Multiples of Ten

(Pro 4:22 KJV)  For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

“I have the strength of ten because my heart is pure.”  That is a modern paraphrase of a line from a poem by Tennyson.  I have not read the poem but I know the line.  It sometimes shocks me the different physical issues people around me have had.  I sometimes wonder why I have not suffered more.  I don’t have an answer but there is a part of me that really likes this verse.  

There is a principle here but we need to be careful how we use it.  The principle is that if we live according to God’s standards we will be healthier than if we don’t.  Keep in mind that this compares you to you, not you to your neighbor.  Even a person with cancer may be healthier than he would be if he were living in debauchery.  God’s promises are true even if we apply them incorrectly.

So?  Live in righteousness.  That brings to mind things like gluttony and drunkenness, as it should.  It should also bring to mind gossip and dishonest business practices.  They are all mentioned in Proverbs.