Pointing to Jesus

Exodus 15:25b, 26–  There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His eyes and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord your healer.

Jehovah Rapha is another one of God’s names, and it means the God who Heals. It also means to cure, to restore, or to mend. It’s the name that God gives Himself to the Israelites at the beginning of their wandering in the wilderness.

The Israelites had just left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea. They were then led by God into the wilderness, and for 3 days, they had no water. They came to Mara and they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. The Israelites complained to Moses, and Moses cries out to  God, who shows him a piece of wood. Moses throws the piece of wood into the water, and the bitter water turns sweet, and they are able to drink the water.

Immediately after this is when God tells them that He is their healer. The end of verse 25 says that God made them a statute and a rule and a test. He then proceeds in verse 26 to give them a conditional promise that if they listened to Him and did what He said, He would not put any of the diseases on them that he put on the Egyptians because He was their healer.

This was a conditional promise God made with His chosen people- the Israelites. It is not a general promise. It was not just for physical healing but also spiritual and emotional healing as well. They had just spent 400 years in slavery in Egypt. They were not treated well by the Egyptians. They were used  to complaining when something didn’t go their way. God wanted to show them a different way of thinking and living that would help them be the best people they could be for Him and represent Him well. God knew that in order for them to live as He wanted them to, they would have to rely on His help. They would have to stay close to Him. They would have to look to Him alone.

They had just seen God do a major miracle allowing them to cross the Red Sea on dry ground. They were just singing and dancing and praising God for this miracle and although they were free physically, they were not free spiritually, or emotionally because 3 days later we see them grumbling because there is no water.

The interesting thing is that this  particular scripture (Exodus 15:26) does not tell us anyone was physically sick when  God tells them He is their healer. What we do see is them grumbling, which is a condition of their hearts. This is a cycle that we read of time and time again with the Israelites.  God wanted to heal that part of them as well.

God knew the long journey that should have only taken 11 days would take them 40 years because of their disobedience. He knew they would get sick physically. He knew the condition of their hearts. He wanted them to know that He alone was their healer. He wanted  them to look to Him alone. In ancient culture, they had many gods that would look to. Over and over, God tells them that if they followed His commands, they would be blessed. The laws and ordinances He put in place for them were to set them apart from the culture around them . He wanted them to know Him as their One true God.

In Exodus 15:27, it says that the Israelites went to Elim, where there were 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees, and they camped there besides the waters. This, to me, is a picture of God’s love and generosity. He brought them to a place of an abundance of water, showing the Israelites again that He was going to take care of them throughout their journey.

Throughout the Bible, we see God as our healer. In the New Testament, Jesus healed many. He is still our healer today. He heals us not only physically but emotionally and spiritually as well.

Psalm 103:2- Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

Psalm 147:3- He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Isaiah 53:5- But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Matthew 8:2, 3- And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Matthew 8:16, 17- That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

Matthew 15:30- And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

There are many more places in the Bible where Jesus heals. Although Exodus 15:26 is not a general promise, the principle of living wholeheartedly for God and following His ways is always going to be the best way to live. God gives us many commands in the Bible, and these commands are given so that we can live the best possible lives in freedom and victory through Him. We can trust that He is our healer spiritually, physically, and emotionally. He wants to cure, restore, and mend. He wants to turn the bitter into sweet. He wants to be our Jehovah Rapha.

Many blessings,

Desiree