Why doesn’t the Bible talk more about exercise?
Why doesn’t the Bible talk more about exercise, since it’s so important for health?
1 Timothy may allow for physical exercise, but its emphasis is more on spiritual discipline:
1 Tim 4:8 (ESV): “for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” (Like other passages in Pauline literature, this one borrows imagery used by other thinkers in Paul’s day, who also compared moral or intellectual discipline with physical exercise.)
But Paul didn’t likely need much extra exercise, at least during the many years he was walking all over the Roman empire.
People who work fields, walk long distances, carry water and so forth normally get enough exercise in their daily lives. (One could list passage after passage regarding such lifestyles.) Most figures in the Bible did not belong to a wealthy elite, and they got plenty of exercise without needing to supplement it artificially. For people like me who spend most of the day reading or typing, supplemental exercise is more important.
As a BBC report notes, “The research findings note that, generally, people in low-income countries seem to integrate a sufficient amount of physical activity in their lifestyles, unlike those in wealthier countries.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-45496654
This has implications for what we should expect when we examine the biblical record.
It also warns many of us not to use as an excuse the limited biblical attention to the matter. In the U.S., the same study warns that 40 percent of adults are too inactive. Staying healthy is a matter of good stewardship, because better health on average translates into greater and longer effectiveness in serving the values of the kingdom.
Updating the Commandments
A sad day in Reformation history
Cessationism
An interview about cessationism for Vida Nova in Brazil (English with Portuguese subtitles):
Conflict part 3: conflict within families
Sometimes conflict arises even in one’s family. And here I am not thinking just of extremely dysfunctional families like Joseph’s (yes, your brothers selling you into slavery is certainly dysfunctional). Who is closer, and to whom is one more vulnerable, than a person whom one loves deeply and whose words matter most? The biblical patriarchs sometimes experienced passionate marital disagreements:
Gen 16:5 (ESV): “Then Sarai said to Abram, ‘May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my slave-girl to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!’”
Gen 21:10-11 (NIV): Sarah “said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son.” (But God told him to listen to Sarah.)
Or Gen 30:1-2 (NIV): “When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!” Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?””
Avoiding open conflict, Rebekah simply accomplished her plan for Jacob behind Isaac’s back, since he did not listen more directly to her revelation about the elder serving the younger.
The ideal, of course, is 1 Pet 3:7: husbands be sensitive to your wives so that nothing hinders your prayers (for God heeds the righteous, not the evil, 3:12).
Again, divine wisdom warns us about harmful words:
Prov 12:18: “Rash words are like thrusts from a sword, but the wise person’s tongue brings healing.”
Prov 18:21 NIV: “The tongue has the power of life and death …”
What about needless conflict in the family and its health consequences? Although framed from the man’s perspective in Proverbs, the principles should apply both directions.
Prov. 12:4, NRSV: “A good wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.”
14:1, NRSV: “The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.”
17:1, NRSV: “Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.”
21:9, NRSV: “It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a contentious wife.”
Parent-child relationships can also be stressful (although as parents it may help work some spiritual maturation in us!):
Prov 10:1 (NASB): “A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother.”
Prov 15:20 (NRSV): “A wise child makes a glad father, but the foolish despise their mothers.”
Prov 17:25 (NRSV): “Foolish children are a grief to their father and bitterness to her who bore them.”
Prov 23:24 (NRSV): “The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who begets a wise son will be glad in him.”
Prov 27:11 (NRSV): “Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad, so that I may answer whoever reproaches me.”
Prov 28:7 (NRSV): “Those who keep the law are wise children, but companions of gluttons shame their parents.”
Eph 6:4: “Fathers, do not stir up/stoke your children’s anger …”
The Bible shows us that conflict happens within families. But it also invites us to a higher ideal of resolving differences with mutual love, respect, and servanthood. For example:
Prov 31:28 (ESV): “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her”
Eph 4:26-27 (NIV): “… Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”
Eph 4:29: “Don’t speak what harms others. Instead speak what is good for them, building them up and meeting their needs …”
Eph 4:32 (NIV): “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Eph 5:2, 21: “Act in love … submitting to one another out of respect for Christ”
Eph 5:25 (NRSV): “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
Mark 10:43-44 (NRSV): “… whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.”
John 13:14 (NRSV): “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”
(P.S., on an anticlimactic note about these lists of verses, I mix and match some translations on my computer more based on ease of access than based on recommending one translation over another.)
Picture of naked dog
Conflict part 2: other conflict
The previous post addressed necessary conflict to stand for justice or truth on behalf of the Lord or others. But that post was mostly to qualify what I planned to write in this one. It was recent studies of conflict being bad for health that motivated me to think right now about some biblical teaching about conflict.
The sort of conflict addressed in these studies seems to be especially interpersonal conflict with those with whom we are in relationship—family members, coworkers, employers or employees, etc. It often has to do with simply personal ways of seeing things, or miscommunication or misunderstanding that need to be clarified.
Even so, conflict can be defined more than one way. Constructive dialogue over disagreement, with a high level of trust that makes unnecessary feelings of being threatened, seems healthy. (That’s what we’re supposed to do in academia, though sometimes disagreements get personal.)
Hostile conflict, by contrast, seems toxic. (This would be especially true for those of us who, as children, sometimes experienced violence in a context of hostility and anger. It my case that at least got me readier for subsequent experiences of being beaten for my faith, sometimes with apparently lethal intent.) Sometimes even such direct conflict with those close to us becomes unavoidable, when some challenge our faith or matters of justice and truth with hostility (e.g., Matt 10:34-37). Even in such situations, though, Jesus exhorts us not to take it personally (Luke 10:16).
When possible, it is ideal to deescalate conflict, control one’s anger, and calm another’s anger (though not at the expense of simply avoiding addressing something important that must be addressed). Scripture often addresses this issue. For example,
Prov 10:12 (NRSV): “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses”
Prov 12:16 (NRSV): “Fools show their anger at once, but the prudent ignore an insult”
Prov 13:10 (ESV): “By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom”
Prov. 14:29 (NRSV): “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but one who has a hasty temper exalts folly”
Prov 15:1 (NRSV): “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger”
Prov 15:18 (NRSV): “Those who are hot-tempered stir up strife, but those who are slow to anger calm contention.”
Prov 16:28 (NRSV): “A perverse person spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends”
Prov 16:32 (NRSV): “One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city.”
Prov 17:14 (ESV): “The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out”
Prov 18:6 (ESV): “A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating”
Prov 19:11: “Those with good sense are slow to anger, and it is their glory to overlook an offense”
Prov 20:3 (NRSV): “It is honorable to refrain from strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.”
Prov 22:10 (NRSV): “Drive out a scoffer, and strife goes out; quarreling and abuse will cease.”
Prov 26:21 (ESV): “As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife”
Prov 29:8 (NIV): “Mockers stir up a city, but the wise turn away anger”
Prov 29:11 (NRSV): “A fool gives full vent to anger, but the wise quietly holds it back”
Prov 29:22 (ESV): “A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression”
Prov 30:33 (ESV): “For pressing milk produces curds, pressing the nose produces blood, and pressing anger produces strife.”
Rom 12:18 (NIV): “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (even further, cf. 12:14: bless those who persecute you)
Among fellow believers (Col 3:12-15, NRSV): “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful”
After all (Matt 5:9), “It will be well with those who make peace!” And (James 3:18, NIV), “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness!”
If studies are right, conflict might raise levels of stress that harm the other person’s well-being. Sometimes that is the point of the spirit behind it:
Matt 5:21-22: “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.”
1 John 3:15: “All who hate a brother or sister are murderers”
Prov 15:4 (NIV): “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.”
Yet counselors warn that hostile attitudes hurt especially those who hold them. Negative attitudes we hold inside hurt; Proverbs speaks of the pain of wounded hearts. Prov 15:13 (NIV): “A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.” Prov 18:14 (NRSV): “a broken spirit—who can bear?”
Forgiveness and grace toward others releases our own hearts as well, though that is not the primary biblical point of forgiveness. Angry words or actions can cause long-term harm in more tenuous relationships:
Prov 12:18 (NIV): “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Prov 13:3 (NRSV): “Those who guard their mouths preserve their lives; those who open wide their lips come to ruin.”
Prov 18:19 (NIV): “A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city”
Prov 20:2 (NIV): “A king’s wrath strikes terror like the roar of a lion; those who anger him forfeit their lives.” (It may not be a good idea to offend bosses, either …)
Part 3 will look briefly at conflict within families.
Conflict part 1: conflict when needed
Current research shows that conflict is bad for our health (presumably especially for us sensitive people). Recently I have read that marital conflict even correlates with earlier mortality in men.
Of course, there is conflict and then there is conflict. Some conflict is inevitable, or at least necessary. Although we want to avoid conflict when possible, conflict is sometimes forced on us, and we have to deal with it. This first post deals with that sort of conflict; the next will deal with the sort that we should avoid or resolve as quickly as possible.
If Jesus wanted to bring grace to people who felt oppressed, he was going to have to confront religious and political elites. Paul was ready to dialogue with people, but when some proved more interested in winning a point than being open to truth, he was ready to call their bluff and move on.
We all respond differently to conflict. Some of my friends (such as Michael Brown) are skillful debaters and enjoy good give-and-take. Me: not so much (though I relish intellectual dialogue when it is friendly). I am shaped more by my background of learning to stay on the ground when being beaten, since the most frequent abusers typically got tired after awhile and quit. I do not like conflict, but neither do I care to see truth neglected or justice disregarded. Some conflicts become inevitable:
Prov 25:26, NRSV: Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain, are the righteous who give way before the wicked.
Prov 24:10-12, NRSV: If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength being small; if you hold back from rescuing those taken away to death, those who go staggering to the slaughter; if you say, “Look, we did not know this”— does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it? And will he not repay all according to their deeds?”
John the Baptist was certainly no reed shaken by the wind (Matt 11:7//Luke 7:24).
In the Gospels, no sooner has the Spirit descended on Jesus than the Spirit propels Jesus into the wilderness to face testing by the devil. The Spirit does not equip us for a life of continual ease, but to do God’s work and endure any opposition that it may require.
Still, graciousness is ideal even in important conflicts, when possible (2 Tim 2:23-25, NRSV):
“Have nothing to do with stupid and senseless controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth”
Prov 15:1 (NIV): “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Rom 12:14, 17-18 (NIV): “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse … Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
Sometimes the conflict isn’t worth it.
Prov 23:9 (NASB): “Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.”
Prov 29:9 (NIV): “If a wise person goes to court with a fool, the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace”
Prov 17:10 (NRSV): “A rebuke strikes deeper into a discerning person than a hundred blows into a fool.”
We have to discern whether it is worth it or not (Prov 26:4-5, NRSV):
“Do not answer fools according to their folly, or you will be a fool yourself. Answer fools according to their folly, or they will be wise in their own eyes.”
How much of the Bible did King James write?
