2/21

Exodus 15:26

²⁶saying, "If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer."

It was only three days after the miraculous crossing of the sea that the Israelites began to complain about the lack of water. The water at the first well was bitter. God directed Moses to throw in a particular tree which made the water drinkable. Could this be a picture of the cross (tree) of Jesus making life in this world bearable?

In the very next sentence, God revealed another aspect of His nature to them. He told them that if they would listen to His voice, do what was right, heed the commandments and keep His statutes, that they would be free from the diseases they saw in Egypt. "I am YHWH Rapha", God said. That means that He is the God that cures us. Just as the Lord showed them how to cure the water, He would cure their diseases as well.

The prophet Isaiah said it would be by His (the Messiah's) stripes we would be healed, meaning the whip lashes He received in our place (Isaiah 53:5). Peter tells us that this means spiritual healing of our souls. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 1Peter 2:24 The Holy Spirit showed Peter that what God said to Moses and the prophecy of Isaiah both looked forward to what Jesus would do for us. Certainly, God can heal physical illness should He choose to do so, but a much greater healing takes place in our souls. The Egyptians' greatest affliction was their hard hearts. Only Jesus can heal us of a hard heart. But first we must come to Him by faith, listen to His voice, and obey.

Prayer: LORD Jesus, deliver me from a hard heart. Help me to listen to Your voice, and empower me to obey. Thank You for being the YHWH Rapha, the LORD that heals me.