I Am the Lord that Heals You

[God] said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, 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 15:22-27).

The faith displayed by the Israelites in Exodus 14:31, (Israel . . . believed the Lord) and witnessed to in their song of praise, was now to be tested. They traveled three days through the wilderness, and could only find bitter water, and they murmured. It took three thirsty days to turn the music of rejoicing into murmuring! This is the first occurrence of murmuring in the Old Testament, but afterwards it occurred only too frequently. The idea of murmuring is of grumbling and complaining, whether spoken quietly or loudly! This is first questioning the Lord’s ability to provide for their needs, even though it was addressed to Moses. The Lord’s answer to the bitter water was a tree. Once Moses had thrown the tree into the water, it was not only made drinkable, but it was also made sweet and pleasant.

We can strongly assume the tree must surely speak to us today about the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, Galatians 6:14, which is often referred to as a tree. Contemplation of the cross and the One who suffered on it, “sweetens every bitter cup” (compare with Romans 5:3-4).

After providing for Israel, the Lord made them “an ordinance and a statute,” and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” While the Lord would always be available for their healing, there were conditions for blessing.

The idea of spiritual healing is prominent throughout the scriptures. This is particularly true in the Psalms, such as, healing of the soul and the heart, (Psalm 41:4; 107:20). Then the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Hosea make frequent use of the notion. The particular application of spiritual healing for believers today comes from Peter’s quotation of Isaiah 53:5, “by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

Adapted and modified excerpts from Day by Day: Bible Promises
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
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