We have one true God known by many names. These names, scattered throughout the Old Testament, reveal various facets of God's nature. Knowing and understanding these names personalizes communication with Him. Think about how relationships grow closer as you learn more about one another. Learning more about God through His names does the same for those who have a relationship with Him. For today’s post, we will take a closer look the name Jehovah Rophe (Jehovah Rapha) found in Exodus 15:26.
And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer (Exodus 15:26).
Jehovah Rophe meaning
In past posts, we've seen facets of God's eternal character starting with "Jehovah" which means “becoming one. ” We also looked at the times when Jehovah revealed himself as The Lord will provide (Jehovah Jireh) and the Lord my banner (Jehovah Nissi) to Abraham, and as Jehovah Raah the Lord is my Shepherd to David in Psalm 23. With each name comes new understanding of God.
Today, we look into the meaning of Jehovah Rophe. The word rophe in the Hebrew means “heal, cure, restore, or make whole.” When combined with Jehovah, the name can be translated as Jehovah Who Heals and reveals Him as the Great Physician.
This sounds great but breeds questions. What does this mean for us today? If we call on Jehovah Rophe to heal someone, will they get well? Can we pray for our own healing? These are good questions, especially in light of the many faith healers sowing confusion with different messages. Let me say, if someone tells you that healing depends on your faith, or something else you must do, that means being healed depends on you and not God. Don't fall for that superstition.
Instead of looking at what other people say about it, let's take a closer look at the context of this verse within the rest of the chapter. This allows us to gain our understanding from God’s Word. To start, I'll offer a little background of what happened before chapter 15 so you know where we are in the account of God's leading His children through the wilderness.
Exodus 15 background
When Pharaoh finally let the people leave Egypt, God didn’t take them the direct route. If they had traveled through the land of the Philistines, they would have arrived at the Promised Land in a week or so, but God knew they weren’t prepared to face the Philistines in war. Their faith was not strong enough, and He knew they’d be overcome with fear, change their minds, and be ready to head back to Egypt. So, he led them in the way that provided the experiences needed to learn to trust in Him, grow their faith, and come to understand the power of God. This way, once they reached the Promised Land and faced the enemy, they’d have faith enough to deliver the land into their hands. God used this route to teach the Israelites (and also the Egyptians that He is God).
Jehovah Rophe context in Exodus 15:26
Exodus 15 opens with Moses and the sons of Israel singing and celebrating the defeat of Pharaoh with singing and dancing. What a huge miracle that was, walking on dry ground through the Red Sea and then having the enemy drowned trying to do the same thing!
“Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” (Ex. 15:22-24)
Even with the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, it didn’t take long for the Israelites to take their eyes off God. Three days into the Desert of Shur they needed water, and when they found it, it wasn’t fit to drink. The people named it Marah which means bitter and they started griping against Moses. This offers a clue as to where the Israelites were spiritually and emotionally. They totally forgot God was leading them in the way they should go, and they where complaining. They had already forgotten the great victory at the Red Sea!
They focused on their circumstances, forgot the power of God, and blamed Moses for their situation. Poor Moses! He cried out to the Lord, and God showed him a tree. He took a branch and threw it into the water. It became sweet and drinkable. Another lesson. They were learning how God can take the bitter things of life and make sweetness out of them.
This brings us to the verse on which this post is centered along with the verse that precedes it:
There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.” (Exodus 15:25-26)
This is a test. It's conditional. God is bringing them into an even deeper relationship. He’s making a covenant with them. If they heed his voice, do what is right in His sight, and give ear to his commandments AND keep all His statues, THEN He will put none of the diseases on them which he had place on the Egyptians. How does this reflect on the Lord your healer?
First, it is worth mentioning that all of the Bible is written for us, but not all of the Bible is written to us. This covenant is with the Israelites. To get a better understanding of Exodus 15:26 I point to a book written decades ago by a doctor by the name of S. I. McMillan called, None of These Diseases. It explains how the early Jewish people were taught basic sanitation, medical procedures, and hygiene from God’s word; without any actual knowledge of bacteria or germs. The people stayed healthy by practicing God’s commandments and statues. The promise here is that if they keep His commandments and statues, he will keep them from these diseases. Healing is often through preventative measures like diet and sanitation, though this was not known in the ancient world.
When it comes to healing there are many verses in the Bible. We see examples in Scripture where people are healed, others where they treat their conditions, and others where they endure.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
God’s Word includes the Old and New Testament and the incomprehensible truth of Jehovah Rophe is that His healing touch spans the physical, spiritual and eternal. That means He is the healer of spirit, soul, and body.
While we pray for healing, we must not presume that God must heal. That is not a lack of faith. That is trusting His will be done. Just like the Israelites in the wilderness, he is teaching us as we go through all of our life experiences. Don’t forget, our eternal healing took place at the cross. If physical healing is withheld, there is a reason that God knows. His grace is always sufficient.
Photo credits: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay, Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay
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