“None of this Diseases”
Introduction:
• Because the plan of salvation includes our restoration to health (lesson 1), The
Bible shows us our part in realizing this goal. About the time of Moses was
born, someone wrote the Papyrus Ebers, a first aid book for Egyptians. To
remove a splinter, the Papyrus Eber recommended applying worms blood and
asses dung. To prevent hair loss, the Papyrus suggested anointing the hair
with the tooth of the donkey crushed in a honey.
• Because Moses was “learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians” (Acts 7:22),
he was probably well acquainted with the Papyrus Eber. But when God freed
the Israelites, He gave them a different set of health guidelines along with
the promise found in this weeks memory verse. We will study some of this
guidelines, as well as certain New Testament principles, in order to
understand further how God has provided for the care and maintenance of
our bodies so we can more effectively work for and learn about Him.
A.Burdens (Exodus 6:7; Leviticus 11:43-45)
When God freed the Israelites from Egypt, they
had been slaves for more than 100 years. What
would have happen to them physically and
spiritually during these period?
• After these years of slavery, the Israelites were in such a condition that God
found it necessary to reeducate them concerning His plans regarding right
living. The laws He gave to them at Sinai dealt with every aspect of their duty
to God and their fellow human being. These laws include the following:
• (1)The Ten Commandments which reflect God’s character and are
unchangeable because He is unchangeable (Matt. 5:18,19, Mal. 3:6);
• (2)the Ceremonial laws which pointed to the cross and thus expired when
Christ died (Col. 2:14-17; Heb. 7:12).
• (3)The Civil laws, which “applied the broad principles of the Ten
Commandments to the economy of ancient Israel as a nation” (SDA Bible
Commentary vol. 1 p. 757)
• (4)The Health laws, these laws “were intended by a wise Creator to promote
health and longevity (see Exo. 15:26; 23:25; Deut. 7:15; Ps. 105:37…)
• Based as they are upon the nature and requirements of the human
body, these principles could in no way be affected either by the cross
or by the disappearance of Israel as a nation. Principles that
contributed to health 3,500 years ago will produce the same results
today.” SDA Bible Commentary vol. P. 757
• “The people who had come from slavery with the uncleanly and
unhealthful habits which endangers, were subjected to the strictest
training in the wilderness before entering Canaan.” The Ministry of
Healing p. 277
B.Quarantine in Effect (Lev. 13:1-4, 36)
• God wanted the Israelites to be holy because He is holy. If they were
to be His people, they needed to reflect His character. Thus He gave
them a series of laws and His grace to help them obey those laws.
• While it is true that the time changes the specific application of
certain Old Testament health laws, the principles of the laws remains
the same. “The idea of quarantining those afflicted with contagious
diseases seems to have originated with the Hebrew people, a
safeguard given them by God Himself.” SDA Bible Commentary vol. 1,
p. 763
“For the following reasons, it seems likely that Leviticus 13 is
describing skin diseases in general (including leprosy).
1.The symptoms listed in Leviticus 13 are not the symptoms of what we
know to be leprosy.
2.Laws regarding ceremonial cleansing infer that some people with
leprosy got well quickly.
3.“In a day when medical science as such did not exist it would have
been a difficult thing for the priest to give a differential diagnoses of
various diseases affecting the skin, when they were in many respects
similar, and for which there were no specific names. Moses apparently
grouped these related diseases under one general head,… which our
English versions have translated ‘leprosy’.” SDA Bible Commentary vol.
1 p. 763.
“The plan of redemption contemplates
our complete recovery from the power of
Satan. Christ always separates the
contrite soul from sin.” The Desire of
Ages, p. 311
C.Whited Sepulchers (Num. 19:11-19; Matt. 23:25-27)
• Today, we almost take for granted that cleansing with water hinders
the spread of diseases. But this is not always the case. In Vienna
during the 1840’s.
• Dr. Semmelweis became the director of a hospital’s obstetrics ward.
The “first order of each morning was… to perform autopsies on the
unfortunate victims who had died during the preceding 24 hours.
Afterward without cleansing their hands the doctors …. marched into
the maternity wards to make pelvic examinations on the living
women, of course no rubber gloves worn”
• After watching one out of every six of these patients die over a
period of three years, Dr. Semmelweis established a rule that all
doctors who performed autopsy must wash their hands before
examining any living patients. Three months after this rule went into
effect, only one out of every 84 patients died.
• Long before the time of Jesus began his public ministry, the Jews had
turned many of their laws into meaningless ceremonies. Such was the
case with the laws of purification. Of what did the Scribes and
Pharisees accuse Jesus and his disciples? Matt. 15:1,2
• We are not to assume that Jesus lived an unhealthful lifestyle. The
point He makes is this “We should never forget that the focus of
God’s laws is Christ Himself. When we keep any law simply because
“it’s tradition” we become hypocrites. When we lost sight of why we
do something we become like the white sepulchered Jesus
mentioned in Matt. 23:27
