The Liver

We are under assault every moment of every day. Poisons abound in our bodies and in our homes. And if it wasn't for our liver, we would all be "goners." The liver is an incredible organ and it reveals something about our incredible Creator.

The liver is to our bodies what the cupbearer of centuries past was to his king (see Genesis 40 & Nehemiah 1:11). The job of a royal cupbearer was to taste the wine before the king drank it himself. This insured that the king would not be "done in" by a poison slipped into his drink by some adversary. Today we, too, are exposed to many chemicals, which if left unattended, would most certainly "do us in." In His great mercy, the Lord Jesus Christ has provided a "cupbearer" to protect us from harm.

The liver is the largest of our internal organs, weighing over three pounds (1.5 kilograms) in an adult. It is nestled in the upper part of our abdomen, on the right side, just opposite the stomach, which is found on the left.

Most of what we eat, thankfully, passes through our liver on its way from the digestive tract to our bloodstream. Not everything we eat is good for us, and the liver acts as a watchdog for harmful chemicals entering our bodies.

Like a miniature industrial park, the liver has more than 500 jobs! It is a factory that makes proteins, critical for blood clotting; it also produces bile, which aids in digestion of fatty foods. It is a warehouse for carbohydrates, essential for maintaining normal blood sugar levels. Vitamins A, B12, D, E, and K, as well as the minerals iron and copper, are stored in the liver. Most importantly, it is a purification plant, removing noxious and potentially deadly toxins from our bodies. How it does this is complicated and involves such processes as oxidation, hydroxylation, and conjugation. The liver actually changes the structure of toxic substances, making them less harmful. Fortunately, we do not have to remember all this-the Lord Jesus gave the liver the ability to function automatically!

One of the liver's other cupbearing duties involves maintaining the health of our blood by filtering out dead and dying cells. Red and white blood cells live only a short period of time. Once released from the bone marrow, red blood cells circulate an average of 120 days. As they wear out, they are removed from the bloodstream by the liver. Iron and protein contained within the dead cells are recycled, but the chemical heme, which gives our blood its red color, is converted in the liver to a yellow-orange substance called bilirubin. Bilirubin is then transported to the small intestine as bile where it is further broken down by bacteria living in the gut. This waste-product of bilirubin is what gives our stool its typical brown color.
Diseases of the blood and liver sometimes cause bilirubin to build up in the tissues of the body and a person becomes jaundiced. Jaundice is when the skin and eyes of a patient turn yellow due to the bilirubin deposited there.

Occasionally, a surgeon must remove a portion of the liver because it contains a tumor or has been injured by trauma. As much as 85 percent can be resected and the patient normally will survive. What is more, within a month of surgery the liver will grow back to its original weight. It's difficult to sideline this cupbearer!

We are exposed to poisons every day from within and from without. Some of these toxins are produced right in our own bodies as a normal part of metabolism. Deadly ammonia, for instance, is released by bacteria living in our intestines. We need not worry, however, because the liver converts ammonia into urea, which is eliminated from our bodies as urine. Caustic chemicals can also be found in our homes. Paint remover, oven cleaners, backyard weedkillers, car exhaust, and numerous other sources can be toxic to the human body. One of the liver's main jobs is to remove these chemicals from the bloodstream when they are accidentally absorbed.

In our lifetimes, we will be exposed to hundreds-no, thousands-of different substances. Without our livers, many of these toxins could accumulate in our bodies and cause considerable damage. Like the king's cupbearer, the liver was commissioned by God to shield us from unwanted chemicals and poisons.

A word of great caution is necessary here! We should not test the Creator's design. Many commonplace and often-used products and materials can damage the liver. A classic example is the excessive consumption of alcohol, leading to the destruction of this precious organ. The painkiller acetaminophen (paracetamol) can also damage the liver if overused. So, in one breath we need to thank the Lord for the marvelous gift He has given us, and repeat a warning to ourselves and others, "Be careful what you expose your body to!"

Not all the poisons we come in contact with are due to personal sin, but some are. We may knowingly or unknowingly subject ourselves to harmful chemicals, which the liver then neutralizes. It demonstrates in a physical way that our Lord Jesus is a merciful and forgiving God. The liver pulses with blood day and night, because constant blood flow is necessary for our bodies to remain free of contamination. Likewise, blood had to flow on a cross for the purification of our sins. The liver is an apt symbol of God's grace. The liver is no good to us, however, if it's put in a specimen jar-the same is true of Christ's forgiveness. They both must be internalized and cherished to experience the gift of life!

Most of us aren't wealthy enough to hire our own cupbearer. But our Heavenly Father, Who makes us rich beyond human standards of affluence, protects us by design. Let's all thank Him for our liver!