Jeremiah 8:22 Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
Now that we have already entered the countdown to eternity it would be well for us to remember that there is a close symbioses between the physical and spiritual nature of man, and as such, it is of greatest importance that we try our best to keep both in the best condition possible because they’re inextricably intertwined, and one affects the other.
The author of disease and death will tempt persons at their weakest points, especially if by so doing, he can cause us to compromise our health. Therefore, most of the temptations we would endure will have to do with indulgences that will weaken our system. And now that we find ourselves in the middle of the pandemic, it will be well for us to consider ways and means whereby we may be healed.
There are three basic ways to be healed of diseases, sicknesses, and other disorders which afflict human beings. [1] By God, directly through miracles. [2] By man, using man’s methods and products. And [3] A hybrid version which incorporates features from the man-made system, and the God-ordained system.
Let’s start with number [1] By God directly through miracles. Whenever God heals a person directly through His miraculous power, it is very rare that there would be a resurgence, except that there is a violation of natural law, or that life and aging would take their natural toll.
However, healing via miracles is a last resort with God, when all else has failed, and should not be the first option persons turn to. God prefers not to have to work a miracle, if and when it can be avoided, so He expects us to first exhaust all the God-approved means and methods, with miracles as a last back up plan.
The current ways and means employed by so-called faith healers of the day, where the root causes of a person’s sickness is never addressed, does not bear God’s stamp of approval and as such, they are to be duly classified as counterfeits, in the overwhelming majority of cases.
In other words, diligent investigation must be made, and the root causes of diseases must be addressed, so that God’s miraculous power would not be seen as candy. And wherever correction and adjustment need to be made, these must be done diligently, so as to preclude as much as possible, any unnecessary resurgence of the issue in question. Let’s read:
James 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
John 5:5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked.
14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.
The second approach to healing is to adhere to a strictly man-made system of health, where human science is the only option considered. In this second tier of healing, miracles are never considered, God’s power is not brought into the equation and thus the finite limits of scientific discoveries, are what would determine the extent to which our expectations will rise, or sink. Let’s read:
2nd Chronicles 16:12 And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians.
13 And Asa slept with his fathers and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.
Spiritual factors such as faith, obedience, trust, and promises written in the Bible are for all intents and purposes scorned, or frowned upon by science, and because of this, man-made systems of healing could only go thus far and no further. Thus, whenever any new disease puzzles science, persons will inevitably go into panic mode, for God is nowhere to be seen or heard, when He is excluded by science.
The third way to be healed involves a sort of hybrid between man’s methods and God’s instructions. In this third tier, God’s will is followed, in conjunction with scientific knowledge He has been pleased to dispense to the human agent and therefore God has often made great contributions to healing through science, when it does not go contrary to that which is written.
However, it’s worthy of note that wherever miracles from God are expected, as it pertains to healing, it is absolutely necessary that obedience to His word be incorporated, if He has given any command. There are rare instances where no instructions were given but if there are any given attention, they must be absolutely and implicitly obeyed. Let’s read:
John 9:1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
Numbers 21:8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looks upon it, shall live.
9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
2nd Kings 20:1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.
2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying,
3 I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.
7 And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.
Mark 2: 3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
That word “Immediately” is a very important word, because the speed with which a person is willing to obey can actually determine whether or not he/she will be healed. We observe that he didn’t wait for New-Year’s day to obey, neither did he wait for that group setting, where others would be encouraging him and cheering him on.
This particular man did not schedule his obedience for some convenient period, nor did he stop to ask questions as to how and why such a command was given, even as he was still crippled. He obeyed while he was still disabled and thus, it was as he made an immediate effort to comply that a miracle ensued.
The excuses we often make for non-compliance are flimsy at best, when compared to the man with the palsy. New Year’s day is never the best day to start obeying what we already know, for procrastination is one of the devil’s main tools, and if he can tempt us to put off for tomorrow that which should done right now, then the battle is very often lost.
Luke 17:12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off.
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
In this instance it is obvious that nine out of the ten lepers had an attitude of ingratitude, yet they were still healed. This is a very important point, because, merely having a bad attitude does not necessarily prevent God from working a miracle for someone. It is their obedience to Christ’s word that mattered, as it is, and will always be with anyone who expects a miracle from God.
Naaman had a bad attitude too, yet he was healed, because, at the end of the day it’s not one’s attitude that makes the difference, it is obedience to all of God’s instructions on the matter in question. In fact, Naaman actually threw a temper tantrum against God’s prophet and he was on the verge of returning home with his sickness.
Yet, after he calmed down, and one of his officers reasoned with him concerning obedience to God’s instructions he relented, and he dipped seven times and the rest is history. The deciding factor is always obedience. Let no one be deceived concerning this critically important point. Let’s read:
2nd Kings 5:9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
13 And his servants came near and spoke unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, would thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Believing is one thing, but obeying what God says is another, for it is the latter that matters most at the end of the day. Faith without works is dead, and if in our current desperation we desire the miraculous intervention of God, we would need to obey every instruction He has been pleased to give us.
This takes us to an important passage of scripture where God promised to be the Mighty healer for His people. The promises then made were never meant to be for the Jews only but for anyone and everyone who would be willing to subscribe to the same rules of engagement. Let’s read:
Exodus 15:23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore, the name of it was called Marah.
24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?
The Hebrews had ingested tainted water that was the cause of their complaint, and in response God gave them instructions to remedy the situation. It was then left up to Moses to comply, and if he did, the people under his jurisdiction would benefit.
It is worthy of note that The Lord prefers to work through natural remedies, rather than the synthetic concoctions cooked up in secret laboratories, with names that cannot be pronounced. In fact, it is the simplicity of God’s remedies that often offends the worldly wise, even though it has been proven on many occasions that they do work. Let’s read:
Exodus 15:25 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.
Even with the natural remedies at hand, there are two words used in the passage that are important in the implementation and application of the laws of health, if we would be found doing our best to be healed, and to stay healthy. [1] Diligent. [2] All.
Diligent Meaning: Characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort; painstaking, persistent, and studious.
All: Each and every, entire, everything, all, total.
The health message, which is labeled as the right arm of the gospel was never meant for Seventh day Adventists only, just as the decalogue was never to be for the Jews alone. Like the Hebrews of old, the remnant people of God are to represent in their own persons what God’s promises of healing and health literally translate into.
In this way, when the gospel goes out to the world, the right arm will also be present, for it represents the way in which Jesus worked for the masses of people in days of yore. Jesus would heal and preach and preach and heal so that the efficacy of the good news was not only seen and heard, but actually felt in their persons. Let’s read:
Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
Luke 4:40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.
Luke 6:17 And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;
18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.
19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him and healed them all.
But since the pandemic has struck it seems as if we have gone into hiding, as if the gospel and the right arm of the gospel must be put on hold for a more convenient season. Now that Covid is causing havoc across the land, isn’t it a golden opportunity for the gospel, and its right arm to be given to the people, instead of us waiting for science to rule the day?
Thus, because the needs of the people are urgent, and because too many are going down without God and without hope, the time has fully come for us to share with the world what God has disclosed to the remnant, so that they too can be partakers of the information we have long been given and which has been hidden under a bushel for too long.
The following are the eight laws of health, which if they are followed diligently, and in entirety will go a long way in the building, and stabilizing of immune systems. We are to do our very best by God’s grace and then trust His miraculous power to take up the slack, as He sees fit. We will the pointers in precis form, and then explain further as we go.
[1] Trust in God. [2] Sound nutrition. [3] Regular exercise. [4] Clean water. [5] Plenty sunshine. [6] Temperance. [7] Proper rest. [8] Clean air.
Trust in God is at the top of the list, because it calls us to believe and obey all His commandments, laws and instructions for healthful living. The consuming of any forbidden foods will greatly compromise our immune systems so that when viruses such as Covid come around the body would have already been at a disadvantage, and the ability to fight it off would have been weakened.
There is a reason why over 110,000 restaurants and diners were permitted to be permanently shuttered because in many cases, the foods that were being served in those places were doing more harm than good. The rare steak eaten late at night, together with alcohol, pork, shrimp and oysters were laying the foundation for casualties we are seeing today.
And even though some persons did not indulge in these items, yet it is the nature of sin to cause much collateral damage. This is where trust in God comes in for the believer, for He can be counted on to help mitigate the fallout of disobedience, in persons who may not have been in error.
Again, the consumption of soda does much damage to our internal organs, as can be observed when a can of soda is poured onto a rusted coin, or onto a corroded battery terminal. The same way it eats at the corrosion and rust is the same way it eats at our organs, and over a period of time great damage is done.
It’s much better to drink water than soda any day, especially between meals, for whereas soda would corrupt, clean water will help to wash away those impurities that have converged in the stomach. The water that is found in coconuts is very good for the human body, and contains elements that will help in a variety of adverse situations.
Again, regular exercise is very important, and even though some of us may have busy schedules, it will be well if we can make the time to exercise often, especially as we get older. Wherever possible, the mixture of strength training and aerobics should be incorporated intelligently, and the good effects of such efforts will be felt almost immediately.
But with various lock-downs in place, exercise has taken a hit, and some who were not inclined to do exercises in the first place have now been given a valid excuse not to do so now. But inactivity breeds sluggishness, weakness, brittle bones, and a host of other adverse side effects.
Temperance is also important, for we are told in the Bible to be temperate in all things. This includes the judicious use of that which is good, and dispensing entirely of that which is harmful. In other words, to eat a vegan meal very late at night before going to bed is not good, and will do us harm, because even though the meal may have been good, it was eaten intemperately.
Sunshine and clean air are much more preferable to air conditioning or recycled air, because the sunlight provides a dose of vitamin D, and the air that is not compromised by recycled germs and particles, does much good for the lungs, especially now that it is cooler in many states.
This year, as we close the book on 2020, and turn a new leaf in 2021, let everyone try by the grace of God to make those necessary changes that have been sitting on the back burner for too long. And we should remember that diligence in all of God’s instructions is a must, if we are to realize the great benefits in store.
We therefore close with a passage of scripture which promises God’s help if we cooperate with Him by doing our very best. Let’s read:
Psalms 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
3 Who forgives all thine iniquities; who heals all thy diseases;
4 Who redeems thy life from destruction; who crowns thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies;
5 Who satisfies thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The renewal of our youth is directly tied to what we eat and drink.
God Bless!