The Bible claims to be the instruction manual for life. True to this claim, it is overflowing with instructions on almost every aspect of life.
It tells us how to do basic things:
- What to eat, and what not to eat (Leviticus 11).
- What to wear and put on (1 Timothy 2:9; 1 Peter 3:3-4; Romans 13:14; Colossians 3:12-14), and what not to wear (Deuteronomy 22:5).
- When to work (Exodus 20:9), and when to stop working (Exodus 20:10), and why (Exodus 20:11, Exodus 31:13-17).
- It even tells us what to do (Leviticus 23:3), and what not do (Isaiah 58:13), on days we stop working.
- It tells us how to treat people:
- How to treat our spouse (Ephesians 5:22-28, 33) and other people’s spouses (Deuteronomy 5:21; Matthew 5:27-28).
- How to treat our children (Proverbs 29:17; Colossians 3:21; Titus 2:4); our parents (Ephesians 6:1-3); and grandparents (1 Timothy 5:4).
- How to treat older people (Leviticus 19:32; 1 Timothy 5:1-2).
- How to treat our neighbors (Luke 10:25-37; Matthew 22:36-40); strangers (Exodus 23:9; Deuteronomy 10:17-19; Matthew 25:38, 40); our friends (Proverbs 27:6,10); and our enemies (Luke 6:27-36).
- How to treat people who have offended us (Matthew 18:15; Luke 17:3-4); or whom we have offended (Matthew 5:23-24).
- How to treat government officials (Ecclesiastes 10:20; Romans 13:1-5; Titus 3:1-2) and even tax collectors (Romans 13:6-7; Matthew 22:17-21).
- How to treat rich people (Leviticus 19:15) and poor people (James 2:1-7; Deuteronomy 15:7-11; Proverbs 19:17; 28:27; 31:9; Isaiah 58:6-7).
- How to treat bosses (Ephesians 6:5-7; Titus 2:9-10; Colossians 3:22) and employees (Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 4:1).
- How to treat ministers (1 Timothy 5:17; Hebrews 13:7, 17) and brethren (2 Corinthians 1:24; 1 Peter 5:1-3).
- It even tells us how to treat ourselves (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
The Bible contains instructions on subjects as diverse as building codes (Deuteronomy 22:8); weights and measures (Leviticus 19:35-36); animal husbandry (Leviticus 19:19); animal care (Proverbs 12:10); plant genetics (Leviticus 19:19); crop management (Leviticus 19:23-25); waste disposal (Deuteronomy 23:12-14); disease prevention and hygiene (Leviticus 11:24-25, 31-35); disease containment (Leviticus 13); personal finances (Proverbs 22:7, 9; Malachi 3:8-10); national finances (Leviticus 25:8-17; Deuteronomy 15:1-6; 28:10-14); going to court (1 Corinthians 6:1-11); going to war (Matthew 26:52); and even lost and found (Exodus 23:4-5).
And that is just a small sample.
We need to take the time to study these verses. Imagine if the world lived by them, then we would see a world without abortion, pornography, profanity, lying, stealing, murder, over-burdensome governments or lazy citizens, abandoned widows, abandoned children or abandoned marriages. Perhaps hundreds of millions of deaths could have been prevented over the centuries by following the Bible’s health laws alone. What other national and personal tragedies could be prevented if people followed all of these laws?
The Bible is the most amazing, comprehensive, and compelling instruction manual ever written. The question is, are we willing to follow the instructions?
