From Medicine to Jesus
David Devenish

David Devenish is a husband and father of eight children in Tasmania, Australia. He sent me this book in response to an article I published in Home School Digest magazine. I had expressed my frustration at the high costs of medical care and health "insurance" (which does not ensure that you will be healthy, but simply ensures that you will be confused and frustrated). What is David's solution? Dump the modern medical system and trust God.

This is a short book that covers a good deal of ground. David begins by looking at what the Bible says about health and healing, and the related topics of faith and holiness. Then he examines the modern medical system and its effects. Medical care is frequently dangerous for those who receive it. An article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association ("Is US Health Care Really the Best in the World?", July 26, 2000) reported that bad medical care was the third leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease and cancer. The author also highlights the dangers that vaccinations may hold for children and even adults.

Besides the physical dangers, David describes these as spiritual dangers of the modern medical system: putting diseases in our bodies through vaccines (cf. Ex. 15:26), having male doctors perform intimate procedures on female patients, losing authority and control of decisions in hospitals, being mixed with those who perform abortions, messing up our bodies with drugs, and dealing improperly with blood.

David concludes with stories of his family's experience over the last few years, trusting God to provide and trusting him even when he doesn't. He also answers some common objections raised against his perspective. This book challenged me to consider how I deal with health issues. Do I trust God first and foremost? Or do I depend on doctors, or even on myself? David states that his message is not against "cleaning and bandaging wounds, setting broken limbs and caring for the sick". Rather, he is examining a system that may be unnecessary at best and downright dangerous at worst.

I have started a Bible study on health to help me see how I should apply this message. I know that I should live a holy life, take care of my body, and look to the Lord for sustaining strength. Determining how those principles should play out in my life is a subject that deserves my attention.

(Published by the author. devenish@tasmail.com)