Exodus 15:26. The Healer.
to declare: "If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your
God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his
commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you the
diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you."
God has proven his mighty power by the ten plagues and the
crossing of the Red Sea before the eyes of the people. Here he
provides additional revelation as a healer by first healing the
undrinkable water. By now the Israelites should not doubt his power
even to heal their physical infirmities.
But the promise is conditional -- "IF". Now the people have to do
their part, that is to trust and obey him (TRUST AND OBEY --- I love
that hymn). Here the carrot and stick principle is applied --- if
the people obey, God will keep them healthy; if they disobey, they
may be afflicted with the diseases of Egypt.
(See some of the diseases of Egypt in Deuteronomy 28:27-28 & 60-
61.).
The two conditions . First, "if you listen carefully to the
voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes" (Exodus
15:26).
God is about to give them the 10 Commandments and other
instructions on how to walk worthy before the Lord and live in peace
in the community. They have to 'listen'.
The song of Simon and Garfunkel has a line: "people hearing
without listening".
In Revelation chapters 2 and 3 Jesus admonished the 7 churches
to listen. The church in Laodicea (3:14-22) felt self-suffifient and
failed to listen; so Jesus was left outside knocking (3:20).
Today a big problem of individuals and churches is the failure
to listen to the voice of God. In their history the Israelites on
many occasions failed to listen to the voice of God through the
priests and the prophets and ended up in many tragic situations.
Did you know that in some cases the devil can inflict people
with diseases? If God's people fail to live within his protection,
they expose themselves to attacks of the enemy. This principle
applies both spiritually and physically --- sin opens us to demonic
attacks, and by promiscuity millions have been infected with
sexual diseases including AIDS.
Some of the diseases of Egypt were serious mental disorders (see
verses above). To a lesser degree, but still with potential for great
harm, one can add undue stress, severe emotional problems, disharmony in the
family, etc.
Obedience to God is not only to please him, but for our own
good, because it keeps us from harm's way.
Ecclesiastes 10:8 says ... "whoever breaks through a wall may be
bitten by a snake". There is a wall of protection in God's
guidance. Snakes lurks outside the wall, ready to bite. Let me
illustrate.
We all have heard of Kobe Bryant, the young dazzling Lakers
basketball star who rocketed to fame and wealth in so short a time.
In his sexual escapade that went public in July 2003, he broke through the wall of marriage and got bitten by a poisonous snake (public humiliation and big money lawsuit). Ouch!!! One can only imagine his emotional pain, along with the legal, moral, financial and reputation problems. He must have felt sorry a million times.
Secondly, "... if you pay attention to his commands and keep all
his decrees" (Exodus 15:26). Knowledge has increased and we have
advanced medical knowledge today. In the past God protected the
Israelites through the ceremonial laws.
Encoded in the ceremonial laws were medical hygiene such as
washing of hands, proper handling of dead bodies and disposal of
human wastes (Deut. 23:13, indoor plumbing is a modern adaptation),
sanitation, quarantine, etc. Centuries before modern science
discovered medical hygiene, the religious Jews were already following
them.
Here God protected the Israelites from plagues and other
communicable diseases, while the world waited until the eighteenth
centuries on to modern times to catch up with the medical hygiene in
the Bible.
This same healer in Exodus 15:26, manifest himself in the New
Testament as the Great Physician. As a part of his credential
(Matthew 11:1-6), or proof of his Divine Power, Jesus healed the
sick, raised the death, and cast out demons. He healed individuals
as well as crowds en mass (Matthew 4:23-25).
I am the Lord that healeth thee (Ex. 15:26). Jesus is God the Son (1
John 5:20). He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews
13:8). Yahshua still heals today. Obey Him and call on Him to heal you!
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