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, but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. Deuteronomy 7:15
Good health is something that the world today really does not know much about. Despite living in an age of better medications, great advances in scientific knowledge, exciting new treatment methods and equipment, and even increasing longevity, people are still getting sick, doctors are becoming wealthy, and hospitals of all types are doing a steadily growing business. Maladies and health problems that were almost unknown a century ago are commonplace woes and tragedies today. The Covid-19 pandemic reminds us just how devastating and destructive even one disease can be, and how helpless we are to prevent such events from turning our world upside down. Wouldn’t it be nice to be free of all these diseases.
God promised Israel that they could be free of diseases and sickness. They had a wonderful opportunity, although they never took God up on His offer. This seems incredible to us, when we think about how good health is one of the greatest of all human blessings.
Bible students and scientists have calculated that if we followed the rules that God provided concerning food and separation, we too could free ourselves of most if not all of the diseases that afflict us today. Ancient time people could not understand the principles related to germs, sanitation, and isolation, but God placed in their ordinances and commandments those things that would protect them from contamination and unhealthy practices.
Unfortunately, life in the 21st century makes adherence to these laws and ordinances all but impossible for us. However, if we look to the spiritual message behind all these, we can free ourselves from the spiritual diseases afflicting mankind. As Christians, we need to separate ourselves from the evil doctrines and behaviours of the world. We need to cleanse our souls daily with regular and plentiful applications of the Word of God. Separation from evil and cleansing in the Word will protect us from the apathy and Laodicean attitudes that stunt our growth and dull our usefulness to our Lord. They will infuse us with a passion to see lost souls saved and a compassion for blessing of the Lord’s people. They will purge the dross of the world’s contamination and transform us into the image of our Lord and Saviour.
Read the Word today. Get alone with God. Be blessed with spiritual health! -Jim MacIntosh