Jehovah-Rapha, I am the Lord your healer

Exodus 15:22-27

I am the Lord, your healer. God has the power (Deut. 32:39) and the mercy to heal (Ps. 103:3). He alone can heal in the peace of His salvation (2 Chr. 16:12; Is. 38:17). To the prayer of anguish (Jer. 17:14), God responds (Jer. 30:17; 33:6). Healing from the damage inflicted by sin and death will come through the Lord’s Anointed, by whose wounds we are healed (Is. 53:5; 61:1,2; Matt. 8:17). comes from a commentary -

Exodus 15:22–27 (NIV)

22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water.

23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.)

24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”

25 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink. There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test.

26 He said, “If you listen carefully to 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.”

27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.

Life Lessons from Charles Stanley

LIFE LESSONS

15:26 — He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right.”

Listening to God is essential to walking with Him. From the very beginning, God asserted that His plans for Israel were for good and not harm (Ex. 6:6–8). However, the threat of being without water quickly distracted the Israelites from what God had promised and how He had faithfully provided for them. Had they truly listened to Him, they would never have doubted. The same is true for us. We should never allow the pressures of our surroundings to drown out the Lord’s voice to us. Rather, we must always remember that His Word is trustworthy and sure—and no challenge we could ever face can change what He has promised.

McArthur Study Bible 2nd edition

15:26 the LORD who heals. Since this is what He is, Jehovah-Rapha, obedience to divine instruction and guidance will obviously bring healing, not the consequence of plagues like those visited upon Egypt. This promise is limited in context to Israel, most likely for the duration of the Exodus only.

The New King James Version (Chapter 32)

Deuteronomy 32:39

39 ‘Now see that I, even I, am He,And there is no God besides Me;I kill and I make alive;I wound and I heal;Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.

The New King James Version (Psalm 103)

Psalm 103:1-5

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul;And all that is within me, bless His holy name!2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,And forget not all His benefits:3 Who forgives all your iniquities,Who heals all your diseases,4 Who redeems your life from destruction,Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

2 Chronicles 16:12

12 And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians.

Isaiah 38:17 NIV

17 Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.

Jeremiah 33:6 (NIV)

6 “ ‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.

What is Jeremiah prophesying about - about Israel and Judah - how he will restore them and bring healing to their land. How it is he who will do it.

Isaiah 53:5 “5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

transgressions - an act that goes against a law, rule, or code of conduct; an offense:

Hebrew definition - rebellion, revolt, i.e., to rise up in clear defiance to authority (1Sa 24:12); 2. LN 88.289–88.318 crime, sin, offence, fault, transgression, i.e., what is contrary to a standard, human or divine, with a focus on the rebellious nature of the sin

iniquities - immoral or grossly unfair behavior:

Hebrew definition - wounds - wound, bruise, welt, i.e., the object of a damaging blow to the body causing a wound

James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).

Isaiah 61:1–2 (NIV)

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,

2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,

Matthew 8:17 (NIV)

17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.”

James 5:13–14 (NIV)

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.

14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.

Healing -

A subject with controversy - why do some get healed and not others:

What are we missing:

What does His word say about healing:

Is there a part that we have to play with regards to our healing:

Can God use us to bring healing to others:

What is the greatest healing:

Why is it that some preachers are used in the area of healing:

What are the different types of healing in the Bible (in general): Found on the Christian Forum

There are four different types of healing discussed in Scripture. 1. Physical healing-- this is pretty much self explanatory, healing of our physical bodies. 2. Inner (or emotional) healing-- Christ came to heal the broken hearted. There are far more who are wounded emotionally than there are those who need physical healing. 3. Spiritual healing-- this deals with sin (and our will). This arena deals with forgiveness of sin as well as breaking patterns of wrong/sinful behavior. Just because someone is forgiven doesn't automatically mean they know how to change. 4. Deliverance from evil spirits-- scripture gives several examples where sickness is a result of demonization. Now, one of the most important things to remember regarding healing is that we are rarely dealing with just one of these four categories. Doctors have proven that things such as anger/bitterness/stress are a direct cause of physical ailments such as heart disease. Someone who is obese (gluttony) is susceptible to many different illness, including diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea, etc. Those who "give up" on life--due to tragedy, the loss of a loved one, etc.-- often become ill and die in a short period of time. There are numerous studies that show how one's emotional/mental/spiritual states have a direct bearing on one's physical health. A good example would be an alcoholic. An alcoholic frequently needs inner healing, since there is almost always emotional scars/pain that prompted the person to drink in the first place. The person then entered into sinful behavior (getting drunk), and may have learned a pattern of sinful behavior in order to deal with the emotional pain. This has continued to the point that the person now has a physical condition (addiction), as addictive substances actually change how the human body works-- causing the body to need the alcohol to function properly-- and without the alcohol, the person will become ill (which is why medical treatment is frequently needed to detox). There may be other physical problems as well, such as scirosis, etc. This addictive behavior may have continued to the point that some form of demonic bondage may be involved as well. So many times, people come to Christ for healing-- but they are thinking only of physical healing. Scripture is clear that Christ wants to do more than just heal our bodies. He wants to make us whole. That means healing in every part of who we are. Many times, physical healing alone would be useless. If Christ were to heal a physical condition caused by an underlying emotional/spiritual issue-- and not heal the underlying issue-- then we would just wind up right back where we started off (or sometimes even worse). God, in His wisdom, knows that it is necessary to not only heal the person, but to make them whole. In the case of the alcoholic above, the most important area of healing is not necessarily what may appear to be the most urgent. While on the surface, the most urgent symptom may be appear to be scirosis, the real issue is the original emotional wounds that need to be healed. Sometimes we try to jump ahead of God and go straight for the physical (after all, that's what is the most dramatic), yet God wants to start at the root of the issue. He wants to make us whole. He wants to heal our emotional wounds. He wants to teach us right behaviors and break off the patterns of sin. He wants to set us free from bondage. AND He wants to heal us physically. With this in mind, we must always remember to create and maintain a healing environment in which people can be set free. Our ministry must be a "safe place" where those in bondage can expose the hurts and wounds that they have endured so that the healing grace of Christ can bring wholeness in every area.

No matter how many questions we may have - it doesn’t change the fact that He is our healer.

New Testament healing --------Jesus did Miracles --------------- His disciples after Jesus walked the earth also did miracles ---through Jesus name

Examples:

The Lamb man beside the pool of Bethesda John 5:1-15

John 5:1–15 (NIV)

1 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.

2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.

3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.

4

5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.

6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath,

10 and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”

11 But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”

12 So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?”

13 The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.

14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”

15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

2. Mark 2:1-12

Mark 2:1–12 (NIV)

1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.

2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.

3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them.

4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.

5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,

7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things?

9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?

10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man,

11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”

12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

The paralytic man needed healing from his sins - but so the whole world would know that He has the power to forgive sins - he not only healed his sins but he first forgave him of his sins.

3. Woman with the issue of blood

Mark 5:25–34 (NIV)

25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years.

26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.

27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,

28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”

29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.

33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.

34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

4. Blind man at Bethsaida

Mark 8:22–29 (NIV)

22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.

23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.

26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.”

27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

5. We have the 10 lepers that were healed of leprosy and 1 came back to give thanks. Luke 17:11-19 - the Samaritan man is the only one that came back to give thanks - he faith had healed him

6. Demon possessed man - Mark 5: 1-20

Mark 5:1–20 (NIV)

1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.

2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him.

3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain.

4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him.

5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.

7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!”

8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.”

10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside.

12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.”

13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened.

15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well.

17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him.

19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

7. The Centurion Servant -

Matthew 8:5–13 (NIV)

5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.

6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.

9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.

11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.