Jehovah Rapha: The God Who Makes It Better

Exodus 15:22–27 (ESV)

Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water.

When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah.

And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”

And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them,

saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”

Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.

WE ARE BECOMING AMBASSADOR CHURCH. THE CHURCH FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE PEOPLE. AND CONGREGATION IS FILLED PEOPLE WHO’S JOB IS TO HELP MAKE THINGS BETTER

If you want your golf game to get better, you get a coach…and we have coaches.

If you want your body to get better, you see a doctor or a nurse…and we have nurses.

If you want your grades to get better, you get a tutor…and we have educators.

If you want your car to run better, you go to a mechanic…and we have mechanics.

‌If you want your hair to look better, you go to a stylist…and we have cosmetologists.

But, where do you go when it is your life that needs the repair job?

Where can we turn when our very souls are in need of fixing?

In these short verses of scripture, Israel meets God in in a way that answers that question.

God declares a name to them that finds ultimate expression in the Hebrew Messiah Jesus Christ.

God declares to them a name to which we need to develop a fresh worship and of whom we must clearly testify.

In this wilderness of Shur, God reveals Himself in a way that Moses and Israel had not yet known.

The purpose of the sermon today is really just to declare that name over our lives, over this congregation, and over the Relaunch.

And so I have called the message: Jehovah Rapha: The God Who Makes It Better

Israel goes from From Breakthrough to Bitter…and that’s life.

Life ebbs and flows.

Life is a series of ups and downs.

We should constantly be encouraged by the fact that hard times are not forever and constantly be sobered by the reality that good times won’t last always.

The first sentence in our passage kinda says it all, “Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur.

Here they are at the Red Sea…

The place of mighty miracle

The place of the great deliverance

There they have a praise party celebrating the victory that the Lord gave them over Pharaoh.

And fresh off of the party they go into “Shur”

Now the word Shur means in Hebrew “a wall”

And life can ebb and flow this way.

One day you’re experiencing the greatest victory in your life and then the next day, you run into a wall.

Three days they walked into the wilderness and there was no water. (And 3 days without water is no joke)

First 24 Hours:

Dehydration Begins: The body starts to use up its water reserves. Initial symptoms might include thirst, dry mouth, and reduced urine output.

Fatigue and Weakness: As dehydration sets in, energy levels drop, leading to fatigue and weakness.

24-48 Hours:

Increased Dehydration: The body's water levels continue to decrease, affecting physical and mental performance.

Dizziness and Confusion: Lack of water affects blood pressure and circulation, potentially causing dizziness and confusion.

Reduced Sweating and Urination: The body tries to conserve water, leading to minimal sweating and urination. Urine becomes dark and concentrated.

48-72 Hours:

Severe Dehydration: By the third day, dehydration becomes severe. Symptoms may include severe thirst, dry and shriveled skin, sunken eyes, and low blood pressure.

Organ Damage: Prolonged dehydration can lead to kidney failure and other organ damage. The kidneys need water to filter waste from the blood, and without it, toxins build up in the body.

Heat Stroke: Inability to sweat properly can lead to an inability to regulate body temperature, increasing the risk of heat stroke, especially in hot environments.

Beyond 72 Hours you face Life-Threatening Conditions: Without water, the risk of severe complications and death increases significantly. The body's organs begin to shut down, leading to multi-organ failure.

And when they finally find water, it is standing, putrid water. It is bitter so that they cannot drink it.

The text tells us that at this point, the people grumbled against Moses.

Beloved, it doesn’t take long for the soul to forget what the Lord has done in our lives.

Less than one week prior, the children of Israel were sitting on death’s door with a large body of water before them.

And already they seem to have forgotten how God mastered the water.

As we journey with Israel through the wilderness experience, we must be careful not be judgemental toward Israel.

They are a reflection of the human condition.

It is oh so easy to loose the memory of the wonderful things God has done because we can only occupy one moment at a time.

Beloved, our lives pass through bitter seasons. All you have to do to run into a bitter season is just keep on living.

James says in the New Testament, “Count it all joy when you face various trials…”

Beloved, you can’t really meet Jehovah Rapha until you pass through a bitter place.

To Go From Bitter to Better Takes Faith

What we see here is Moses demonstrate faith in practice. Then God teaches faith by precept.

Moses does faith.

First he appeals to God

Then God gives Moses an instruction (Get that stick and throw into the water)

Then Moses follows God’s instruction

And the water gets better

God then points out how He has worked with Moses to fix the situation (which is how He desires to work with all of His people)

And it's really simple: Hear the word of God and do the word of God.

If you Listen to my voice…do what say…I will not place on you the deceases I placed on Egypt.

If you Study my word…live by my values…I will not place on you the deceases I placed on Egypt.

This word “place” means to confirm or to arrange or to ordain

God is not saying that if you follow the word you will never get sick and never have any problems.

But, you will never have to own those problems and they will never own you.

The theology here is not that God will prevent His people from facing difficulty, BUT THERE SHOULD BE A DISTINCTION

Too many times the life of the believer looks too much like the life of the unbeliever.

We shouldn’t have the same turmoil in our relationships as our unbelieving family members…

We shouldn’t respond to things at work the same way as our unbelieving co-workers.

But the believer must learn to walk by faith…and is essentially the habit of hearing the word and doing the word.

Faith comes by hearing…

And faith lives by action…

Beloved, if you want to see the bitter in your life begin to turn toward better, you must eagerly pursue the word of the Lord concerning the circumstances and then be careful to obey.

You see, beloved, if the doctor gives you prescription and you don’t bother to read it or you read and choose not to follow the instructions, you can’t get mad at the doctor when you don’t get better.

God’s instructions may seem unorthodox…they will almost certainly run counter to what the culture is saying. But, we must be willing to hear and obey the voice of the Lord.

But, God does not just show Israel HOW he turns the bitter into better, but WHY He turns bitter into better.

God reveals here, I WANT TO DO THIS, because THIS IS WHO I AM!

I am Jehovah Rapha: The Lord God Your Healer

I am the great physician.

I am the balm from Gilead

I am the mender of broken hearts

I am the healer of troubled souls

I am the fixer of fracture relationships

HEALING IS NOT JUST SOMETHING GOD DOES, HEALING IS WHO GOD IS.

But, here’s what I love. Israel is not left with just better (the bitter water turned into sweet), they go on to better than better…they go on to Blessed. Because that’s just God.

Exodus 15:27 (ESV)

Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.

God moves Israel from Marah (the bitter place) to Elim (which means majestic and strong).

At Elim, there are 12 springs of water

a spring is impassable like the Red Sea or Undrinkable like the marshes of Marah

A spring is moving water…it is fresh water…

A spring doesn’t block you in or gross you out

A spring is the water of refreshing

And there was not only 1 spring, there were 12 springs

How many tribes came of Israel came out of Egypt? (12)

There was a spring for every tribe.

And not only were there 12 springs, there were 70 palm trees.

Do you know many elders Moses is going to assemble to help govern as heads of families?

There was spring for every tribe and tree for every family.

It harkens to blessed vision of God’s shalom that will be spoken over again by the prophets: AND EVERYONE WILL SIT UNDER THEIR OWN VINE AND FIG TREE AND NO ONE WILL MAKE THEM AFRAID (Micah 4:4)

Beloved, if you just keep walking with Jehovah Rapha, listening to His word and obeying His command, He will turn your bitter into better and turn your better into blessed!

HOW MANY ARE READY FOR BETTER?

God will make it better when we believe.

If you actively believe.

The more we pursue His word and practice His word, the more our lives will turn around.

The more attention we pay to His voice and the more ready we take action on what He says, the blessing will be manifest in our souls.

TO BE A BELIEVER IS TO BE ALWAYS IN PURSUIT OF THE WORD

What is your word intake level?

How much face time are you spending with the Lord in prayer?

How attuned are your spiritual ears to His sacred voice?

AND WHEN WE HAVE DISCERNED HIS VOICE, BELIEVING MEANS THAT WE DO WHAT THE LORD SAYS:

Even if it seems unorthodox…

Even if we think we know…

Even if it runs counter to what the culture says…

How many want better in your life today?

Listen to the voice of the Lord. Obey the word of the Lord. And Watch Jehovah Rapha make your life better.

Jesus spoke these words, 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Will you come now?