The Lord that healeth thee
Jehovah-Rapha
Exodus 15:25-26 “And he(Moses) cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there He made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them,
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.”
The first time this Name is given is wonderful!
Israel had just come out of Egypt,….
…..had seen God part the Red Sea….and had crossed over dry shod, while Egypt’s army had been destroyed (all the while they had done nothing….they had not lifted a hand in their deliverance!)
….they had sung God’s praise and danced for joy!
Then….three days into the wilderness they ran out of water…..pretty serious stuff.
But then they came to Marah, here there was water! Hurrah….but no….it was bitter (undrinkable)!
What! Would God bring them out to kill them with thirst?
Of course not! He brought them here to “prove them”.
It is one thing to be ecstatic by circumstances…..and another to plant your faith in God, no matter the circumstances. And this He wanted to teach them.
Trust should be our answer to God when things don’t look good…
Though the people did not trust…..Moses did. He “cried unto the Lord”….where else can I go but Thee, O Lord?
The emblem of a tree cut down and cast into the waters for the people….is a symbol of Christ cut down and cast into the drowning waters of our sin…..
….and the waters were made sweet.
And has not Christ made our lives “sweet” by His salvation? Yes, hallelujah, yes.
He is Jehovah-Rapha. The Lord that healeth thee.
I want to stress….that if you consider the terms “heal, healeth, healed” in the scriptures…..that they are concerning, or for, God’s people.
Healeth means “to mend, to cure, to thoroughly make whole.”
Ps 103:2-3 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:
Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases;”
(Now I want to explain….that sin has caused the sickness and death of man,….not God.
Man was made upright (righteous before God) but he sought out many inventions (devices) Ecclesiastes 7:29…..and we are still inventing or finding them!
God will chasten us….and sometimes has used illness to get our attention:
Hosea 6:1 “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us;….” but it is always to bring us back to Him.
Psalm 41:3-4 “The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: Thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.
I said, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.”)
There are spiritual, mental, and physical ailments which the Lord heals….(all healing comes through HIs hands)…..whether by normal means or extraordinary means….and He wants us to come to Him in prayer, for healing.
Ps 147:3 “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”
This has to do with heartaches…..discouragement, depressions, anxieties, stress, and grief.
These deal with our past experiences, attitudes, and our own plans….what we expected.
(Remember, after the Red Sea,…the Israelites thought God would provide with no problems…..
……and when He proved their faith and obedience….
…..they had a “fit”….which caused discouragement, murmuring and failure to trust. What about us? )
Isaiah 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.”
“And with His stripes we “are”….(present tense)….healed.”
This is not stated in the past tense….as though the healing had already been done.
This is not in the future tense….as though it was only for a time ahead.
But it is in the present tense which suggests that it is for all time…..for all who will receive Him…
Healed…..a word so complete….it takes in our spirits, our minds, our hearts, our bodies. By His stripes we “are” healed.
Israel ran forward to the springs of Marah…..only to find them bitter….a time of testing from the Lord Who redeemed them.
And when we find our circumstances bitter…..what are we to do?
Look to Jehovah-Rapha….the Lord that healeth thee.
For if the Marah experience that we are going through, is sent to prove our faith….that it may stand and grow….
….we can count on Him to give His blessing and victory in it, if we trust in Him.
Anyone can murmur and complain…..that is the way of this world.
But as Christians, we are called to follow Him wherever He leads…..through the wilderness, by way of Marah’s bitter waters….into the promises and healing He has won for us.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 