Healing Scriptures (1)

by Hazel

The first thing that came to mind as I began preparing to study the subject of healing and the atonement was this picture of a bronze serpent being lifted up on a pole in the wilderness. You remember the story. Sometime after the Israelites had come out of Egypt they began to murmur and complain against God and Moses. So God sent fiery serpents upon them, and many of the people who were bitten died.

After the people confessed their sin to Moses and pleaded with him to ask God to take away the serpents, God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it up on a pole. Everyone who had been bitten by the serpents was to simply look at this bronze serpent and they would live (See Numbers 21:4-9).

What happened to the people who looked at the bronze serpent? They were healed from the poisonous bites and they lived. The healing being provided here for the Israelites was spiritual healing for the soul from sin that resulted in the physical healing of their bodies from the venom of the serpents that represented sin.

In the the midst of the judgment upon their sin, God provided a remedy for the Israelites. But even though that solution was simple many still refused to “look and live”. I wonder if they had been instructed to do something that would require some effort on their part would they have considered looking, and lived.

This lifting up of a bronze serpent on a pole in the wilderness was a symbol of the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross that the Old Testament prophets foretold. The following verses indicate the kind of death by which Jesus was to atone for our sins. When Jesus said to Nicodemus:

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” He added: “Whoever believes in Him (who was lifted up on the Cross) should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:14-15 (NASB)

“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” John 12:32 (NASB)

Before we examine further Scriptures, it should be noted that the promise that Jesus would atone for our sins was made before the foundation of the world. He was “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:8 (NKJ)

Christ being “slain from the foundation of the world” illustrates that the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice is not limited by time. God had all ready ordained a Savior before there was sin. The beneficial effects of that death had been made before the creation of the world. It was as good as “done” from the time that God ordained it.

“who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” 2 Timothy 1:9 (NIV)

Before we look at further “healing” Scriptures I think it is important to note that the Hebrew word for healing (rapha) in the Old Testament usually does not refer to the physical healing of the body, but it is more commonly used to refer to the spiritual healing of the soul. On the other hand the Greek word for healing (therapeu) in the New Testament is from which we get the word “therapeutic”, and it always refers to physical healing.

Let us now look at two well known verses of Scripture and consider the context of both of them.

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed (rapha)." Isaiah 53:5 (NKJ)

"He Himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed (rapha)." 1 Peter 2:24 (ESV)

I believe the context is salvation. These two verses are talking about what Jesus Christ endured on the cross as He provided atonement for our sins. Clearly they cannot be interpreted any other way. When Peter quoted Isaiah 53:5 it is clearly in reference to spiritual healing by the fact that Peter says in the very next verse, “for you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” 1 Peter 2: 25 (ESV)

However, when these verses are used by some of us who have been indoctrinated by the word of the word of faith teachings we feel that it is perfectly legitimate to change the context from salvation to physical healing. In fact, every time some of us see the word “heal” in the Bible we immediately assume it refers to healing for the body even if the context indicates otherwise.

It cannot be over emphasized that there are many places in Scripture where the word “healing” has specific reference to spiritual healing. This is because there are diseases of the soul that have to be healed, the primary disease of the soul being man's unregenerate state which is rooted in sin. The good news of the gospel is that God has provided healing for this disease of the soul.”[1]

I believe this is what Isaiah and Peter are talking about in Isaiah 53:5, and 1 Peter 2:24. Neither Peter nor Isaiah is saying that physical healing is guaranteed to every believer in Jesus Christ in the here and now as some want to believe.

Let’s read 1 Peter 2:24 again from another translation and see without a doubt that the healing mentioned in this verse is healing the soul from sin!

“Jesus took upon Himself our sins [when] His body was placed upon the cross so that we, [through] dying to [i.e., giving up] the sinful life, would live for righteousness. You were healed [from your sins] by His being brutally treated" (The New Testament: An Understandable Version).

As we look at further passages of Scripture from the Old Testament let’s notice how the context gives us clues as to what type of healing is being mentioned.

“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 (“rapha”) you.” Exodus 15:26 (NIV)

“Who forgives all your sins, and heals (“rapha”) all your diseases..." Psalms 103:3 (NIV)

"Return, O faithless sons; I will heal (rapha) your faithlessness." Jeremiah 3:22 (ASV)

"I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal (rapha) my soul; for I have sinned against thee.” Psalm 41:4 (NKJ)

“And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed (rapha) the people.” 2 Chronicles 30:20 (ESV)

“Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed (rapha) them.” Hosea 11:3 (ESV)

“When I would heal (rapha) Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim is revealed, and the evil deeds of Samaria; for they deal falsely; the thief breaks in, and the bandits raid outside.” Hosea 7:1 (ESV)

“He sent His Word and healed (rapha) them, and delivered them from their destructions." Psalms 107:20 (NKJ)

Notice that the healing being spoken about in all of these verses is largely spiritual in nature because it is dealing with Israel’s unfaithfulness, iniquities and sin. Therefore it would be safe to say that the healing promised by God in these verses is primarily the same as the healing already mentioned in 1 Peter 2:24 and Isaiah 53:5 where God promised to provide spiritual healing for the disease of the soul—sin. Of course that does not rule out physical healing, but I do not believe the context guarantees it as many of us want to believe.

So why does "rapha" in the Old Testament refer more to spiritual healing than to physical healing? Why does God place much more emphasis on spiritual healing than physical healing in the Old Testament? Surely it is because without spiritual healing for our souls we would indeed die for our sins and be eternally separated from Him. God does not view physical healing as importantly as we do because He knows that the end result of physical healing in this life will still result in the death of our mortal bodies. Only at the final resurrection when we receive new glorified bodies will death finally be swallowed up in victory.

(To continue study go to "Difference Between Sin & Sickness" (2)at:http://sound-the-trumpet.blogspot.com/2008/09/difference-between-sin-and-sickness-1.html)

[1] Document by the Christian Research Institute (CRI), Copyright 1994.