Lesson 7. Conditions for Healing

Lesson 7: Conditions for Healing


Focus Text: Exod. 15:26 
“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”

 

All of God’s promise of healing rests on complying with His conditions

Before fulfilling a promise, does the Lord require some action on our part?

Prov 3:1-2 “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.

Prov 4:20-22 “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”

What were the conditions for God’s promise of taking away “all sickness and diseases of Egypt”? Also read Deut. 7:11-14

God says, “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” (Exod. 15:26).

Deuteronomy 7:15 “And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.

The promise of immunity from Egypt’s diseases was given to the children of Israel soon after they left their captivity. Yet, this promise wasn’t based simply on supernatural intervention; it was based on obedience; doing “that which is right in his sight”….maybe even especially, on the natural laws of health.

Are there consequences for not following God’s will?

Read Deuteronomy 28:58-60 “If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, The Lord Thy God; Then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long continuance. Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.”

How important is obedience to God in His promise of healing his people?

As David says, “Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.” (Psalm 119:73 KJV)
 

Confess Your Sins

David says it this way in Psalm 32:3-5(NLT): “When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long.… My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them.… And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone”.

David internalized his guilt, and it physically affected his body. If you don’t talk out your problems, your guilt, your bitterness with God, you’re going to take it out on your body.

James 5:16(KJV) also says, “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.”


James here is not referring to confessing your sins to just any random person or even a priest but to the one you have wronged or vice versa.

Confessing my sin is good for my health according to Scripture. Any psychologist will tell you this: It’s good to clear your conscience and get things off your chest. Your body is not made to hold it in. When you hold guilt inside you, it’s like shaking up a soda can with the top on. It will blow eventually.

Doctors say a lot of people could leave the hospitals today if they knew how to get rid of guilt or resentment over things they’ve done to others and things others have done to them.

Wisdom from Scriptures

Prov 3:5-8 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.”

What is the Conditions for healthy stomach and healthy bones? Trust God, Acknowledge Him in all our ways; Don’t think you know more than God; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

Prov 14:30 “A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.”

Prov 16:24 “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”

Prov 17:22 “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
 

Focus On Others

Isaiah 58:4-8(KJV) “Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward.”

 
“Healing in His Wings” A Faith in Action

Malachi 4:2(KJV) “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.


Mark 5:25-35(KJV) “And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”

This woman touched the “border of his garment”. It is believed that she touched the “wings” of his Tallit, in faith that if he was the Messiah as spoken of by the prophet Malachi, he would then have “healing in his wings”. Surely her faith and understanding of the prophecy was so powerful, that it even amazed Jesus! “Who touched me?” he says! He says he felt “virtue” go out of him into who touched him. The word “virtue” is defined as “moral excellence; goodness; righteousness” and “effective force; power or potency”. Jesus says: “Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace”. Real Faith should compel us to action as James says in “James 2:17, “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead…”.

For more Bible Lessons on Health click HERE.