Are there ways to avoid sickness?
Job 2:3, 7Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil. And he has maintained his integrity, even though you urged me to harm him without cause.” . . . So Satan left the Lord’s presence, and he struck Job with terrible boils from head to foot.
2 Kings 13:14When Elisha was in his last illness, King Jehoash of Israel visited him and wept over him. “My father! My father! I see the chariots and charioteers of Israel!” he cried.
Hebrews 9:27-28Just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.
Sickness and disease strike the righteous and the unrighteous. Often it cannot be avoided but at best only be postponed. It’s best to be prepared for what happens after death.
Exodus 15:26He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”
Exodus 23:25-26“You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness. There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.”
Psalm 38:2-3Your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me. Because of your anger, my whole body is sick; my health is broken because of my sins.
Acts 12:23Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.
1 Corinthians 6:18Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.
1 Corinthians 11:27-30So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
Our vulnerability to illness is a product of the fall of humanity into sin, but specific illnesses are not always caused by our sin. Obedience to God’s Word can help us avoid some sickness, because the Bible provides some guidelines for good health. For example, God’s warning to avoid sexual immorality will prevent us from contracting sexually transmitted diseases.
Exodus 20:8-11“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”
Exodus 34:21“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working, even during the seasons of plowing and harvest.”
Maintaining a healthy balance between work and rest will often help us avoid sickness.
Acts 27:34“Please eat something now for your own good. For not a hair of your heads will perish.”
Ephesians 5:29No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.
1 Timothy 4:7-8Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”
Physically caring for our bodies will often help us avoid sickness.
Leviticus 14:54-57“These are the instructions for dealing with serious skin diseases, including scabby sores; and mildew, whether on clothing or in a house; and a swelling on the skin, a rash, or discolored skin. This procedure will determine whether a person or object is ceremonially clean or unclean.”
Deuteronomy 23:13“Each of you must have a spade as part of your equipment. Whenever you relieve yourself, dig a hole with the spade and cover the excrement.”
Good personal hygiene habits will often help us avoid sickness.
