2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
We continue our examination of citations that demonstrate God as Jehovah Rapha, the Lord Who Heals. God’s role in healing is beautifully revealed in the story of the illness of the good Judean king, Hezekiah. You will remember that Hezekiah began his reign in the third year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah as king of Israel [2 K 18: 1]. This was also during the ministry of the prophet, Isaiah, in Judah. Hezekiah’s initial act was to destroy the pagan places of worship, break the stone pillars, and cut down the image of the goddess Asherah. He also broke up the bronze snake in pieces that Moses had made (called Nehushtan), for which the people had been burning incense in its honor [1 K 18: 4]. All of these acts pleased the Lord. If one goes back to NU 21: 4-9 and reads the story of why God directed Moses to construct this bronze snake on a pole which is the basis of the medical symbol known as the caduceus, it is clear than it wasn’t meant to be an object of idol worship. Instead, it was a way that God gave people bitten by snakes to be healed by Him at that time. This background is germane to the understanding of God’s actions in response to Hezekiah’s illness in 2 K 20.
Throughout his reign, Hezekiah was a faithful king and listened carefully to the prophecies of Isaiah, believing that Isaiah spoke for God. That was particularly true when the Judeans were frightened by Assyrian troops under Emperor Sennacherib advancing on the city of Jerusalem. That prompted Hezekiah to write Isaiah a letter asking for his advice. Isaiah responded by telling Hezekiah not to be afraid, that it was not God’s will that the Assyrians should take Judah. The next morning Hezekiah discovered 185,000 dead Assyrian soldiers in the fields just outside the walls of Jerusalem killed by an angel of the Lord. The next day, Sennacherib withdrew back to his capital at Nineveh [2 K 19: 36]. I love this story, because it is such a wonderful demonstration of God’s love for those who have faith in Him. Now, let’s look at the story of what Jehovah Rapha reveals about Himself in responding to Hezekiah’s illness that followed in 2 K 20.
2 K 20: 1, “About this time King Hezekiah became sick and almost died. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to see him and said to him, ‘The Lord tells you that you are to put everything in order, because you will not recover. Get ready to die.” Now, no one ever wants to hear that kind of news, but it’s how Hezekiah responded to it that is of importance to us. 2 K 20: 2-3, “Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed: ‘Remember, Lord, that I have served you faithfully and loyally and that I have always tried to do what you wanted me to.’ And he began to cry bitterly.” We need to ask ourselves how would we react if given that kind of news. Now, look at how Jehovah Rapha chooses to respond to Hezekiah’s prayers. 2 K 20: 4-6, “Isaiah left the king, but before he had passed through the central courtyard of the palace the Lord told him to go back to Hezekiah, rule of the Lord’s people, and say to him, ‘I, the Lord, the God of your ancestor, David, have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and in three days you will go to the Temple. I will let you live fifteen years longer. I will rescue you and this city Jerusalem from the emperor of Assyria. I will defend this city, for the sake of My own honor and because of the promise I made to My servant David.’”
Another such example of God’s will to heal those who repent is revealed in 2 CH 7: 13-14, a message God gives to Solomon after finishing the construction of the Temple. “When I hold back the rain or send locusts to eat up the crops or send an epidemic on My people, if they pray to Me and repent and turn away from the evil they have been doing, then I will hear them in heaven, forgive their sins, and make their land prosperous again.” If God ever does anything like hold back rain, send locusts, or send an epidemic on people, it is because He is trying to cause them to turn from their sins. Such seemingly cruel acts are never done by Him for reasons that are unrighteous. That is wholly different from the acts of the adversary, which are always for evil reasons. We can really see what Jehovah Rapha really wants in this passage. He wants us to turn to him in times of trial or illness, so that He can demonstrate His love and compassion by healing us. Now, here’s a tough concept to understand. Sometimes people who are ailing and who pray to Him are not healed. Someone who doesn’t understand God might get angry with Him in that circumstance. However, when we really know God through letting Him reveal Himself to us through the Scriptures, we can understand that His perspective on things is much higher than ours could ever be [IS 55: 8-9]. That is another way of saying that He sometimes has reasons for calling a loved one who has been ill home for reasons we are either not ready to understand or can’t understand at the time. We can rest assured that God never does anything for evil reasons. We are called upon to put our trust and faith in Him and to obey Him.
PRAYER: O Lord, the story of Your interactions with King Hezekiah reveal many wonderful facts about You. You are a compassionate Deity Who rewards faithfulness with Your protection. Idolatry is the sin You hate the most. When King Hezekiah took steps to expunge it from the religious life of Judah, You were pleased. You want us to get it out of our lives too, in whatever form it takes in them. When King Hezekiah turned to You in his hour of need while ill, You heard His prayer and showed how You valued Him by telling Isaiah to deliver the message to the king that he would be healed. As in the case of Daniel, You reveal the future to certain people who You hold in esteem. In Hezekiah’s case, You allowed him to know that he would live for 15 more years. You taught Hezekiah and us a lesson in how You are to be trusted when You kept Your promise to him that Jerusalem would not be taken captive by the Assyrian emperor Sennacherib and his men. You made Your will known to King Solomon and to us that it is Your desire that we should turn to You in prayer and that You have the power to heal us. It is only logical that You deserve our adoration, worship, honor, glory, trust, obedience, praise, and thanks. And so, Dearest Lord, we offer them in humility. In Christ’s name, we pray, amen.
I am always cognizant of the need to talk about Scripture citations not just as interesting stories, but as one of God’s ways of imparting His teachings to us that apply in our everyday lives today. Because of my work, readers will sometimes share personal stories with me that apply to whatever subject I’m taking up that day. A very special story has been shared with me by Norm Ackert, a very valued and faithful friend and reader. Norm has given me permission to share his story with you. That is what tomorrow’s devotion will be about, because Norm’s story is a modern day example of how Jehovah Rapha has impacted his life. Sharing it with you will also reveal how He can impact ours. I hope you won’t miss tomorrow’s message, because I think you will agree that Norm’s story is one that can be helpful to all of us. In the meanwhile, know that Jehovah Rapha awaits our prayers with eagerness to teach us and demonstrate His righteousness in responding to them. He loves each of us and wants to bring blessings into our lives when we live “in Christ.” Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn