Jehovah Rophe

"For I am the LORD, who heals you” (Exodus 15:26).  These are the words which the LORD used to reveal himself to the Israelites as Jehovah Rophe. Many of us have learned about the wonderful healing aspect of God’s power. Even last week while studying Jehovah Nissi we saw the LORD heal the Israelites as they looked at the serpent on the pole. In the New Testament the gospels are full of accounts of Jesus healing the sick. But what if God’s power to heal was even more wonderful than we understood?

Before continuing, let’s look at what this name actually means. Last month we learned about God’s name, Jehovah (or Yahweh). The name Jehovah means ‘to become known’. The name ‘Rophe’ is derived from the Hebrew rapha or rophe.  This word’s meaning is to restore, to heal, to cure or make healthful.

What I Learned in Class

Let me give you a recap of the events that preceded Exodus 15:26. Chapter 15 opens with a song of exultation and praise to the LORD as the Israelites respond to their deliverance from the Egyptians through the Red Sea.  After three days of wandering in the desert they were without water. They finally came to a place called Marah but the water was bitter. The Israelites grumbled and complained to Moses, who cried out to the LORD. Acting upon His instructions Moses threw a stick into the water, transforming the bitter water into sweet.  Sandee made some excellent points as she taught us about this passage.

What does Jehovah Rophe mean to us?

1) Like the Israelites we may have unmet needs. There is no question that water was a need. God allowed this need to go unmet for a time to heal them of their self-reliance.  2) Bitter circumstances teach us to trust the LORD Almighty. God’s deliverance did not necessarily come the way the Israelites wanted it to. First there was too much water at the Red Sea, then too little water in the Desert of Shur, and finally bitter water at Marah.  In each of these circumstances the Lord proved himself faithful.

3) The Israelites response to their circumstances was an indication of where their focus was. They did not have their eyes on the One who was their Mighty Deliverer.

4) As God provided a tree to the Israelites, He provided a way of redemption for us through the death of His Son on a tree. “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” (1 Peter 2:24).

5) Obedience to the Lord brings blessings while disobedience brings judgment. “He said, "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”  (Ex. 15:26).

God has a record of healing.

1) God can heal a physical body. “Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his slave girls so they could have children again” (Gen 20:17).

2) God can heal a heart. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3).

3) God can heal a land. “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” ( 2 Chron. 7:14).

What is God asking us to do?

1) God tells us to confess and pray. “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

2) God wants us to ask in prayer and faith as a child of God who has the rights and privileges given to the daughter of the King.  “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father” (John 14:13).

3) God want us to trust Him in the situation, while we are in the midst of it. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).

4) Believe that someday God will heal everything! “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev. 21:4).

What I Learned from the Homework

In the homework this week we looked at Exodus 15 through a slightly different lens than we covered in class. As we already reviewed, three days prior to the Israelites reaching Marah they had witnessed God parting the Red Sea. We might be so familiar with this passage that we miss the drama. This was no little thing that God did. This was a HUGE miracle!!  The Israelites witnessed firsthand something that was outside the realm of their imaginations. At the next sign of hardship they seem to have forgotten what the LORD had just done. We were asked to think about this in our own lives. We may have a mountaintop experience with Him only to fall into a pit of unbelief. It says in Deu. 8:2 “Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands”. He shows us what is in our hearts to set us free. It is God’s desire and will that we trust Him even when we don’t understand what He is doing.

The homework also pointed out something really awesome from Exodus 15:25b, “He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet”.   God didn’t show them an alternate source of water, He took what was there and transformed it as only He could.  God does not just want to change our circumstances, He wants to heal them.  Here are a few examples of how He can do this: We want God to remove difficult people from our lives – He wants to heal the relationship. We want a financial blessing to cover our debts – He wants to heal our spending habits. We want Him to move us in to our dreams now – He wants to cultivate patience. What God is after is a change in perspective!

Now for the question that must be on your mind.  What about straight up physical healing? As you already read in the homework summary, God does heal physically. Healing is not just a manifestation of God’s power in the Old Testament. It says in 1 Cor. 12:9 “to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit”.  There would not be a gift of healing if God did not heal.  Please read Mark 1:29-38.

In this passage Jesus healed many.  In the morning He went to a quiet place to pray, where the disciples found him. They entreated Him to return to the village because everyone was looking for Him. “Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come” Mark 1:38.  In all the time I have been studying God’s Word I have never seen this passage through the perspective of this verse.  Jesus’ priority was to preach the gospel of salvation. The disciples, and probably the villagers, were focused on physical deliverance yet Jesus’ priority was to heal souls!!  The homework points out that physical healing is a compassionate ministry but it does not surpass in power the healing of spiritual death resulting from sin.  There are many that are in desperate need of physical healing and fall into discouragement as they continue to suffer.  Because God heals, we can absolutely believe Him to heal us but it might not be the healing that we are looking for.  If you are not being healed externally you can know that God is doing an internal work of spiritual healing in you. 

The last point on healing that we studied was the role of obedience. “He said, "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."  God is very clear about this. We tells us to 1) listen to His voice, 2)  do what is right, 3) pay attention to His commands and 4) keep His decrees. This does not leave room for argument, healing cannot be separated from obedience. Walking in obedience is what is best, not for God, but for us!!

Wrapping It all Up

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” ( 2 Cor. 4:16-18).