Fat People In The Bible

OK…this might be another “offense-causer”…almost didn’t write this…

So I’m still in 1 Sam and today I’m reading chapter 4:12-18. I have been reading the bible for as long as I can remember, probably even had it read to me while in the womb, but I’ve never read anywhere in the bible about anyone being obese. Now, imagine my shock when I stumbled across verse 18 and Eli is described as being “heavy”.

What’s my point? After reading this, a lot of other things I’d read about Eli came to mind; He was almost blind (Chp. 3:2, 4:18), and he was 98 (Chp. 4:15).

The bible doesn’t put details like this in for reason, so here’s what I think:

1) By our standards, 98 is old, and being blind at that age would probably be expected, but we’re talking bible days when people lived 300 years and had kids well past their 100’s. The bible made such a strong point of repeatedly mentioning his health conditions and age. I’ve never seen that before.

2) Watch the wording in Chp. 4:18: “…And his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy…” Almost to suggest that his weight contributed to his death, not just the fall.

Being a Pharmacy student, one of the main health conditions we’re studying and required to be very knowledgeable about is obesity. From my studies I know that obesity can lead to other conditions such as diabetes, glaucoma and a whole host of vision problems, and brittle bones etc, things Eli most probably suffered from. I say all this to say that we really need to be taking care of our bodies, what we put in them and what proceeds out of them. We are all aware of the health consequences of being overweight, so I’m not going to lecture anyone here, but remember your body is THE temple of God, it’s on loan, and we need to honor and glorify God in our diet too.

I’m barely 9 stone, and I go to the gym frequently, many people are confused why, but I’m not taking anything for granted. Yes, I have a high metabolism and can eat a lot without putting on weight, but that doesn’t mean I’m healthy. My blood sugar could still be high, cholesterol could be rising, and my heart unfit due to my diet. This message is for my “skinny” people too!

Don’t be like Eli…slim or large, take care of your body, you’ll find you’re happier when you’re healthier. And you can pray more because you’ll have more energy lol.

Much Love!!

P.S. If you are trying to loose weight, please don’t do it for the wrong reasons or try any “hollywood” diets such as the maple syrup diet or crash calorie diets. You’ll loose weight, but you still won’t be healthy. Speak to your GP or pharmacist about the right way to loose weight. 🙂

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