2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Readers,
I would be remiss if I didn’t spend one last message on Jehovah Rapha discussing His unique power to bring healing to those who repent of their sins. JN 1: 29, “Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world.” This concept is enormously comforting for us, but we must ask what about the OT faithful, people like David. By now, you know that I try whenever possible to demonstrate Christ’s presence in the OT despite the fact that the name, Jesus Christ, is never used in it. The faith of certain OT people is a supernatural miracle, in my opinion. They didn’t have neat, compact Bibles like we do, nor did they have the incarnate second person of God with them, like people in Christ’s time did. Yet, their faith was just as true and obedient as any saint who followed them. David’s heart is a good example. PS103: 3, “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.” Solomon understood this too, as evidenced by PR 28: 13-14, “You will never succeed in life if you try to hide your sins. Confess them and give them up; then God will show mercy to you. Always obey the Lord and you will be happy. If you are stubborn, you will be ruined.” After the dedication of the Temple, God appeared to Solomon again with this message in 2 CH 7: 14, “If they [the people of Israel] 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.”
It is interesting to note that it is likely that the priest, Ezra, wrote first and second Chronicles in the 400’s BC, during the lifetime of the prophets Nehemiah, Haggai, and Malachi. Those of you who have read the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Malachi know that these men were involved with reestablishing Jerusalem and its Temple after the Jews were released from captivity and in the process of making Ezekiel’s prophecy of EZK 37: 15-22 true. Many of the accounts of Chronicles are reiterations of those in the books of Samuel, 1 Kings, and 2 Kings. The human authors of 1 K and 2 K are not known, but it is thought that the priest, Ezra, and/or the prophets, Ezekiel and Jeremiah, edited them. The collective faithfulness of these men in the face of very difficult challenges is truly a supernatural gift from God for them and for us. The book of Haggai depicts the opposition and apathy that existed among the newly returned Jews that was responsible for delays in rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. Haggai’s ministry was from 520-505 BC. Construction of the Temple had begun in 536 BC, and it wasn’t completed until 516 BC because of this delay. The Jews returned from captivity in three waves. The first one was led by Zerubbabel in 538-537 BC. The second wave came back under Ezra’s leadership in 458 BC (80 years later). The third and last wave returned under Nehemiah in 444 BC. Malachi’s ministry was from 435-415 BC. He was a contemporary of Nehemiah, and his book was written during the time of Nehemiah’s visit to Babylon in 433 BC. His main mission was to call the priests and people to renew their faithfulness to their covenant with God.
When the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947, the world then had a record of just how accurately the Jewish Scriptures had been kept over time. The scrolls contained a word for word almost complete copy of the book of Isaiah plus fragments from all of the books of the OT, except Esther. That allowed us to know that what we have today is the original writings that have not been lost. That too is a gift from God. Men like those mentioned in the previous paragraph had the same messages that we have to day. That is why it is significant to cite MAL 4: 2 here, another reiteration of Jehovah Rapha’s role in bringing healing. “But your you who obey Me, My saving power will rise on you like the sun and bring healing like the sun’s rays. You will be as free and happy as calves let out of a stall.” We can go way back to Jeremiah’s writing which was done from 627 BC to as late as 582 BC and see the same message again. JER 17: 14, “Lord, heal me, and I will be completely well; rescue me and I will be perfectly safe. You are the One I praise!” Jeremiah’s life was fascinating. He was born in Judah and was taken captive in the 586 BC wave of Babylonian incursion which involved the actual destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. He was placed under the care of the Babylonian governor, Gedalia, who cared for him until radicals assassinated this governor. After that, Jeremiah went to Egypt where he lived out the remainder of his life. It is obvious from the writings of men like Daniel and Ezekiel who remained in captivity that Jeremiah’s writing had a substantial effect on theirs.
I have given this historical background, so that the hand of Jehovah Rapha can be seen in the passage of His word with accuracy through time and in the willingness of these OT priests and prophets to hold to their faith under huge challenges. Because we have the convenience of our compact Bibles and the historical record of Christ’s ministry, it is much easier for us to have faith than it was for them. That is why there is less excuse for us straying from God’s word and for forgetting that Jehovah Rapha wants nothing more than to see us healed from the pain and misery of sinfulness. While it has taken me 14 messages to deal with this subject, I do not think that we have wasted our time with it. Instead, we can be comforted even more than ever that Jehovah Rapha is eager for us to turn to Him when we are troubled, knowing that He really has the power to grant us healing.
PRAYER: O Lord, when we take the time to delve into Biblical history, we see how You have blessed us by granting the OT priests and prophets discussed here the faithfulness to overcome enormous challenges. We can also appreciate how You managed to bring about an accurate record of Your word over time. These facts coupled with the often repeated reminders of Your willingness to grant healing to those who are ill and those who repent of their sins provide us with a rich, well defined picture of Your ever righteous and always loving character. Through this, You encourage our faith and offer us comfort in the knowledge of Your healing. You also challenge us to turn from our sins, even though we often find that difficult to do. You have told us that eternal life is life without sin. You have given us enough information in the Scriptures to know that everlasting fellowship with You is the only way to real, lasting happiness. We hear You, O Lord, and dedicate ourselves to making You the Lord of our lives. As the Psalms say, “Your steadfast love endures forever.” For that and so much more, we humbly offer You our worship, adoration, desire for total reconciliation, loyalty, trust, obedience, praise, and thanksgiving. In Christ’s holy name, we pray. Amen.
Tomorrow, we will begin a section of this “Who Is God?” series that deals with the conflict between the flesh and the spirit and allows us to recap some of the names and attributes of God that we have already discussed. Dear Ones, I know this is a long series, but the Lord has made it clear to me that it is worth our time. So, please be patient and continue to let Him lead. We are sure to be taken on a path that fulfills His desire to bring us closer to Him. What greater love can there be? Revel in the fact that each of us is surrounded by the warm aura of His love. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn