Proverbs 15:30

Proverbs 15:30, "The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat."

Some people have street smarts and some people have book smarts.  Solomon had divine smarts.  He didn’t go to college or university and gain immense knowledge by reading books or papers.  He didn’t grow up on the streets and gain immense insight by reading people or situations.  He understood the intricacies of life, humanity, spirituality and even biology by receiving divine wisdom.  He wasn’t a priest or a prophet, yet he had greater wisdom than them all.  He wasn’t a doctor or a scientist, yet he had greater understanding than them all.  When it came to time, creation and the makeup of the human being, he had a greater grasp than any other before him.  When it came to the delicate balance between body, soul and spirit, he understood then what few appreciate now.  This proverb is proof of his advanced understanding.

In this short proverb, Solomon connects the intangible to the tangible.  He reveals a relationship between learning and living.  He suggests a bond between spiritual light and physical vitality.  The wise king assumed great risk when writing this proverb since what he was teaching could not be verified by any scientific experiment or practice.  Because he was given divine smarts, the risk of being ridiculed or rejected didn’t deter him at all.  He knew by divine wisdom that God designed the human being in such a way that our body, soul and spirit are influenced by one another.  How the body feels influences the spirit and the soul.  The condition of the soul influences the body and the spirit.  The strength of the spirit directly impacts the soul and even the body.

Because there is no machine in our world to detect or scan the spirit or the soul, there is no way to verify with absolute certainty the content of Solomon’s proverb.  Because there isn’t a tool available to detect the spirit or the soul of man, it is very difficult to discern the line between body, soul and spirit.  That being said, it would be foolish to ignore or deny the truths of Solomon’s observation.  Anyone who has any awareness of the spirit and soul of man knows that it is influenced by the body and that they influence the body.  Despite the difficulties in discerning each component of the human being, it is wise and prudent for us to embrace the relationship they have with one another.  Like it or not, spirituality has a direct impact on physicality.   Believe it or not, the Bible teaches that what we see and what we hear in both the spiritual and emotional realms directly impacts how we feel in the physical realm.

When Solomon speaks of the heart and the bones in this proverb, he is referring to some physical aspect of the body.  While the heart is often referred to in Scripture in spiritual context, this particular context is more physical than spiritual since “bones” are mentioned.  The man with divine smarts saw in others and felt in himself a physical reaction to a spiritual experience.  He noticed that when someone’s eyes were opened to some truth, something happened within the core of their being.  He noticed that learning truth brought strength to the chest.  He realized that the heart literally beats faster when we have an “AHA!” Moment.  The light of the eyes, or the ENLIGHTENMENT of the spiritual eyes, rejoices or animates and exhilarates the heart.  Modern science has confirmed that reaching a sudden cerebral breakthrough releases a surge of dopamine, which can cause a spike in heart rate.

Perhaps this truth is best understood by looking at it from the other side.  When our eyes are darkened by ignorance, confusion and misunderstanding, the heart beats slowly and poorly.  When we don’t have answers to our deepest struggles or when we go through life without spiritual understanding, the heart is heavy and without strength.  When we lack hope and the ability to SEE LIGHT at the end of the tunnel, our hearts physically and literally grow weak.  It is widely accepted that depression increases the risk of heart disease, slows down recovery rates and raises overall mortality risks.  Depression is also known for weakening the immune system since it keeps the body in a state of high stress which triggers the release of elevated levels of cortisol and adrenaline.  This is precisely why Solomon wrote that hearing good news makes the bones fat.  Fatness in the bones is a reference to the bone marrow, which is a core part of the immune system.  Bone marrow produces white blood cells, which are the defenders of the body.  Some have referred to bone marrow as the “police academy” of the body.  Three thousand years ago, a man with divine smarts identified an amazing connection between the body, soul and spirit that God inspired him to write in Scripture.  Hearing good news is good for the body.  Hearing bad news is bad for the body.  Consuming negative reports is bad for the bones.  Listening to good reports is good for the immune system.

Here we all are, three thousand years later in a much more technologically and medically advanced society…but have we learned from this ancient wisdom?  We take our vitamins and eat our healthy foods, but do we appreciate the role the spirit and soul play in our physical health?  We work out and get our exercise, but do we recognize the impact our spiritual eyes and ears have on our physical hearts and bones?  Reading article after article about how bad the food, water, air and big business are for us can be very unhealthy.  Ignoring spiritual truth and harboring deceit can be far more harmful to our bodies than we realize.  Consuming a steady diet of videos that do nothing to bring true spiritual light to the eyes or true spiritual goodness to the ears is not only unwise – it is unhealthy.

Sickness strikes us all.  Illness and injury are a part of this cursed world.  No doubt, many will go through life unnecessarily unhealthy because of poor decisions, laziness or excessiveness.  Some though will struggle with poor health more than others simply because of genetics.  Others will experience pain and loss on a higher level because of misfortune and accident.  Age, geography, pregnancy and occupation are all factors that can harm bodies more than others.  No matter the health of a person, spiritual enlightenment and emotional encouragement are good for a person’s health.  No matter the condition of a person's body, spiritual darkness and emotional discouragement are bad for a person’s health.  Having your eyes enlightened to some great truth won’t cure cancer but it will bring health to your body.  Hearing some good news won’t get rid of Parkinson’s but it will help your body.  Resistance to learning some truth about God or life won’t kill you but it also won’t help you.  Filling your ears with fearful facts or ignoring some positive input won’t put you in the grave but it won’t do any good for your body.

If Solomon were your doctor, he would tell you to take care of your body for it is the Lord’s (1 Corinthians 6:20).  He would tell you to live in moderation and avoid excessiveness (Philippians 4:5).  But because he was given divine smarts, he would tell you to incorporate the divinely-designed bond between body, soul and spirit.  He would tell you to read your Bible and pursue spiritual enlightenment.  He would tell you to surround yourself with people who care more about discussing the goodness of God than the badness of men.  He would tell to accept bad reports but embrace every possible good report.  He would warn you of the dangers of depression and hopelessness.  He would warn you of refusing encouragement and resisting enlightenment.  If Solomon were your doctor, he would tell you that there’s more to good health than medicine, diet and exercise.  He would tell you that how you manage your spiritual eyes and ears plays a crucial role in your overall health.