pc81 Healing in the Bible

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pc81 Healing in the Bible we investigate what is a sane and biblical outlook towards healing in the Bible, a non-Pentecostal view.


Healing in the Bible

By David Cox
[pc81] v1 ©2023 www.coxtracts.com
You may freely reproduce this tract for non-profit purposes.

In the Bible, there is a point where physical illness and sin join, and when God heals, when healing touches more the sin (a spiritual matter) than the physical body. Sickness is by all means a result of sin.

Psalms 38:3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.

Micah 6:13 Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy sins.

James 5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

But there are examples of God healing different people (saved and unsaved) in the Scriptures.

God Heals people.

Matthew 15:29 And Jesus departed from thence and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain and sat down there. 30 And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them: 31 Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

The list of healed people is very large, but then, should we expect the same healing today? If God did it back then, how come He doesn’t do the same today?

A very Important Point.

If all these people received healing from God in the Bible, then why don’t we ask any number of them today if they afterwards had another disease? Are they still alive? Well, no. Then the point is that all these “healed people” still died at some point afterwards.

Luke 17:12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

The lesson here is that sick people generally do not want the Savior, but somebody to get rid of their problem for the moment, and once they have their solution (healing) they continue with their lives without thinking any more in God.

What does God really want?

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

This is very simple. God wants us to “come to the table” (as when two people go to a table to discuss accounts between them) and that we talk with God about our sins. That is what God wants from us. God wants us to repent of our sins, and to trust and receive Jesus the Savior. This dealing is described as a new birth (John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.) that spiritually transforms us into a “new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.) But this “negotiation” with God about our sins seems very expensive to some people. We must repent of our sins in order to obtain God’s pardon of our sins, and many people just get up from the table and won’t have anything to do with it. But this is the high desire of God in every person’s case.

Thus, Enters Sickness.

2 Kings 20:1 In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. 2 Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, saying, 3 I beseech thee, O LORD, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

The case of Hezekiah was special. He was a good believer in Jehovah, and he was obedient. He used the basis of his past just life to plead with God to be healed. Furthermore, he had the past history and the present living example of walking in the path of God.

2 Kings 20:5 Turn again, and tell Hezekiah…Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD. 6 And I will add unto thy days fifteen years… 7 And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

The most important point in this story is not just that God healed him, but that his healing was just adding more time here on the earth. So, ALL HEALING IS JUST AN EXTENSION OF THE PERSON’S TIME ON THIS EARTH, NO MORE. If we meditate on this, all of those who were healed ALWAYS DIED AFTER SOME TIME. A healing is not a protection against future sickness nor healing is eternal life here on the earth in our present bodies. In other words, “when you get up from the table where God is dealing with your sins” and walk away, sickness drives you back to God for help, and God returns to the issue of your salvation and life before God. We are sinful creatures and always are marching towards a physical death.

The Soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;

Ecclesiastes 7:20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

So, all human beings “are going to sit at the table with God” and discuss their sins one day. Or they will die and go to hell because they don’t have the Savior.

What should we expect then?

Firstly, God is with us (Emmanuel) and sickness and death are necessary in God’s scheme of things. But the time of death and to be healed or die is very important to us, at least until God heals us.

Job 5:18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.

Deuteronomy 32:39 See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

Exodus 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

The prominent point here is that Jehovah is God, our Creator and Sustainer. God causes sickness and equally God heals from these sicknesses. Luke 1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. On the one hand, this should encourage us that GOD CAN HEAL US. On the other hand, we return to our point about God is dealing with us about our sins (which overrides any other thing in our lives) and there is no other person, no other god, outside of God Jehovah that we can deal with “to get a better deal” with on our sins. But yes, GOD CAN HEAL US. In the case of Hezekiah, he was just and pleaded with God, and God gave him more time to put his life in order, in other words, God healed him. 2 Chronicles 32:32 records that later Hezekiah died. Being healed by God does not give us eternal life here in this earth with our present bodies. Healing is always an extension of time that you have limited in any way you want to think of it. It is up to you to see what you do with that extra time God gives you.

The 9 lepers went away happy that they were healed, but neither their sins nor the Savior were in their thoughts. It is doubtful that they meditated on their lives or took accounts of their lives with God spiritually speaking. We would think that Hezekiah was just, a believer in Jehovah apparently, and he continued in that path of God that he was already walking in. Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: God puts a priority on our salvation before our physical health. If a person has not been born again, if he is not a new creature in Christ, he can fix this with receiving Jesus as his Savior. The point is he can fix this if he does so before he dies. If a Christian has unconfessed sins, while he is alive, he too can confess and repent of these sins, if he asks for forgiveness. He can die with a good conscience. God makes the point with us to be confessed up daily, because nobody knows when they will die. For the Christian, all their sins are under the blood of Christ. Christians may lose some of our rewards for unconfessed and unrepented of sin.

Repentance

Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

If we meditate on what God tells us, we are all sinners, and every soul that sins will die. We do not want to get sick, and much less want to die by some sickness (even though most of the people in this world leave it through sickness). But we do not want to die violently either. So how is God supposed to take us out of this world for our eternal rewards or punishment? God will send the angel of death to move us into eternity for sure. The tragedy of all of this is to die and face God without having properly confessed our sins and repented.

See also

Understanding the Situation from God’s Point of View.

1 Thessalonians 4:17… and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Psalms 49:15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.

For the person who has a saving relationship with Jesus, death is simply a door through which we enter our eternal reward, to live forever with Jesus. Psalms 73:24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.  In other words, the entire point of death is that it is necessary so that we go to be with Jesus forever. Even though death is scary, as is here on the earth so in all eternity, God is with us.

Psalms 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalms 41:3 The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

Matthew Henry says, “the Lord will take into account his case, and will send his right ministers.” As with problems in this life, sickness is permitted by God to teach us to depend more on Him. But all of this is not “set in stone” as is the case of Hezekiah. His pleading with God changed his situation. James 5:14 exhorts us to ask the elders of the church to pray for the sick. So, God hears and acts according to our prayers for the sick.

The question really is does God want to heal you? God brings sickness because of our sins. How are you dealing with your sins and are you seeking God’s ways instead of your sins? Do you repent of your sins? In 1 Corinthians 11:29-32, people who do not deal with their sins are weak and sickly and many sleep (have passed away before their time).

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