Didst Thou Know?

1/24/08
Did you know that thousands of years ago God laid out remarkably advanced medical knowledge for Israel that the western world discovered only in the late 1800's?

Around 1890 doctors finally realized that germs were responsible for the transmission of disease.  Until then, doctors had no concept of microbes, believing instead that chance or bad luck was behind a person's disease or sickness.

Now, consider this.  More than 3500 years ago the Jews left Egypt, the most advanced society in the world at that time, as well as the only society the Jews had ever known.  How advanced were the Egyptians?  The Egyptians' "advanced" prescriptions for various wounds included applying cat dung, lizards' blood, putrid meat, and other things filled with potentially deadly bacteria.  Imagine the infection and death rates suffered by the world's most knowledgable culture.

Compare the world's knowledge with the knowledge of God.  Bible scholar Grant Jeffrey points out the following.  In Leviticus 6:28, written around 1500 B.C., God tells the Israelites to discard broken pottery (because cracks can contain harmful bacteria).  Leviticus 11:35 says that anything on which an animal carcass falls is "unclean", obviously because of bacteria.  Remember, modern scientists didn't make this discovery for themselves until about 1890.  Leviticus 7:24 warns not to eat animals that die naturally or are killed by wild animals.  Numbers 19:14-17 declares that anyone or anything in a tent with a dead person is "unclean", even mentioning that unclean vessels should be cleaned with "running water"...as we know, standing water becomes stagnant.  Leviticus 15:13 even commands the Jews to wash their clothes and their bodies "in running water" after having an infectious "discharge".  Ever wondered how people in biblical times knew to avoid lepers?...or how they knew to make lepers "dwell alone" "outside the camp"?---Leviticus 13:46.  Incredibly, the Israelites were even told by God to create, in effect, an incinerator "outside the camp" to burn dangerous infectious materials produced by their animal sacrifices (Lev. 4:11-12).

For centuries leprosy and the Black Death left a trail of death in Europe that seemed never-ending.  History books tell us that the doctors were baffled and completely ineffective.  Only after church leaders looked to God's word---specifically Leviticus 13:46---were these horrendous diseases turned back..."He shall be unclean.  All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean.  He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his habitation shall be outside the camp."

God is truly all-wise, all-knowing and truth belongs to Him and Him alone.



10/1/07
Did you know that the entire message of both the Old Testament and New Testament---sin to redemption---is found in the meaning of the names of the genealogy from Adam to Noah found in Genesis 5?