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Healthful Living
1176. The Lord intends to bring his people back to live upon
simple fruits, vegetables, and grains. He led the children of Israel into
the wilderness, where they could not get a flesh diet; and he gave them
the bread of heaven. “Man did eat angels’ food.” But they craved the
flesh pots of Egypt, and mourned and cried for flesh, notwithstanding
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the promise of the Lord that if they would submit to his will, he
would carry them into the land of Canaan, and establish them there, a
pure holy, happy people, and there should not be a feeble one in all
their tribes; for he would take away all sickness from among them.
But although they had a plain “Thus saith the Lord,” they mourned
and wept, and murmured and complained, until the Lord was wroth
with them. Because they were so determined to have the flesh of
dead animals, he gave them the very diet that he had withheld from
them. The Lord would have given them flesh from the first had it been
essential to their health; but he had created and redeemed them, and led
them the long journey in the wilderness, to educate, discipline and train
them in correct habits. The Lord understood what influence flesh eating
has upon the human system. He would have a people that would, in
their physical appearance, bear the divine credentials, notwithstanding
their long journey.—
Unpublished Testimonies, November 5, 1896
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Warnings from the Experience of Israel
1177. The religion of many among us will be the religion of
apostate Israel, because they love their own way, and forsake the way
of the Lord.—
The Signs of the Times, November 3, 1890
.
1178. Because of Israel’s disobedience and departure from God,
they were allowed to be brought into close places, and to suffer ad-
versity; their enemies were permitted to make war with them, to hum-
ble them and lead them to seek God in their trouble and distress.—
Testimonies for the Church 2:106
.
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1179. “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant,
how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through
the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the
sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same
spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them:
and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well
pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.” The experience