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Exodus 15:22–27
“I am the Lord, your healer” (v. 26).
God shows forth His attribute of goodness to us in a variety of ways. He rewards those who seek Him, giving them great blessings far beyond what they deserve, including eternal life (Heb. 11:6). The Lord is also the God of peace who created the world in a state of peace and who is restoring peace to the universe through the work of Christ (Rom. 15:33). We find in today’s passage yet another way that the Lord manifests His omnibenevolence—His all-goodness. Exodus 15:26 reveals that the Lord is our healer.
Yahweh Rapha is the Hebrew name for God that means “the Lord our healer,” and it is an apt designation given that all health and well-being come ultimately from the Creator. The Lord, we have seen, made everything originally in a state of good working order and without any illnesses or defects. In the beginning, all was “very good” (Gen. 1:31). Sin introduced death and disease into the created order, but the Lord has continued to preserve creation’s existence and works at many times and in many ways to restore health to people (e.g., see Ps. 41:3). Importantly, God can provide good health both directly and through the instrumentality of others. In today’s passage, for instance, we see that the Lord made bitter water sweet by having Moses toss a log into a body of water. He made potable water for His people by a miracle (Ex. 15:22–27). We also remember the many miracles of Jesus whereby God directly restored health through the Savior’s healing touch. But the Lord can also bring healing indirectly through instruments such as doctors and medicine. Paul, for example, told Timothy to drink a little wine to treat his stomach illness (1 Tim. 5:23). God is no less involved in healing when doctors and medicine are involved, for by His providence He is working in and through all things (Eph. 1:11).
Certainly, we understand that while God provides healing in many cases, He makes no promise to us that we will enjoy perfect health in the present order. The Lord can and does heal, but only according to His sovereign will. When the new heavens and earth come at the consummation, there will be no more disease, suffering, or death, but until then, illness will plague us and our loved ones (Rev. 21:1–4). Still, we can and should ask God to heal our diseases, knowing that He is pleased to use our prayers, as He sees fit, to bring us back to health (James 5:13–18).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
John Calvin comments, “Truly whatsoever diseases afflict the human race, we may see in them, as in so many mirrors, our own miseries, that we may perceive that there is no health in us, except in so far as God spares us.” We should never forget that our health is ultimately in God’s hands and that the healing touch of the Lord is what gives and preserves health. He is good and gives health to His people according to His will.
For further study
- Psalm 103:1–5
- Jeremiah 17:14
- Hosea 6:1
- Luke 5:17–26
The bible in a year
- 2 Samuel 3–5
- Luke 18:1–17