Jehovah Rapha - The Lord That Healeth
Exodus 15:26 – “And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.”
Here’s the next in the series of names that God reveals to His chosen people. These were His special people – the apple of His eye – His chosen bride. These were the people to whom He gave the extra special name of Yahweh – I AM THAT I AM. When Moses asked Him who he should tell Israel sent him to them, God told him, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you (Ex 3:14).” Yes, that was His special name for His people.
But now, after God has performed great things for Israel – He delivered them from the oppression of Egypt and promised them a land flowing with milk and honey – He knows that they are not as committed to Him as He is to them. He leads them into the Wilderness of Shur and puts them to a test. They travel for days and days with no water. Then they finally find water at a place called Mara, and to their dismay the water is undrinkable – it’s bitter – and so are the people. They turn on Moses, or more rightly, they turn on God and grumble and complain. But God has a purpose in bringing them to this bitter water – He has a lesson to teach them – a picture to paint for them.
What does God do for them? He shows Moses a tree and tells him to cut down the tree and cast it into the bitter water. When Moses cast the tree into the water, it became sweet. The water was miraculously healed. That’s just like God. He brings man to the point where he has nowhere to turn, then provides a tree. That tree represents the cross of Calvary. The healing of the waters represents Christ’s healing of mankind on the cross of Calvary. God directs Moses to bring the children of Israel to Mara, and then commands him to provide healing for them. He promises that if they would sell out to Him, He would continually heal their diseases, for He is Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord that Healeth.
As Jehovah-Rapha, He heals physically. David, in Psalm 30:2, says, “O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.” He heals emotionally. Psalm 147:3, “He heals the brokenhearted.” And He heals spiritually, Psalm 41:4, “I said, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.” And Isaiah tells us in 53:5, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”
In Psalm 103:3, David says of the Lord, “Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.” Spurgeon said about this verse, “When the cause is gone, namely, iniquity, the effect ceases. Sicknesses of body and soul came into the world by sin, and as sin is eradicated, diseases bodily, mental, and spiritual will vanish, till "the inhabitant shall no more say, I am sick." Many-sided is the character of our heavenly Father, for, having forgiven as a judge, he then cures as a physician. He is all things to us, as our needs call for him, and our infirmities do but reveal him in new characters.
‘In him is only good, In me is only ill,
My ill but draws his goodness forth, And me he loveth still.’
God gives efficacy to medicine for the body, and his grace sanctifies the soul. Spiritually we are daily under his care, and he visits us, as the surgeon does his patient; healing still (for that is the exact word) each malady as it arises. No disease of our soul baffles his skill, he goes on healing all, and he will do so till the last trace of taint has gone from our nature. The two alls of this verse are further reasons for all that is within us praising the Lord.”
Quote - "Ye have lost the battle when you come forth bitter." - Dr. Lee Roberson
