God The One That Heals

What is Healing.

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Eleventh Edition) Heal

whole—more at WHOLE] verb transitive before 12th century

1 a: to make sound or whole 〈heal a wound〉

b: to restore to health

2 a: to cause (an undesirable condition) to be overcome: MEND 〈the troubles … had not been forgotten, but they had been healed—William Power〉

b: to patch up (a breach or division) 〈heal a breach between friends〉

3: to restore to original purity or integrity 〈healed of sin〉 verb intransitive: to return to a sound state

heal•er \ˈhē-lər\ noun

Situation

The Israelites had recently experience God mighty power. Not only did God delivered them from captive; but in the process of get their freedom they witness God call down plagues, they witness the spreading of the Red Sea and the Egyptians drowning in the sea (as the Egyptians attempt to re-capture them). Even as they experience God mighty power they are still complaining.

Now after making it across the Red Sea had to travel through the wilderness. The route that was chosen by God would get them pass the boundary fortifications the Egyptians had built to protect them from attacks for the outside.

Complication

God at this moment is leading the Israelites the mountain call Sinai. On the way the Israelites encounter four crisis. There is a lack of drinking water; that what we are talking about today. There is a shortage of food in Exodus 16. There's a further lack of water in Exodus 17, and then there is a sudden unprovoked act of aggression by a wild desert tribe at the end of Exodus 17. In these particular trials that Israel endures one can discern six major elements.

1. The children of Israel journey, that's the first element.

2. Then they run into a need and respond to it by murmuring, that's the second element. 3. They, thirdly, face God's judgment.

4. Fourthly, they repent.

5. Fifthly they intercede and beg God to intercede for them,

6. and then number six there is a deliverance.

In today’s text the Israelites only experiences 4 of the six major elements. Today’s text is missing God’s judgment and repents. Now why are these two major elements missing. Is God please with their action and there is not need for repentance?

If you know the story than you probably know that it was not that the people always did what was right in God eyes that save them; but it was God’s grace and mercy that delivered them out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. It is God’s grace that save them in their journey across the wilderness.

The wilderness theme is one of the greatest in Scripture if not the greatness. God frees the people promising them to make them new nation, of holy people, and with a kingdom of priest. They narrowly make it across the Red Sea to escape Pharaoh and his army. And where do they end up after all of that? In a dry and waterless land. It is not what they where expecting. After all did not God promise them a land of milk and honey.

Can you relate to the story. Maybe you were praying a a new Pastor to help grow and give new life to the church. You know a land fill with milk and honey.

Maybe so of you can relate to this ideology of being in the wilderness. May in your Christian life you can relate to God freeing your from you captive state be it physically, emotionally, mental, or spiritually not because of what you have done but because of his grace and mercy. You have been redeem and save. Even in your new freedom you find yourself in a dry and waterless land.

You start to wonder what have you done wrong or what has gone wrong. You can find nothing so you start to blame your situation on others. In doing so you hurt them. Maybe you have not let go of you need to be right and then get mad at those who don’t think or believe as you do. So once again you hurt. Or maybe you are that person all you do is complain about what’s wrong but do nothing, you don’t pray, you don’t do any work. Than you wonder way are in in a dry land with no water. You feel like you about to die and you need a healing.

The stages of Healing or being in the wilderness

The Difficulties

Chapter 15 start off with the people singing a song. God has deliver them for their captive state and they are being a new journey. One full of hope of becoming a new nation, God’s Holy people and a kingdom of priest.

They are early in their journey the scripture says three days. but in those three days they are not came across and water.

They are at this place call Marah where they find water but they could not drink it because it was bitter. and they started to complaining to Moses. What are we to drink.

Now don’t get me wrong I know they are in a dyer state. they need water for themselves and the animals.

They complain to Moses as if Moses is God. But let us remember that Moses can not do anything with out God. Moses have not power it is God who has the power.

Moses does what the people should have done he cry out to God

The Faithlessness

The faithlessness show up among the people in the way they response to the difficulties that show up.

and remember that have just experience God mighty power in their Exodus from Egypt. The plagues, parting of the Red Sea

There Faithlessness show up when they cried out to Moses and not God.

It is God who is leading them remember that they are being led by a pillar of cloud

They did not have what they expected and failed to trust God to provide it.

The people did not cry out to God but Moses did cry out to God on behalf of the people

As Christian we are to intercede on behalf of others. Sometime people are to devastate to cry out on their own. It is up to us to intercede.

Grace

Moses need something to show the people all would be well. And God told him what to do

When he did what was commanded God’s love and care was once again demonstrated.

how many time have God demonstrated in your life or the life of your love ones that God cares and love you unconditionally.

In God providing for the people God also reveals more about who God is and what God expected from God’s people.

God Reveals God’s self.

God’s Test

God reveal a decree or law for the people.

an official order issued by a legal authority. God

This was done to test them but what they did not understand they had already been tested. The three days was test to see how they would react would they remind faithful or would they forget Who God is in their lives.

God is calling for loyalty and obedience

Loyalty meaning a willingness to pay close attention to what God’s will was and is and above all pleasing God by doing what is right.

obedience by not failing to pay attention to all his commands and keeping his decrees.

Consequences of loyalty and obedience

Perfect divine protection

I am the Lord who heals

The people will not suffer from disease God brought upon the Egyptians

This does not mean that one one not get sick or if one do get sick they will always be healed in this life.

It was an assertion that it was God they must turn to for healing if they found themselves afflicted as a result of sin.

1 It is God who is to make you sound or whole or to restore you to health

It is God who help you to overcome:

It is God who mends It is God who patch you up, pick you up turn you around and set you on solid ground.

It is God who restore you to original purity or integrity.