Jehovah Rapha, the God who Heals

21 Names of God, #12

Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who Heals

There was impending death as enemies from all sides were crashing down hard and fast on Moses and the Israelites. God does something impossible, and saves them in a way that would be unexplainable by anything less than divine intervention.

God Does Something Impossible

Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Ephesians 15:1-2

Complaining

God had just led the Israelites by way of Moses across the Red Sea through stilled walls of ocean water and on dry ground. In quick succession their celebration turned to desperation. After walking for three days through the dessert they still had found no water; just as they spotted water they learn it was undrinkable.

Their complaints to Moses were in no uncertain terms: we’re thirsty, what are we going to drink? Surely they’d remembered how miraculously God had just saved them.

Or not?

How Easily I Forget

I’ll bet their complaining was no different than is my own. When I complain to the Lord, I’m not busy remembering who He is in my life or what He’s done faithfully for me. Instead, I’m focussed inward and have no issue crying out from my own discomfort. How easily I, too, forget what God has done for me. How about you?

Hot and Thirsty

I live in southwest Florida. Along most of our beautifully landscaped streets, water regularly shoots up through sprinklers, and nearby there is always a sign, “un-potable water, do not drink.” Let me assure you, it gets hot here. Really hot. And summers are long.

You can be sure those drenched in sweat and weakened from the hot summer sun look twice as they walk by at the sprays of fresh water longing to quench their thirst. Yet, no matter how much it’s needed or desired, the water is not suitable for human consumption.

The Israelites were hot and thirsty too. Much like a mirage of water in the dessert, the water at Marah would turn out to be nothing more than hope imagined.

Met with Grace and Mercy

Instead of being chastised by the Lord for complaining, God again gives them a miracle and meets their most pressing physical need. But that’s not all; He also gives His people a reminder. In doing so we see a picture of God’s grace and mercy.

Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah. So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”
Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test.
He said, “If you listen carefully to 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.”
Exodus 15:22-26

Healing

The Israelites weren’t just thirsty; they needed water. They were physically in perpetual motion, walking for hours a day, and their bodies were slowing down.

I can imagine the frustration of Moses’ group; for three days they wanted-needed- a drink, but they found none. Hope must have exploded in them as their eyes locked on that river. But no sooner than they caught a glimpse of the beauty of fresh water they learned it was un-potable.

The medical professionals tell us on average a person can live without water for three days. Imagine that. By giving the Israelites the water their bodies needed, God provided physical healing.

Spiritual Healing

But beyond that, by continuing to show Himself Faithful God, through Moses, God is healing them spiritually. Moses obeys the Lord by throwing the wood into the water, and God heals the Israelites physically and spiritually. Jehovah Rapha; the God who Heals.