“The Lord’s Law of Health,” Liahona, August 2021
The Lord’s Law of Health
By Elder William K. Jackson
Of the Seventy
The Word of Wisdom promises great blessings—if we are obedient.
As a physician, when I discussed heart disease with patients, I often used baseball as an analogy. In baseball, three strikes and you’re out! Similarly, when a patient had three or more significant risk factors (smoking, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, etc.), that patient was in trouble.
I remember a cartoon that depicts a doctor sitting with a patient in the exam room, looking over reports and scratching his head. He looks up at the patient and proclaims, “Amazing—you have the heart of a 375-year-old!” Our goal should be to avoid that kind of a doctor’s visit!
Divine Guidance
Being in medicine, I also recognize that some risk factors that affect our well-being (such as genetics and family history, gender, infection, accidents, and some cancers) are to a great degree beyond our control. But others are well within our ability to modify or eliminate. Knowing this, our Heavenly Father has provided guidance.
In the winter of 1833 in Kirtland, Ohio, Joseph Smith organized the School of the Prophets. In this school, participants discussed the restored gospel, learned spiritual principles, and received inspiration. However, as Brigham Young later reported, the class was initially held “in a cloud of tobacco smoke.”1 Chewing-tobacco stains covered the floor. When Emma Smith cleaned up afterward, she was not thrilled! She discussed this with her husband, the Prophet—and he took those concerns to the Lord.2
Although Joseph inquired about the use of tobacco, the revelation he received involved much, much more! The Lord called it “a Word of Wisdom” (Doctrine and Covenants 89:1). This “principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints” (verse 3) was mercifully introduced at first as “not by commandment or constraint” (verse 2).
The reason, as President Joseph F. Smith (1838–1918) later explained, “was that at that time, at least, if it had been given as a commandment it would have brought every man, addicted to the use of these noxious things, under condemnation; so the Lord was merciful and gave them a chance to overcome, before He brought them under the law.”3
A study manual for the Doctrine and Covenants explains that “although the Lord allowed a time of adjustment for those who were already members of the Church when the Word of Wisdom was given, today it is expected that all Saints adhere to the commandment.”4
The Lord’s Law of Health
The Word of Wisdom would become the modern version of the Lord’s law of health. Such laws were not uncommon in other dispensations or in other cultures and religions throughout history. However, the Word of Wisdom is exceptionally topical. It was given during an era of the world’s history when consumption of an unparalleled number of harmful substances had become commonplace.
Specifically, the Word of Wisdom as defined by prophets includes:
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Prohibition of tobacco, alcohol, tea, and coffee.
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Avoidance of other harmful substances (identified by inference, common sense, and Church leaders).
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Detailed dietary guidance.5
Highly Recommended
All of God’s commandments are given in the spirit of love. They are meant to help us: they keep us safe, help us to become more like our Heavenly Father, ensure the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, assist us in fulfilling God’s work and glory, and lead to happiness. They provide us the opportunity to demonstrate our love and respect for God. The commandments are practical. Their observance is highly recommended! (See 2 Nephi 2:25; Alma 12:32–34; Moses 1:39.)
Based on Obedience
Our goal as disciples of Jesus Christ is to become Christlike and to put off the natural man (see Mosiah 3:19). To experience happiness as He does, we must be like Him! And to be like Him, we must be obedient. The Savior said we are to live “by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). And God is the author of the Word of Wisdom.
Obedience is part of the great plan of happiness. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “Obedience is not only the first law of heaven. Obedience is the first law of everything. Everything that I know that matters requires that initial commitment to obey the word and the will of the Lord.”6
Christ reminded us, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). The Savior wants us to be happy and to lead fulfilling lives, unhampered by the stumbling blocks that result from disobedience.
More Than Do’s and Don’ts
The Word of Wisdom is much more than just a list of don’ts. It also contains a wealth of positive counsel. And, like any commandment, it comes with promised blessings, both temporal and spiritual. As with all laws, we have the agency to interpret its application and determine our degree of obedience. Will we obey the letter of the law or the spirit of the law? (see 2 Corinthians 3:6).
Keeping the commandments in the spirit of the law, even when we don’t completely understand every aspect of the commandment, will help us to experience life more abundantly. Much will depend on the enthusiasm and diligence with which we follow the Savior.
Our Heavenly Father has promised that we will receive all that we are willing to receive (see Doctrine and Covenants 88:32–33). How willing are we to be obedient? Being obedient leads to joy, direction, purpose, priesthood power, and in the case of the Word of Wisdom, “great treasures of knowledge” (Doctrine and Covenants 89:19). There is no substitute for obedience (see Doctrine and Covenants 11:20).
Needed Today
If we look at the Word of Wisdom from a medical point of view, we would say that it was way ahead of its time. And if needed in 1833, it is even more crucial today! As Latter-day Saints, we believe that we are meant to experience joy (see 2 Nephi 2:25) and that the body is a temple (see 1 Corinthians 6:19–20). Yet never at any time in history have there existed so many ways to defile that temple!
The Word of Wisdom treats within its relatively few verses many of today’s major medical issues. Obedience to the Word of Wisdom:
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Frees us from some of life’s most serious addictions.
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Eliminates all tobacco-related problems except for exposure to secondhand smoke.
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Eliminates all health- and relationship-related problems associated with alcohol and other poisons.
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Includes wise dietary practices and activities that help combat high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
Promised Blessings
When we keep the Word of Wisdom in the spirit in which it was given, the rewards are fabulous:
“And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;
“And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;
“And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
“And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them” (Doctrine and Covenants 89:18–21).
Despite the amazing health-related benefits of the Word of Wisdom, the promised blessings of wisdom, hidden treasures, and divine protection are surely even greater! By living the Word of Wisdom, we also create an environment that invites the presence of the Holy Ghost and His transformative power.
Both Temporal and Spiritual
Modern medicine and its laws can advise, help, and even prevent medical conditions and disasters. The Lord’s law of health does the same and in addition will bless us spiritually. In fact, the promised blessings of the Word of Wisdom are predominantly spiritual.
When I read the Word of Wisdom, I marvel at the medical and spiritual insights of a young Prophet! This law of health may have seemed strange to the people of the 19th century, but it has certainly proved to be a prescient guide against many of today’s ills:
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Eat healthy foods.
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Practice temperance regarding the consumption of meat.
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Avoid tea, coffee, alcohol, and tobacco.
That’s sound advice. We can keep the Word of Wisdom—not only as a temporal law but also as a spiritual one. Let us commit to living this law, that we may enjoy the promised blessings both in this life and in the life to come.