The Word of Wisdom

Back in the early days of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, (early 1830's) it was common for men to use chewing tobacco and smoke at church and other meetings.

Emma Smith, the prophet Joseph Smith's wife was left with the clean up of the vile material that was left behind after the meetings.

She asked Joseph to do something about it. So Joseph inquired of the Lord. In response to this, the Lord gave Joseph Smith the following revelation that now is known as "The Word of Wisdom" or Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants:

1 A Word OF Wisdom, for the benefit of the council of high priests, assembled in Kirtland, and the church, and also the saints in Zion—
2 To be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days—
3 Given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints, who are or can be called saints.
4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—
5 That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him.
6 And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make.
7 And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies.
8 And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill.
9 And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.
10 And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—
11 Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.
12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;
13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;
15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.
16 All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—
17 Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.
18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;
19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;
20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.



As you can see, this revelation not only says what not to do, but it also is very specific about what to do. It speaks of basing your diet on grains, fruits and vegetables, wholesome herbs, and also eating meat sparingly. Doesn't that sound like it came right out of the American Heart Association? After years of scientific study American's have come to the conclusion that this is indeed the basis of a healthy diet. However Joseph Smith in the 19th century had no science to back this up. But he received it from the Lord. In addition the health code prohibits strong drinks of any kind, Tobacco, and "hot drinks." The term "hot drinks" has been clarified by other prophets as Coffee and Tea.

So do Latter-Day Saints who live by this health code show a dramatic increase in health? Yes. In fact not only do they live longer but on average are able to maintain a higher quality of life.

Later prophets have also counseled against illegal drugs and pretty much anything that can be addicting or cause a dependency. This does not include medications prescribed by a doctor.

But please don't think of the Word of Wisdom as just a health code. Instead it is a principle with a promise. Those who live by it are not only blessed with general good health and freedom from addictive substances. They are also blessed with spiritual blessings including, "wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures." They are promised that the destroying angel will pass by them. The Lord always attaches a spiritual blessing to His temporal blessings

To become a member of the church through baptism, one must commit to live by the Word of Wisdom. Also, later when you want to experience the blessings of the Temple, you must be living by the word of wisdom to obtain a temple recommend from your Bishop.

In other words, you must refrain from Coffee, Tea, Tobacco (in any form), Alcohol, Illegal Drugs and any other thing that could be harmful to your body. You must try to base your diet on grains, fruits and vegetables, wholesome herbs, and eat meat sparingly.

I promise you that the Lord will bless you if you live by His law of health. The blessings He promises are yours for the taking. Your mind will be more clear and able to receive personal revelation, and hidden treasures of knowledge.

I invite you to live this law and prepare to receive a remission of your sins through baptism into the Lord Jesus Christs church.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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