Jehovah-Raphah (Exodus 15:22-27)
1
James McCormick and Petr Skrabanek in their book Follies and Fallacies in Medicine (p. 13, The Tarragon Press, 1999) state that "the physician's belief in the treatment and the patient's faith in the physician exert a mutually reinforcing effect; the result is a powerful remedy that is almost guaranteed to produce an improvement and sometimes a cure."
The placebo effect (Latin word “placebo” means "I shall please"), first mentioned in 1955 by Henry K. Beecher, is the phenomenon that a patient's symptoms can be alleviated by an otherwise ineffective treatment, since the individual expects or believes that it will work. When patients who are actually getting only small amounts of powdered sugar believe that they are receiving huge doses of vitamin C, they catch fewer colds.
James McCormick and Petr Skrabanek in their book Follies and Fallacies in Medicine (p. 13, The Tarragon Press, 1999) state that "the physician's belief in the treatment and the patient's faith in the physician exert a mutually reinforcing effect; the result is a powerful remedy that is almost guaranteed to produce an improvement and sometimes a cure."
The placebo effect (Latin word “placebo” means "I shall please"), first mentioned in 1955 by Henry K. Beecher, is the phenomenon that a patient's symptoms can be alleviated by an otherwise ineffective treatment, since the individual expects or believes that it will work. When patients who are actually getting only small amounts of powdered sugar believe that they are receiving huge doses of vitamin C, they catch fewer colds.
Like the placebo effect, the nocebo effect (Latin word "nocebo" means
"I shall harm") the evil twin of the placebo effect, is usually
generated by "beliefs, attitudes and cultural factors." More than ten
years ago, researchers reported a striking finding: "Women who believed
that they were prone to heart disease were nearly four times as likely
to die as women with similar risk factors who didn't hold such
fatalistic views." The study showed that the higher risk of death had
nothing or little thing to with the usual heart disease causes--age,
blood pressure, cholesterol, weight. Instead, it is closely linked with
belief. When patients presume the worst, then that's just what they get.
Both the "placebo" effect and the "nocebo" effect are based on patients' beliefs or attitudes.
Yet, their false or not-so-true beliefs may affect significantly their health conditions.
Then, how could more significantly your true belief in God who is living and heals you affect your physical health as well as your spiritual health?
Both the "placebo" effect and the "nocebo" effect are based on patients' beliefs or attitudes.
Yet, their false or not-so-true beliefs may affect significantly their health conditions.
Then, how could more significantly your true belief in God who is living and heals you affect your physical health as well as your spiritual health?
2
After Moses and the Israelites crossed over the Red Sea, they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the wilderness without finding water.
When they came to Marah, they found water.
But they could drink its water because it was bitter.
The place 'Marah' was probably named later because of its water's bitterness.
People started to grumble against Moses and God, "What are we to drink?"
Then Moses cried out to God, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood.
Moses threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
After Moses and the Israelites crossed over the Red Sea, they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the wilderness without finding water.
When they came to Marah, they found water.
But they could drink its water because it was bitter.
The place 'Marah' was probably named later because of its water's bitterness.
People started to grumble against Moses and God, "What are we to drink?"
Then Moses cried out to God, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood.
Moses threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
This incidence is a type that contains a spiritual lesson.
What is the bitter water?
It is our human life which contains bitterness because of our physical illness, fears and anxieties, broken hearts, disappointments, and hopelessness.
What is the piece of wood which God showed Moses?
That is Jesus Christ who came into our life. Or you may say that the piece of wood is the tree on which Jesus died to heal our spiritual wounds and give us sweet eternal life.
Peter in 1 Peter 2:24 tells us, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed."
No matter how bitter our life is due to our physical pains and wounds, broken-hearts, disappointments or hopelessness, Jesus can change our bitterness into sweetness.
What is the bitter water?
It is our human life which contains bitterness because of our physical illness, fears and anxieties, broken hearts, disappointments, and hopelessness.
What is the piece of wood which God showed Moses?
That is Jesus Christ who came into our life. Or you may say that the piece of wood is the tree on which Jesus died to heal our spiritual wounds and give us sweet eternal life.
Peter in 1 Peter 2:24 tells us, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed."
No matter how bitter our life is due to our physical pains and wounds, broken-hearts, disappointments or hopelessness, Jesus can change our bitterness into sweetness.
God told the Israelites in verse 26, "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 any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD
who heals you.“
If we listen carefully to God and keep his commandments, as God promised the Israelites, He will become our Healer and He will heal our pains and wounds.
If we listen carefully to God and keep his commandments, as God promised the Israelites, He will become our Healer and He will heal our pains and wounds.
What kind of diseases does our God heal?
Firstly, He heals our physical diseases.
David in Psalm 103:3 praises God who heals all our diseases.
God healed the Israelites who were about to die when they were bitten by the venomous snakes in the wilderness due to their complaints to God and Moses (Num. 21:4-9).
God healed Naaman's leprosy.
Firstly, He heals our physical diseases.
David in Psalm 103:3 praises God who heals all our diseases.
God healed the Israelites who were about to die when they were bitten by the venomous snakes in the wilderness due to their complaints to God and Moses (Num. 21:4-9).
God healed Naaman's leprosy.
Secondly, He heals our inner wounds or broken-hearts.
Isaiah prophesies the ministry of Messiah in Isaiah 61:1, "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, ..."
Isaiah prophesies the ministry of Messiah in Isaiah 61:1, "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, ..."
Thirdly, God heals our wounds and pains from critical environments.
In Isaiah 30:26 God tells his people through Isaiah, "The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the LORD binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted."
God tells the Jews in Jeremiah 30:17, "'But I will restore to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD, 'because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.'"
In Isaiah 30:26 God tells his people through Isaiah, "The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the LORD binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted."
God tells the Jews in Jeremiah 30:17, "'But I will restore to health and heal your wounds,' declares the LORD, 'because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.'"
Fourthly, God heals our illness of backsliding.
God tells the Jews in Jeremiah 3:22, "Return, faithless people, I will cure you of backsliding."
Sometimes we may backslide in our faith. But, if we confess our sin of backsliding, God will cure us of backsliding.
God tells the Jews in Jeremiah 3:22, "Return, faithless people, I will cure you of backsliding."
Sometimes we may backslide in our faith. But, if we confess our sin of backsliding, God will cure us of backsliding.
Fifthly and most importantly, God heals our spiritual illness that leads us into death.
When Eve and Adam fell by disobeying God and were expelled from the Paradise, they were destined to die in spirit as wells as in flesh.
Jesus came down to the earth to heal our spiritual illness as well as our physical illness.
So Jesus tells us in John 5:24, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."
When Eve and Adam fell by disobeying God and were expelled from the Paradise, they were destined to die in spirit as wells as in flesh.
Jesus came down to the earth to heal our spiritual illness as well as our physical illness.
So Jesus tells us in John 5:24, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."
3
Jesus' ministry in this world can be summarized as teaching, preaching and healing as Matthew tells us in his Gospel 9:35, "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness."
So we, the followers of Jesus Christ, should get involved in Jesus' ministry of teaching, preaching and healing.
Jesus' ministry in this world can be summarized as teaching, preaching and healing as Matthew tells us in his Gospel 9:35, "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness."
So we, the followers of Jesus Christ, should get involved in Jesus' ministry of teaching, preaching and healing.
Jesus in Mark 16:17-18 tells his disciples, "And these signs will
accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they
will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands;
when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will
place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
Jesus' healing ministry was to fulfill what was spoken through the
prophet Isaiah: "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases."
So, let us come closer to Jesus Christ, our healer who promises us to heal our wounds and pains in flesh and in spirit.
When we listen to Jesus' Word and pray God, all sorts of our pains and wounds will be healed, as Jesus is our Jehovah-Raphah as God to the Israelites in the Old Testament.
So, let us come closer to Jesus Christ, our healer who promises us to heal our wounds and pains in flesh and in spirit.
When we listen to Jesus' Word and pray God, all sorts of our pains and wounds will be healed, as Jesus is our Jehovah-Raphah as God to the Israelites in the Old Testament.
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