Christianity
The Bible
What Does the Bible Teach about
Health, Nutrition, and Righteous Dominion?
The Bible speaks extensively about God’s commandments about how man is to eat, and the good and bad consequences of our dietary choices. The way we eat affects our physical and spiritual health, our relationship with God, and our interaction with the world in which we live. How we eat is a significant aspect of our dominion upon the earth.
From the Beginning: "Every Herb Bearing Seed"
The first chapter of the Bible, Genesis chapter 1, describes God’s creation of the earth and all things in it, including plants, animals, and mankind. God blessed Adam and Eve and gave them dominion, or the right to rule, over the earth and all things in it.
And God blessed them, and God said unto them,
Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it:
and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,
and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
This dominion, however, is not without strict order and limitation, as the commandments following make clear:
And God said, 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.
“Meat” means “food” in the Bible (as opposed to animal “flesh”). Immediately after giving man dominion, God commanded that the herbs and the fruits of the earth are to be man’s food.
Some people have argued that this was just in the Garden of Eden, that as soon as man partook of the forbidden fruit (the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil) that their bodies became fallen, and now needed animal flesh for health. But immediately after the fall, God reiterated the same commandment:
Thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground;
It appears that animals were, in fact, not created for man’s food, and that our dominion over animals does not sanction our killing and eating them. We are rather to till (cultivate) the ground, and labor, that we may receive our nourishment from the earth and live in continual increase in the symbiotic relationship between man and plant.
Ancient and Modern Covenant Israel
Fast forward to the story of the deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt, as told in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Israel had been heavily influenced by pagan worship and were oppressed under slavery and were desperate for both physical and spiritual deliverance. As prophesied, God raised up the prophet Moses and, through a wondrous series of signs and miracles, delivered the Israelites from both physical bondage.
Unfortunately, it took quite a bit longer to deliver Israel from spiritual bondage, as they repeatedly reverted back to the idolatry of Egypt and, as Lot’s wife, looked back to the pleasures of Egypt they had left behind in their exodus. Their faithlessness and complaints burdened the prophet Moses (and the Lord) and heavily slowed their progress through the physical and spiritual wilderness.
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?
There is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.
And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar,
and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it.
Israel had not the soberness to discipline themselves to gratitude for the miracle of the manna God provided to feed them through their journey in the wilderness. In a matter of days they forgot their extraordinary deliverance and looked back to the flesh pots of Egypt. They processed the manna into cakes and loudly complained against God and His prophet of the lack of flesh to eat.
The problem was, the ancient Israelites did not believe that God’s blessings were better than the pleasures of the flesh they had left behind in Egypt. They felt that, by following the Lord, they had given up more than they had gained – an absolute lack of faith in the promises of the Lord. Their complaints and faithlessness provoked the Lord, and His anger was “kindled greatly.” He granted their desire, along with all its inherent consequences.
Ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying,
Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt:
therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.
Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;
But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you:
because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him,
saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?
“Kibroth-hattaavah” means “graves of lust.” God granted the desire of their lust, and they were accordingly smitten with a plague – a plague both of spiritual disobedience and of natural consequences.
This same story is reiterated many times in scripture as a powerful reminder for the need of soberness, faith, and humility – and to relinquish indulgence in order to obtain the abundant blessing of the Lord. Here are but a few examples.
And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.
Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:
And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.
So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire;
They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths,
The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.
They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel:
But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.
And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.
“Leanness” is not that desirable healthy figure, but is rather translated as “a wasting disease.”
Then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance.
Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.
The Hebrew of Deuteronomy 28:22, 27, 35, 59-61 mentions things like fevers, boils, inflammation, lung disease, wasting diseases, hemorrhoids, and tumors. This sounds a lot like many of the diseases that plague our society today. It seems we have repeated the story of Israel. We, too, have processed our food into every cake imaginable and sought after animal flesh (and milk and eggs) to eat. We have largely forsaken the seed-bearing herbs God ordained to comprise the food of man, and filled our diets with processed and animal-based foods instead. And like ancient Israel, we likewise suffer the many-faced plague of dis-ease and dis-order.
When we truly believe in a divine Creation, we will trust in the intelligence by which the earth and our bodies were created, and seek health by eating according to God’s law. When we keep God’s commandments and live in accordance with eternal truth – the equivalent of “coming out of Babylon,” or the wicked world – then we will, according to the promises of God, “receive not of her plagues.”
The Law of Moses: A Lower Law
Under the higher law, Israel was under serious condemnation for their faithlessness and unwillingness to relinquish carnal appetites, including the desire to eat flesh. In both righteous indignation and mercy, God took away His law and delivered unto Israel a lower law of carnal commandments, called the Law of Moses. With this lower law came a lower manifestation of God’s power and glory, as well as a lesser condemnation, decreasing the demands of justice upon the Israelites. Under the Law of Moses, there was allowance for the killing and eating of animals:
Although the Law of Moses included provision for the killing and eating of animals, the Lord still made it clear that the desire to eat flesh was a carnal lust. This lower law decreased the demands of justice upon the Israelites for an appetite they refused to relinquish.
A Higher Law
During His mortal ministry, Jesus Christ made it clear that the Law of Moses was a lower and burdensome law given “for the hardness of your hearts” and that God “hateth” the unrighteous practices allowed therein (see Matthew 19:3-8; Malachi 2:11-16). The higher law that Jesus Christ taught in His mortal ministry, of which we have some record in the Bible, sought to raise Israel to a closer covenant relationship with God. The closer we are in covenant relationship with God, the greater the blessings for our faithfulness and obedience to eternal law – and, the greater the condemnation for disobedience and sin.
Considering how many times the children of Israel coveted the pleasures of Egypt and even resolved to return to bondage, it is clear that we must recognize bondage for what it is in order to more fully appreciate and retain our liberation. Obedience to God’s commandments – living in accordance with eternal law – brings true freedom and happiness. When we live the higher law, then we are free from the bondage of the world, and receive the blessings of living in closer covenant with God.
Covenant Blessings
What are God’s promises if we keep His commandments and live His law? They are almost unfathomable in our sickly world. Here are a few examples:
I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land:
the number of thy days I will fulfil.
There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days:
for the child shall die an hundred years old.
And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee:
he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land....
Thou shalt be blessed above all people:
there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.
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.
If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;
Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase,
and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
When we keep all of God’s commandments and exercise righteous dominion, we are promised the blessings of living in His covenant, including health and fertility, rain and productivity of the land, and living in peace and safety.
Daniel's Ten-Day Experiment
The story of Daniel is an important example of the blessings available to us for obedience to God’s commandments. When he was but a youth living in Jerusalem, the city was destroyed and many Jews were carried away captive into Babylon. Some select Jewish youth, including Daniel, were chosen to be taken to live in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court where they would be taught in the learning and language of the Chaldeans and fed of the king’s food. After three years’ time, they were to stand and be examined before the king.
Daniel was willing to learn a new language and to be taught of sciences and arts. Having been taught of the laws of God, however, he was not willing to defile his body with unhealthful food and drink.
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself
with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank:
therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
Daniel’s overseer declined Daniel’s request and expressed concern that Daniel would appear inferior if he did not eat of the king’s meat (a very common myth of our day too). So young Daniel requested just a ten-day experiment, for himself and his three friends:
Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.
Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat:
and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.
The Hebrew word for “pulse” is “zero’im.” Most other translations render it “vegetables,” which is more accurate to the original Hebrew. “Zero’im” means “earth-grown foods,” or “all wholesome herbs.” In fact, Daniel asked for “haz-zero’im” – only whole plant foods, and water to drink.
And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh
than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.
“Fairer and fatter in flesh” means “better,” “more pleasant, “healthier,” and “firmer in flesh.” Daniel and his three friends were visibly stronger and healthier than the other youth – in just ten days! But there’s more. The blessings of healthful stewardship over our bodies and the earth go even beyond physical health:
As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom:
and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in,
then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
And the king communed with them;
and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
therefore stood they before the king.
And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them,
he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.
When examined before the king three years later, Daniel and his three friends all proved “ten times better” than all the most learned and experienced advisors and counselors in the kingdom. This is not by chance, but by consistent choice. As Daniel consistently lived God’s law, he likewise consistently received the promised covenant blessings, including vibrant health, strength of body, increased wisdom, sharp intellect, and increased spiritual capacity. Because of his consistent faithfulness, he was blessed and prospered exceedingly over time.
So what does Daniel’s story have to do with me? Some are wont to think that Daniel’s story is unique to Daniel and has nothing to do with their own lives, but that is inconsistent with the nature of God. God does not pick and choose among people and reward only His “favorites.” Rather, we choose to qualify ourselves for blessings by our own diligence to keep His commandments and live in accordance with eternal truth.
Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek:
for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
We are all fully and equally privileged to receive God’s blessings as we obey His commandments and live in accordance with eternal truth.
He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
God works by patterns and gives freely unto all who seek Him and keep His commandments. Daniel’s story is not an exception, but a pattern, showing us an example of the workings of God and His dealings with man. When we do what Daniel did, we can make his story our own.
Additional Questions Answered in the Bible
"Eat Neither Fat nor Blood"
It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings,
that ye eat neither fat nor blood.
We are commanded not to eat the fat or blood of any animal. This command the Lord repeats many times throughout the Bible, warning that that those who eat animal fat or blood “shall be cut off from his people” (see Leviticus 7:23-27; Deuteronomy 12:23-25). Perhaps being “cut off” from among the people has implications in the many diseases that plague our society today, including Cardiovascular Disease, Obesity, Diabetes, and Cancer.
Pharmacy
The use of pharmaceutical drugs to treat disease has limited benefits for health. Pharmaceuticals interfere with natural body processes to achieve an isolated effect, without a complete understanding of all the implications. Pharmaceuticals have many detrimental side effects, which are often worse than the disease they are intended to treat, and are the fourth leading cause of death (Campbell). All wholesome herbs, on the other hand, have no negative side effects, and seemingly unlimited benefits far beyond our capability to measure.
Certainly it is better to prevent disease by living God’s law from the beginning, but it is never too late to turn to a healthful lifestyle as the progression of disease can be halted or even reversed when we return to living God’s law, including eating the foods He has ordained for our health. This should be our first defensive and offensive means against disease to both preserve and regain our health.
The use of pharmaceutical drugs may vary. However, the Bible does make a mention of pharmacy in the Book of Revelation, where we read of the destruction of Babylon, representative of the destruction of the wickedness of the world:
Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all... for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
The Greek word for “sorcery” is “pharmakeia,” from pharmakeuō, which means “administer drugs.” Although we may not be able to make any all-encompassing or definite conclusions about the use of pharmacy, it is wise to be wary of the use of pharmacy and seek to first and primarily use the means God has ordained for our health – that is, every herb bearing seed, or all wholesome herbs.
What other questions or insights do you have?
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Research
Campbell TC. Nutrition and Medicine: Are They Connected? American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 15(5): 495-497, Sep-Oct. 2021.