This will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.
Last week we discussed Proverbs 3:7, and the need to fear the Lord and turn from evil. Verse 8 appears to suggest that a benefit of doing this is “healing to your body and refreshment [literally, "drink"] to your bones.” Does this promise physical health to those that obey verse 7? Experience would suggest this in not always the case. Fearing God and turning from evil will not necessarily spare the body from sickness and suffering. What does this mean, then?
First, we should note that the Book of Proverbs is not a collection of guarantees. These are wise sayings and principles that the people of God should use to guide their life. The benefits mentioned in this book are real. However, they are not to be understood as absolute sureties. Fear of the Lord is, after all, the beginning of wisdom, and so the wise man recognizes that it is more important to obey God than it is to look for the benefits of obedience.
That said, I think there is a physical benefit to obeying the command in verse 7. God is our creator, and He designed our bodies to function a particular way. Oftentimes, the physical outworking of sin in our lives is a perversion of the way our bodies were intended to be used, and will, therefore result in harm (e.g., murder, promiscuity, substance abuse, gluttony.). Even if the sin is not of a physical nature, it can have a physical consequence (anger leading to violence, hatred leading to murder, and so on). This is not always the case, but harboring and nursing that sin can still have physical consequences. Unresolved anger, or feelings of self-pity can affect one’s mood, which affects one’s overall physical well-being, for example.
This is where that fear of the Lord we spoke of last week, and the resulting desire to flee evil, will bring health and refreshment to the body. When our minds and our hearts are set upon the glory and honor of God, we will avoid those attitudes and behaviors that dishonor Him. And there is a blessing that comes with pleasing God that transforms our attitude. This, in turn, has physical health benefits, because in this frame of mind, we are operating as our Lord and Creator designed us to operate: with the desire to love Him and glorify Him with our lives.
May that be our attitude this week, that we might experience health and refreshment, regardless of our physical circumstances.
Have a great week!