Jehovah Rophe...Lord, My Healer

 

Jehovah Rophe…Lord, My Healer

 
Exodus 15:26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” (NIV)

                God created a beautiful world that was perfect in all its ways. There was no death, sickness, pain or suffering. There was no need to have medicine, pain killers, cough syrup or tombs. In the Garden of Eden, there was no such thing as illness and death. Everything that God created was full of life and beauty. Even the trees did not lose their leaves, flowers their petals, the grass didn’t turn brown and the animals didn’t hunt one another. Every part of God’s creation was perfectly formed where it flourished accordingly. Unfortunately, all of that came to an abrupt end when Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Genesis 3:17-19 ⁽¹⁷⁾To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. ⁽¹⁸⁾It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. ⁽¹⁹⁾By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (NIV) Not until the sin of man was there a need for healing. Nevertheless, because God is all things, He is Jehovah Rophe…Lord, my Healer.

               God delivered the Israelites out of the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, but He expected their obedience to His laws. As Jehovah Raphe, He had the ability to heal any infirmity that they had. He promised to heal them if they would remain faithful and worship only Him. Exodus 23:25-26 ⁽²⁵⁾Worship the Lord your God and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, ⁽²⁶⁾and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span. (NIV) Despite Jehovah’s ability to heal the Israelites of all sickness, this blessing was conditional. They could not expect the blessings of God if they refused to be loyal to Him. Nonetheless, time and time again, the Children of Israel proved to be unfaithful and were cursed with disease, death and captivity because of their stubbornness towards God’s laws. Each time, they would find themselves in a difficult situation, they cried out to Jehovah Rophe for help and He would remind them of the conditions for receiving His blessings. 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, who are called by my by name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (NIV)

 

 

               The Israelites were a rebellious people and therefore God had to punish them repeatedly. During one of these times, they had to travel some distance when they began complaining against God and Moses. Despite all the miracles that God had done for them such as delivering them from Egypt, giving them manna and quail to eat, and providing them with water out of a rock, the Children of Israel still grumbled and complained. Therefore, God showed that He had heard enough when He allowed poisonous snakes to come in their mist and bite them. Numbers 20:5-6 They spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit he people and many Israelites died.” (NIV) Instead of waiting for God to do a miracle as He had done repeatedly, they did not have faith and therefore, allowed their mouths cause them to sin by speaking against God and Moses. Psalm 105:15 “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.” (NIV)

               After the Lord sent the snakes, the people confessed their wrong to Moses and asked for him to pray to Jehovah Rophe to take away the snakes. Moses prayed to Jehovah Rophe on their behalf and provided healing for them. Numbers 21:7-9 ⁽⁷⁾The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. ⁽⁸⁾The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” ⁽⁹⁾So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived. (NIV) Jehovah Rophe is a Healer and whenever you are sick, distressed, and/or in pain, remember to pray to Him for He is the Master Physician.