Continue with CLEANLINESS - WHY SO IMPORTANT?

'Cleansing oneself of every defilement of flesh' helps to protect the family from other sicknesses.  Many diseases are caused by a lack of physical cleanness.  A prime example is the smoking habit.  Not only does smoking befoul the lungs, the clothes, and the very air but it also makes people ill.  Millions of people die each year because they smoked tobacco.  Think of it; each year millions of people would not have fallen ill and died  prematurely if they had avoided that 'defilement of the flesh'!

Consider another example. About 3,500 years ago, God gave the nation of Israel his Law in order to organize their worship and, to a degree, their everyday life.  That Law helped to protect the nation from disease by putting in place some basic rules of hygiene.  One such law had to do with the disposal of human waste, which had to be properly buried away  from the camps so that the area where people lived would not be polluted.  (Deuteronomy 23:12, 13)  That ancient law is still good counsel.  Even today people get sick and die because they do not follow it.

In harmony with the principle behind that Israelite law, the family's bathroom and toilet area-whether inside or outside the dwelling-should be kept clean and disinfected.  If the toilet area is not kept clean and covered,flies will gather there and spread germs to other areas of the home-and into the food we eat!  Further, children and adults should wash their hands after  visiting this area.  Otherwise, they bring germs back with them on their skin.  According to a French doctor, hand washing "Is still one of the best guarantees for the prevention of certain digestive, respiratory, or skin infections." 

Next time: Conclusion of: CLEANLINESS - WHY SO IMPORTANT?

From the book: THE SECRET OF FAMILY HAPPINESS, 1996