Jehovah Rophe…Lord Our 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 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. It will
produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 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 man sinned was there a need for healing. No one had
ever died, been sick, or placed under the care of a physician. Sin brought
about the curse of death. Nevertheless, because God is all things, He is
Jehovah Rophe…Lord, our Healer.
During
the time of Moses, God delivered the Israelites out of the hands of Pharaoh and
the Egyptians, but He expected their obedience to His laws. As Jehovah Rophe,
He had the ability to heal any infirmity that they had. He promised to heal
them of their inflictions and bless them if they would remain faithful and
worship only Him. Exodus 23:25-26 Worship the Lord your God and his blessing will
be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, 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 as a cheating spouse 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 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; therefore, God had to punish them
repeatedly. During one of these times, they had to travel some distance to go
to another destination where they began to complain 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 21:5-6 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 the 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 allowed their mouths to 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 them away. Moses prayed to Jehovah
Rophe on their behalf and provided healing for them. Numbers 21:7-9 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. 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.” 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 able to heal people of
all that ails them, but as in the Israelites’ case, they dishonored Him and as
a result, brought about sickness on themselves. Disobedience can bring about
suffering that Jehovah Rophe never intended us to have. 1 Corinthians 11:29-30 For
anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and
drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a
number of you have fallen asleep. (NIV) Does all illness come from
disobedience to God? No! However, we should always be careful to follow the
ways of the Lord so that we will not cause judgments upon ourselves.
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. He wants us to have a
life that is complete and whole in Him. This may not always be in the physical
body, but He will heal your soul if you are broken and in despair. Psalm
34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are
crushed in spirit. (NIV)
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