JEHOVAH RAPHA: THE LORD WHO HEALS

“I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” ~ Exodus 15:26

REFERENCE: Exodus 15:23-26

The Israelites found themselves in a hot desert without water for three days. The only water available was so distasteful and unpleasant, that they named the area ‘Marah’ which meant bitter. Moses was shown a tree by God, whose stalk he cast into the waters and healed it, making it sweet. God was about to introduce Himself to Israel with a new name and this miracle was a token of that.

God promised He would do what He did with the brackish water to Israel if they would do what is right before Him, heed His commandments, and keep His statutes. Deal signed and sealed, God told them He would not allow the sicknesses they saw amongst the Egyptians to come upon them; He said, I am the Lord that heals you – Jehovah Rapha. Rapha means to heal, make healthy, cure, repair, or make thoroughly whole. It also means a healer or a physician who heals bodily and emotional distresses.  The promise is: “I will keep sicknesses (the common fate of the ungodly) from coming to you, keeping you in a state of bodily health and peace of mind. However, if sickness comes and you call to Me, I will remove it from you – I will heal, cure, repair, and make you whole.”

God was emphatic in making this promise; “I will put none…” God is not the author of sickness; He does not teach or humble us with it. David speaking of Him, said, “Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:3). The devil is the oppressor while Jesus (God) is the healer. When God said, “I am Jehovah Rapha,” He meant that He heals all classes of sickness as seen in the Bible, and as contemporary testimonies affirm. None is beyond Him.

Jehovah Rapha also called Israel to obedience to His word and guidelines, as sin opens the door to some sicknesses (some cancers, STDs, Hepatitis B). God wants you to be mindful of your diet; exercise, sleep well, and don’t violate your body. He uses different means to heal sicknesses – doctors, medicine, His word, and prayers of faith. He heals sicknesses, but He needs us to cooperate with Him to avoid them, lest Satan takes advantage of us. God’s ceremonial laws to Israel included dietary laws, waste disposal, washings, isolating contagious diseases, etc. Biblical Israel was a very healthy state. Jehovah Rapha ensured that “…there was none feeble among His tribes.” May Jehovah Rapha arise upon you with healing in His wings and heal every illness in your body. May you end today healthier than you are starting it, in Jesus’ name.

PHOTO SCRIPTURE:

ADDITIONAL TEXTS: Exodus 23:24-25, Psalm 147:3, Acts 10:38 & Isaiah 53:4-5

CONFESSION OF FAITH:

Jehovah Rapha is my healer. I receive the grace to treat my body well; eat healthily, rest adequately, and exercise regularly. I declare that no ‘Egyptian sickness’ will come upon me; I reject and refuse them. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit; therefore, no sickness abides in my body. I invoke the name of Jehovah Rapha, and I receive healing from all forms of infirmities of the mind and body. By the stripes of Jesus Christ, my household and I are healthy, healed and whole, in Jesus’ name.