His people. Even though the knowledge that we have today was not available back then, yet it is an undeniable fact that flesh foods, especially those that are unclean, contribute more than anything else to the early demise of human beings, more than all wars, and terrorism combined.
And in our day, where so many chemicals, steroids, and unnatural boosters are being used in meat products, the situation has worsened tremendously, and can be described as a form of dietary terrorism.
But in order for us to get a better idea of why the Lord endeavored to change the diet of the Hebrews, we must first look at what is taking place currently with the staggering figures of cancer occurrences and deaths in the united states. In 2011 there was a combined total of 145300 deaths from various cancers in the U.S alone. That same year the amount of deaths to U.S citizens resulting from terrorist activity was a total of 34 worldwide. This is according to the official records from The U.S state department. Let’s read:
Obviously there must be something very serious taking place behind the scenes that would be causing so many people to be dying prematurely, in an age where modern science and recent discoveries in proper diet and nutrition are at our very fingertips. We can get some helpful insights into the cause of the problem simply by judging from the amount of recalls of meat products that have taken place so far this year alone. Let’s read:
The hundreds of thousands of pounds of meat now being recalled almost daily and weekly is withheld because it will be cause for alarm. The figures we’re reading are for the month of January alone!
And we can go on and on, but God desires that we focus our attention on the instructions He has given and the knowledge He has made available through His servants, and through the recent discoveries in proper diet and nutrition that are now widely and readily available.
The next seven instructions when diligently implemented will go a long way in the renewal of our youth, when done in collaboration with God, for He is described in the Bible as being The Great Physician, and if we desire good health and longevity, we will have to follow His own instructions and use His medicines, just like we obey implicitly the instructions of our family doctor.
(1) Eliminate all flesh foods wherever possible, and those meats that are declared to be unclean in the Bible should be entirely dispensed with. There is now a wide variety of much better substitutes and alternatives available, and with a little research, we can be on our way to cooperating with God in the renewal of our youth. The use of milk and dairy products should also be severely restricted to a bare minimum, if any at all, for they contribute greatly to migraine headaches and many allergic reactions that we often suffer from. Let’s read:
Numbers 11:4 And the mixed multitude that [was]
among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?
11:10 Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly” …..
Psalm 78:21 Therefore the LORD heard [this], and
was wroth” ….. 78:22 Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.
(2) The habit of eating large quantities of food late at night is productive of great evil, and triggers many disorders in the stomach, brain, and nervous system, and it also causes our vital organs to wear out prematurely because of insufficient rest. When Christ yielded up His life on Calvary it was about three o’clock in the afternoon, and it was just about that time that the priests would eat their second and last meal of the day. This practice gave their digestive system several hours to process the food they had eaten, before they retired at night to sleep undisturbed by bad dreams and nightmares, on Elm street. Let’s read:
Psalm 127:2 [It is] vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: [for] so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Proverbs 3:24 When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
(3) The inordinate use of sugars and artificial sweeteners should be avoided as far as possible for they are often loaded with calories which contribute to a host of diseases. Furthermore, any product or even fruit which contain a lot of sugar should be carefully observed for caloric content, because sweet is sweet, even if it comes from natural sources like maple syrup, Stevia plants or even honey. Let’s read:
Proverbs 25:16 Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.
Proverbs 25:27 [It is] not good to eat much honey”….
(4) Reasonable portion sizes that are sufficient for good health should be eaten, but the tendency to eat until we are bloated should never be indulged, for it causes undue work on the brain and digestive system, preventing them from allocating blood in right proportions to the various organs that need them. When by the grace of God we are privileged to sit at the welcome table in heaven, it will not be “All you can eat” but rather “All you should eat”, for buffet style eating is an invention of the devil, who specializes in driving us into intemperate eating habits, with all of the negative physical and spiritual results that inevitably accrue. Let’s read:
Exodus 16:16 This [is] the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, [according to] the number of your persons; take ye every man for [them] which [are] in his tents.
16:17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.
16:18 And when they did mete [it] with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.
1st Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
1st Corinthians 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they [do it] to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
9:26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring [it] into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
(5) Regular physical exercise is an absolute must in the great plan of renewing our youth, for a body that’s inactive becomes more and more inactive, hence the reason why so many people find it difficult to resume their exercise regimen, after stopping off for a period of time. When God created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He made certain to immediately put them to work, so that their joints, tendons, and muscles would be well exercised. Exercise or regular physical exertion also has the effect of warding off a host of ailments, and contributes to a large degree in the building up of our immune systems.
One of the evils that have robbed millions of the fountain of youth is the one-eyed monster who sits in the corner, and takes up valuable time that could otherwise be spent gaining some much needed exercise. Television, potato chips, soda, and video games are all members of the same family, and when permitted, do carry on a military campaign to drag us down to perdition, where the grim reaper awaits with a satanic smile on his face. Even if the only exercise we get is manual labor in the great out-doors, it will put us in a much better stead than becoming enslaved by television and similar gadgets. Let’s read:
Genesis 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground” …..
3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
(6) Eating between meals should be totally abandoned, for it is counter-productive to good health. The common practice of nibbling on candy, sweets, snacks, or other articles of food during the day causes our digestive organs to wear out prematurely, and puts us at risk for a host of diseases and ailments that could otherwise be avoided. The constant release of gastric acids in the stomach causes the walls of the stomach to become greatly compromised, and health issues will certainly occur, for which we may be at a loss to find answers.
(7) Last but not least is faith and trust in God who gave us these instructions in the first place, for without Him there would be a serious imbalance between the physical and spiritual nature of our being. When faith in God is coupled together with a diligent implementation of the pointers He has given, our youth will be renewed from day to day, and the speed by which our bodies repair will be increased exponentially. This fact is clearly stated in the scriptures, and should receive the due consideration it deserves. Let’s read:
Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to [them that have] no might he increaseth strength.
40:30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.
In closing, it’s important for us to know that one day soon, every instruction and command God ever gave to us will be seen as being for our very best temporal and eternal good, and it is our privilege even now to partake of the abundant life that Jesus came to give. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to put God’s word, His ways, and methods to the test, and we will soon find out that tremendous benefits will accrue to all who walk by faith. Let’s read:
Proverbs 3:1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
3:2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
3:4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
God bless!