Booklet
I -
Secrets of the Abundant Life
Supplement to Lesson 25
"My son, attend
to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let
them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the
midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those
that find them, and health to all their flesh."
Proverbs 4:20-22.
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Health
Secrets of the Bible
- a. Eat no unclean
meat
- b. Eat no
meat with blood in it
- c. Eat no animal fat
- d. Eat only at
mealtime
- e. Do not overeat
- f. Keep away from
alcohol
- 3. The Best Diet
- 4. Practical,
Biblical Instructions on Eating
- 5. Abstaining
from Harmful Substances
- 6. On 1 Timothy 4:1-5
- 7. On Acts
10 - Peter’s Vision
- 8. On 1 Timothy 5:23
- 9. A
Recommended Health Program
Three fourths of all deaths in the
United States are caused by cardiovascular diseases and
cancer. These are diseases which are unknown in many
other parts of the world. Studies have confirmed that the
major degenerative diseases in the United States and
other western nations are caused by our lifestyle. Heart
disease, cancer, strokes, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis
and senility are brought on, not by fate, but by our own
choices. In most cases these diseases are not only
preventable but also reversible through simple lifestyle
changes.
Let’s take a look at
cardiovascular diseases (heart and blood vessel diseases)
which are responsible for every second death in the
United States. Extensive research during the last fifty
years has identified a number of risk factors for
determining your chances of heart disease. The top three
are high blood cholesterol, smoking, and high blood
pressure. Other significant indicators include high
triglycerides, diabetes, obesity, lack of exercise, and
stress. These are all lifestyle related. The way we eat
and live determines both the length and quality of our
lives.
Smokers are 10 times more likely to
die by age 60 than nonsmokers. Men only 20 percent
overweight are five times more likely to die of
cardiovascular disease by age 60 than are men of
desirable weight.
Most of the risk factors have to do
with our eating habits, primarily our intake of fat and
cholesterol. The average fat intake in America amounts to
around 40 percent of total calories consumed! The fat
intake in China, however, averages less than 15 percent
of calories. Not surprisingly, only 4 out of every
100,000 men in China die of heart disease each year.
A blood cholesterol of 200 mg% may
be considered normal in the United States, but normal
does not mean safe. Autopsies of young American soldiers
(average age: 22!) who died in the Korean war showed that
three out of four of them already had significantly
narrowed coronary arteries. No wonder 200,000 coronary
bypass operations are performed every year in the United
States.
The American people are now
spending nearly a trillion dollars every year on sick
care. The real tragedy is that most of those illnesses
could have been prevented if people would simply follow
God’s health plan.
The Bible is the "owner’s
manual" for our bodies, supplied by our Designer.
Careful attention to its guidelines will ensure optimum
performance. Let’s begin with the basic
specifications.
Unclean meat is defined in
Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. These animals are
scavengers, carnivorous, or have filthy ways. Their
diseases are easily transmitted to humans.
"Ye shall not eat any
thing with the blood." Leviticus 19:26.
The blood is the transportation
system for chemicals, waste products, and disease.
Closely related to HIV, the human
AIDS virus, is BIV (bovine immunodeficiency virus) which
is widely distributed among cattle in the United States.
The USDA National Animal Disease Center has been able to
transfer the infection among goats, sheep, and rabbits by
blood transfer. No testing has been done to determine if
the virus is transferable to humans. Certainly the safest
course is to follow God’s instructions.
"Ye shall eat no
manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. And the
fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of
that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other
use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it." Leviticus
7:23, 24.
It is now well known that dietary
fat is the most common culprit in heart disease, cancer,
high blood pressure, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. The
latest U. S. government recommendations call for
Americans to eat more foods high in complex carbohydrates
and fiber.
"Blessed art thou, O
land, when...thy princes eat in due season."
Ecclesiastes 10:17.
Digestive functions are accurately
timed and do the most efficient work when kept on a
regular schedule. Meals should be eaten at the same time
every day. After a meal, the stomach normally empties
itself in 2 ½ to 4 hours. When the stomach and small
bowel are completely empty, an interdigestive cleansing
phase follows, which rejuvenates the entire bowel. If
anything is eaten before this interdigestive phase is
permitted to do its work, the contents of the stomach and
intestine become stagnated, contributing to cancers,
ulcers, and other gastrointestinal problems.
Studies have shown the detrimental
effects of eating between meals. A person was given a
regular breakfast at 8:00 in the morning. Twice during
the morning and twice during the afternoon a bit of
chocolate candy was given. At 9:30 that night, 13 ½
hours after breakfast, x-rays showed that more than half
of the morning meal was still in the stomach. It has been
found that even a little peanut nibbling delays digestion
to the extent that eleven hours after breakfast there is
still a large residue in the stomach.
"Blessed art thou, O
land, when...thy princes eat...for strength, and not for
drunkenness!" Ecclesiastes 10:17.
Any abuse to our system will bring
weakness and disease.
"Wine is a mocker,
strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby
is not wise." Proverbs 20:1.
In addition to damaging the liver,
brain, and other organs, alcohol also affects the heart
tissue, is associated with many cancers, and diminishes
immunity to disease. (Sixth Special Report to Congress on
Alcohol and Health, released by the U. S. Department of
Health and Human Services.) According to The Washington
Monthly, thirty-five percent of all hospital beds in
America are occupied by people who are there because of
alcohol-related problems.
God designed the human body to
operate most efficiently on a diet of plant foods:
fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts. The diet God gave
to Adam and Eve is the best diet for us today.
Dr. T. Colin Campbell, a Cornell
University scientist, has worked with the National
Academy of Sciences in a study of the relationship
between nutrition and cancer. Their research revealed
that replacing animal products with fresh fruit,
vegetables, and whole-grain products is the best way to
guard against cancer. They found that regardless of the
number of cell mutations caused by environmental factors,
those who have a low-protein, low-fat diet have
significantly lower cancer rates. In fact, a natural,
whole-food diet has even been shown to reverse the growth
of cancer cells that have already formed malignant
tumors.
Whether you are concerned with
cancer, atherosclerosis, obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis
or hypertension, the only diet which can prevent or
reverse the problem is the diet God gave to man at his
creation. According to data supplied by the National
Cancer Institute, countries with the most bowel cancer
deaths and the most heart disease deaths are the
countries with the highest per capita meat consumption.
Strokes and heart attacks occur
when important arteries become clogged, a condition known
as atherosclerosis. Cholesterol, the primary factor in
atherosclerosis, is found only in animal products. Plants
do not produce it. Before western culture and eating
habits were introduced to the Japanese, atherosclerosis
was so unheard of in Japan that Japanese medical schools
had to import plaque-filled coronary arteries from the
United States to demonstrate to their medical students
the disease that was causing half of all deaths in
America.
Antonio Gotto, M.D., president of
the American Heart Association, stated in a U.S. Senate
hearing that "In societies where the blood
cholesterol is under 160 mg% there is virtually no
coronary artery disease or atherosclerosis." His
conclusion?-- "If we lower the cholesterol count of
everyone in the United States to below 150 mg%, we would
probably wipe out heart disease."
One of the most respected
authorities on diabetes, Dr. James Anderson, after
working with low-fat, low-protein, high-fiber, unrefined
starchy food diets for fifteen years, stated,
"Ninety-five percent of adult onset diabetics on
oral drugs could be off such drugs in less than eight
weeks, and 50 to 75 percent could normalize their blood
sugar and get off all insulin within weeks."
A few years ago, people thought a
high-protein diet was best. But it was found that the
highest rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and
osteoporosis are found among those who consume the most
protein. The average adult probably needs less than 30
grams of protein per day, which is easily obtained from
fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts. Most Americans
consume 100 grams of protein or more per day. This
overconsumption of protein increases urinary excretion of
calcium and other minerals, weakens the bones, and places
stress on the kidneys.
Athletes know that complex
carbohydrates are the best fuel for our bodies, providing
the most energy and endurance. Unrefined plant foods also
provide the natural fiber necessary for health.
Animal products contain no fiber,
but are loaded with cholesterol and excessive amounts of
protein. Typically, meats provide no carbohydrates, and
are the single largest source of fat in the American
diet.
It sounds too easy, but it’s
true: A simple switch to a broad vegetarian diet would
lower our fat and cholesterol, provide all the starches
and fiber we need, guard against overconcentration of
protein, lower our blood pressure, our weight, and our
chances of early death.
The Bible has much to say about the
benefits of vegetarianism. Adam lived nearly a thousand
years on a pure vegetarian diet. After the introduction
of "clean" meats at the time of the flood,
man’s lifespan was immediately cut by a third. After
just a few generations of meat eating, people were dying
at age 200. And just a few generations later Moses wrote,
"The days of our years are threescore years and ten;
and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet
is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut
off." Psalm 90:10.
When the Israelites were in the
wilderness, God provided manna for them—bread from
heaven—and water from a rock. But many of them
"fell a lusting" and said, "Who shall give
us flesh to eat?" God had hoped to bring His people
back to the original diet of Eden. Their craving for
flesh meats greatly disappointed Him. So He gave them the
flesh they wanted, but "while the flesh was yet
between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the
Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote
the people with a very great plague. And ... there they
buried the people that lusted." Numbers 11:33, 34.
This experience was so significant
to God’s people that it was recounted in its
entirety in Psalm 78:18-31, and referred to again in
Psalm 106:15, "He gave them their request, but sent
leanness into their soul." God often allows us to
have what we want, but the result is a loss of vitality
both physically and spiritually.
Referring to the same event, Paul
counsels, "We should not lust after evil things, as
they also lusted." 1 Corinthians 10:6.
Notice in these texts that eating
flesh is associated with God’s displeasure: "Be
not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of
flesh." Proverbs 23:20. "Slaying oxen, and
killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us
eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die." Isaiah
22:13.
When we consecrate our lives to the
service of God, our bodies become the temple of the Holy
Spirit. As Christians we are called to glorify God in all
our habits and practices. We will seek to do all we can
to live in the most healthful way possible, to the glory
of God.
The book of Daniel, with its vital
message, was written for us who live in "the time of
the end." How significant it is to us that the book
of Daniel opens with the message of abstinence from rich
and unwholesome foods, and emphasizes the benefits of a
pure vegetarian diet!
"Thou shalt eat the
herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou
eat bread."—Genesis 3:18, 19
"Eat thy bread with
joy."—Ecclesiastes 9:7
"Better is a dinner of
herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred
therewith."—Proverbs 15:17
"Better is a dry
morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of
sacrifices with strife."—Proverbs 17:1
"My son, eat thou
honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is
sweet to thy taste."—Proverbs 24:13
"Hast thou found
honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou
be filled therewith, and vomit it."—Proverbs
25:16
"It is not good to eat
much honey."—Proverbs 25:27
"When thou sittest to
eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before
thee: And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man
given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties: for
they are deceitful meat."—Proverbs 23::1-3
"He should have fed
them also with the finest of the wheat."—Psalm
81:16
"That which should be
set on thy table should be full of fatness." Job
36:16
"...with the fat of
kidneys of wheat."—Deuteronomy 32:14
"Wherefore do ye spend
money for that which is not bread? and your labour for
that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me,
and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight
itself in fatness."—Isaiah 55:2
"For the Lord God is a
sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no
good thing will he withhold from them that walk
uprightly." Psalm 84:11
"There is nothing
better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and
that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour.
This also I say, that it
was from the hand of God."—Ecclesiastes 2:24
"Wine is a mocker,
strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby
is not wise."—Proverbs 20:1
"Know ye not that the
unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not
deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves
with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor
drunkard...shall inherit the kingdom of God." --1
Corinthians 6:9, 10
"Which eat
swine’s flesh, and broth of abominable things is in
their vessels."—Isaiah 65:4
"For the drunkard and
the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall
clothe a man with rags."—Proverbs 23:21
"Their wine is the
poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps."
Deuteronomy 32:33
"Woe unto them that
rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong
drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame
them!"—Isaiah 5:11
"Who hath woe? who
hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who
hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They
that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed
wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it
giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself
aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and
stingeth like an adder."—Proverbs 23:29-32
"Know ye not, that to
whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants
ye are to whom ye obey: whether of sin unto death, or of
obedience unto righteousness?"—Romans 6:16.
(See also verse 13.)
"And be not drunk with
wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the
Spirit."—Ephesians 5:18
"Do not drink wine nor
strong drink...that ye may put difference between holy
and unholy, and between unclean and
clean."—Leviticus 10:9, 10
"Drink the pure blood
of the grape."—Deuteronomy 32:14
"The new wine is found
in the cluster,...Destroy it not; for a blessing is in
it."—Isaiah 65:8
"Be ye clean, that
bear the vessels of the Lord."—Isaiah 52:11
"Abstain from fleshly
lusts, which war against the soul." --1 Peter 2:11
"If a man therefore
purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto
honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use,
and prepared unto every good work." --2 Timothy 2:21
"Wherefore come out
from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and
touch not the unclean thing." --2 Corinthians 6:17
"Lest there be any
fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one
morsel of meat sold his birthright."—Hebrews
12:16
Notice: Man’s first sin in the
garden of Eden was related to appetite. Jesus’ first
temptation in the wilderness was also related to
appetite. Christ conquered where Adam failed, thereby
making it possible for you and I to gain the same
victory.
Some people have used this passage
to say that Christians are free to eat anything they
want. But that is not what it says.
The passage speaks of some who
depart from the faith and command "to abstain from
meats which God hath created to be received with
thanksgiving of them which believe and know the
truth." Notice that these people are commanding to
abstain from meats which God created to be received.
The vital question is, What
"meat" did God create to be received? The
Genesis account is clear: "Behold, I have given you
every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all
the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a
tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."
Genesis 1:29. The meats which God created for us to
receive are herbs and fruits and seeds.
The word "meat" today
almost always means flesh meat, but in the Bible it
simply means "food." When Paul’s ship was
about to be wrecked he invited the passengers to
"take some meat," adding, "for this is for
your health." Acts 27:34. Notice then what meat he
took.
He "took bread, and gave
thanks to God in the presence of them all: and . . .
began to eat." Verse 35.
1 Timothy 4:4 says, "For every
creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it
be received with thanksgiving." Some people claim
that this means that we are to eat anything and
everything. Following that line of reasoning, we should
not refuse to eat rats or cockroaches. Obviously
Paul’s "every creature" is to be qualified
by the previous verse—foods which God hath created
to be received! Verse 5 gives additional qualifications:
foods which are "sanctified by the word of
God." Sanctified means set apart and designated for
a specific purpose. Far from giving license to eating
anything we please, this passage is fully consistent with
the rest of Scripture, permitting only those foods which
are designated by the word of God.
Peter’s vision of the sheet
full of animals is sometimes cited in an attempt to
sidestep the Bible’s dietary guidelines. Actually,
its message does not pertain to food at all.
The vision occurs in the context of
the opening of the gospel to the Gentiles. At that time
all the Christians were Jews. They viewed the Gentiles as
beyond the reach of the grace of God. God wanted to break
down that wall of prejudice, and used this strange dream
to do it.
While messengers were on their way
from Cornelius to get him, Peter, on a housetop, fell
into a trance. He saw a large sheet let down before him
"wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the
earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of
the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter;
kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have
never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And the
voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath
cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done
thrice: and the vessel was received up again into
heaven."
If God was indeed instructing Peter
to add all those creatures to his diet, then it would be
our Christian obligation to eat skunks and mice and
snakes. But the purpose of the vision was not to change
Peter’s intake, but his outlook. It was not to alter
his meals, but his mission.
We have learned in previous lessons
that beasts in symbolic visions represent nations. Just
as, in Revelation 10, John in vision was asked to eat a
book, here Peter in vision was asked to eat beasts. These
beasts, being unclean, represented the uncircumcised
nations. Peter represented the church, as did John in
Revelation 10. Eating a thing symbolized receiving it.
God was graphically illustrating to Peter that the church
was to receive "every nation" (verse 35) into
it.
The words that were spoken to Peter
were, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou
common." While Peter still wondered what God was
referring to, the messengers from Cornelius reached the
house where Peter was staying. Then "the Spirit said
unto him, Behold, three men seek thee. Arise therefore,
and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing:
for I have sent them."
Peter then began to understand the
meaning of the dream. When he arrived at Cornelius’
house he found a large group of Gentiles assembled,
waiting to hear the gospel of Jesus.
Peter said, "Ye know how that
it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep
company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath
shewed me that I should not call any man common or
unclean. Therefore came I unto you without gainsaying, as
soon as I was sent for." "Of a truth," He
concluded, "I perceive that God is no respecter of
persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and
worketh righteousness, is accepted with him."
What was Paul recommending when he
told Timothy to "use a little wine for thy
stomach’s sake"? Was he suggesting that alcohol
is good for our system? The fact is that alcohol does not
benefit the stomach at all.
The word "wine" in the
Bible means grape juice. The same word is used for both
fermented and unfermented juice. The practice of using
unfermented grape juice for medicinal purposes in
Paul’s day is well documented. Aristotle (384-322
B.C.), Athenaeus (A.D. 200), and Pliny (A.D. 24-79; a
contemporary of Paul’s), each advised the use of
sweet grape juice to alleviate stomach disorders.
Both Paul and Peter taught
abstinence from alcohol. This is evident from their
frequent use of the word "sober" (See 1
Thessalonians 5:6-8; 1 Timothy 3:2, 11; Titus 2:2; 1
Peter 1:13; 4:7; 5:8). The Greek word translated
"sober" in these verses is nepho or nephalios.
Nepho means "to abstain from wine" and
nephalios means "abstinent in respect to wine."
By that definition, attested in the
writings of Josephus and Philo, Paul admonished in 1
Timothy 3:2 that a bishop must be abstinent in respect to
wine. In verse 3 he declared that a bishop must be
"me paroinon", which literally means "not
around wine." Having so strongly thus instructed
Timothy to abstain from alcohol and not even be around
it, Paul certainly would not have advised him in the same
book to take some for his stomach’s sake. Obviously
in Chapter 5 he was recommending unfermented grape juice.
The ABC’s of
Health