Foreshadow of healing
Now that we have seen that people walk in health when they live in the perfect will of God, we can explore the foreshadowing of healing. In this chapter, we will focus on the first five books of the Bible and how healing and health are portrayed in them. We will look specifically at the images and types of healing, and in the next chapter, we will examine the covenant of healing more closely.
The first five books of the Bible are also known as the Torah or the Law. These books—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—form the beginning of Scripture. In Genesis, we read about creation, Adam and Eve, the murder of Abel by Cain, the flood in the days of Noah, and the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. In Exodus, we see how the descendants of Abraham, the children of Israel, were delivered from Egypt and received the Law from God at Mount Sinai. The books of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy expand on the Law and recount Israel’s time in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt.
God brought Israel out of Egypt with the intention of giving them the Promised Land in Canaan. However, their unbelief kept them in the wilderness for forty years. This period in Israel's history is important for understanding how God revealed truths about health and healing even under the Old Covenant. Let us study how these truths are reflected in the Law and the early history of God’s people.
The Law of Moses and the stories in the Old Testament point forward to Jesus Christ and His grace. In these early books, we see several foreshadows of healing that find their fulfillment in Him.
For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. (Hebrews 10:1)
In this chapter, we catch a glimpse of the goodness and grace of God. I can assure you: even the foreshadowing of Jesus will cause you to love Him—how much more when we behold Him fully, as we will in part two.
Is the Law of Moses important to study to understand God's will concerning healing? Yes. But the covenant we now live under is far greater than the one described in this chapter.
Reason 8: The Promise of Fertility
One of the first healings recorded in the Bible is found in the book of Genesis. This truth can strengthen your faith, showing that God heals sickness and infertility—even when someone is ninety or a hundred years old. No one is too old to be healed by God.
God promised Abraham that he would be blessed and that a great nation would come from him:
I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. (Genesis 12:2)
Abraham obeyed and left his family, traveling through the land of Canaan. God promised to give this land to Abraham’s descendants. For many years, Abraham remained a stranger and a sojourner in that land, yet he and his wife Sarah had no child. Then the word of the Lord came to Abraham, and he expressed his concern to God:
But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” (Genesis 15:2)
God responded by promising once again that Abraham would have a child of his own, and Abraham believed the Lord:
And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” (...) And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:4 and 6)
When Abraham was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him again and told him that he and his wife Sarah would have a child the following year. At that time, Sarah was ninety years old and had been barren all her life. To the natural mind, it would seem impossible for a ninety-year-old barren woman to bear a child with a ninety-nine-year-old man. But what is impossible with man is possible with God.
And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. (Genesis 21:1-2)
This reveals that nothing is impossible for God. Even though Sarah’s womb was dead, God performed a miracle of healing in her. What was the key that enabled Abraham and Sarah to receive this promise? It was their faith in God’s word.
And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. (Romans 4:19-22)
By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. (Hebrews 11:11)
By faith, Abraham and Sarah conceived a child. They held on to the promise God had given them, and God performed a miracle in the womb of a ninety-year-old barren woman. When God gives a promise, we can receive it by faith. Nothing is impossible for those who believe His word.
Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” (Mark 9:23)
We also see healing from infertility in the life of Abraham’s son Isaac:
Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived. (Genesis 25:21, NASB)
Through the prayer of Isaac, God opened the womb of his wife Rebekah, who had been barren for about twenty years. With a prayer of faith, all healing is possible. In addition, the patriarchs of Israel—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—lived to a great age. They died in a good old age, full of days.
This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. (Genesis 25:7-8)
Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. (Genesis 35:28-29)
And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So, the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years. (Genesis 47:28)
God desires that our days be full and that we experience the fullness of life. It is not His will to bring us home to heaven prematurely.
With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation. (Psalm 91:16)
Let this truth strengthen your faith: God can do what seems impossible. He desires to perform miracles—even for those of great age—and His plan is for you to grow old, filled with life and satisfied with the length of your days.
Reason 9: God Heals after Repentance
In the book of Genesis, we find a remarkable story where Abraham lied about his wife Sarah. Abraham was living as a stranger in the region of Gerar. Fearing that men would desire Sarah and kill him to take her, he said that she was his sister instead of his wife. Because of this, Abimelech, the king of Gerar, sent for Sarah and took her into his house. But God intervened by speaking to Abimelech in a dream.
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.” (Genesis 20:3)
Abimelech responded that he had not touched Sarah and did not know she was Abraham’s wife. God acknowledged the integrity of Abimelech’s heart and told him to return Sarah to Abraham. Then Abraham would pray for him so that he would live.
Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours. (Genesis 20:7)
The next morning, Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham. Then Abraham prayed, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants.
So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; for the Lord had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. (Genesis 20:17-18)
The Bible does not specify what illness afflicted Abimelech personally, but it is clear that the women in his household had been made barren. Because Abimelech repented and Abraham prayed, they were all healed. We can learn several important lessons from this story:
1. Sickness in this story was a consequence of sin, not a blessing from God[1]. Abimelech and his household became afflicted because of a sinful act, even though it was committed unknowingly. God did not say, “Abimelech is a righteous man, so I will bless him with sickness.” The sickness came as a result of sin.
2. God answers prayer. Through Abraham’s intercession, Abimelech's life was spared, and the women were able to conceive again.
3. God heals. Abimelech and his house experienced God's healing power after repentance and prayer.
4. God helps His children. Even though Abraham made a mistake by lying about Sarah, God remained faithful to him. What a tragedy it would have been if God had not intervened—Isaac might never have been born, Israel would not exist, and the Messiah would not have come through Abraham’s line.
5. God is faithful to His covenant. God had promised that Abraham and Sarah would have a child. To keep that promise, God corrected Abraham’s mistake by ensuring that Sarah was returned.
[1] For today, it is important to understand that sickness can result from sin. However, sin is not always the cause of sickness. We will examine this more closely later. Moreover, God rarely afflicts anyone with sickness. In the few cases where He does, there is always a clear revelation that He is the one who brought the affliction. For example, Abimelech knew through a dream that God allowed the sickness in his household because of sin. When he repented, healing followed.
Reason 10: The Exodus, Everyone Left Healthy
In the book of Genesis, we read about the patriarchs of the nation of Israel. After Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s children passed away, the descendants of Israel found themselves under severe oppression in Egypt. They were oppressed and tormented by slavery in Egypt for many years, yet they grew in number and became a great people.
The book of Exodus begins with the people of Israel still in Egypt, suffering under cruel slavery. Before we look at the actual events of the Exodus and the healing that took place, it is important to understand what the Exodus represents spiritually. The Exodus is a spiritual picture of our salvation. The following passage speaks of the events that took place in the wilderness and explains that these things serve as examples for us:
Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples. (1 Corinthians 10:1-6)
Remarkably, Paul compares the time of the Exodus with our life in Christ and repentance. Just as the Israelites escaped from Pharaoh and Egypt through Moses, we escape from the power of sin and the world through Jesus Christ. Just as the Israelites were baptized into Moses through the sea, we are baptized into Jesus Christ. As they were under the cloud of God’s presence, we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
There are many other parallels between the Exodus and the New Testament:
- The Passover lamb, and Jesus, the Lamb of God.
- The manna from heaven, and Jesus, the living Bread.
- The Promised Land, and the inheritance we have in Christ.
- The sacrifices of animals, and Jesus Christ, the final offering for sin.
- The high priest Aaron, and Jesus Christ, our High Priest.
- The mediator, Moses, and Jesus, the Mediator between God and man.
The Exodus and Israel’s journey through the wilderness form a beautiful picture of New Testament truth with Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer. As the Dutch Study Bible explains, the redemption under Moses is a shadow of the redemption brought by Christ. The writer of Hebrews confirms this:
For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things. (...) (Hebrews 10:1)
The Exodus and the wilderness period are a foreshadowing of the things Jesus would later accomplish and make available to His followers. Now let us connect the Exodus to the theme of healing. Have you ever considered how the Exodus took place with six hundred thousand men[1]? When we include women and children, the number easily reaches at least two million people who journeyed with Moses into the wilderness. How was that even possible?
If you were to take a random group of two million people today, many would not be physically able to make such a journey. Think of those who are crippled, the elderly with limited strength, or those suffering from illnesses or disabilities. So, how did God ensure that every Israelite could go with Moses to the Promised Land?
Psalm 105 is a beautiful psalm that describes the history of Israel. It calls the reader to remember the wonders God performed and the covenant He made with His people. The psalm describes how Israel came into Egypt, how God raised Moses as a deliverer, and how He brought them out with signs and wonders. Then it makes this powerful statement about the Exodus:
He also brought them out with silver and Gold. And there was none feeble among His tribes. (Psalm 105:37)
The Amplified Bible translates it this way:
He brought the sons of Israel out [of Egypt] with silver and gold, And among their tribes there was not one who stumbled. (Psalm 105:37, AMP)
Every Israelite joined the Exodus. No one was too weak, too sick, or too tired to go. The Hebrew word translated “stumble” is “kāšal”, which, according to Dr. James Strong, means “to totter or waver (through weakness of the legs, especially the ankle); by implication, to falter, stumble, faint, or fall ... be weak.” The writer of the psalm gives us a clear picture: no one was weak or collapsing. Imagine asking the entire population of a modern nation—such as the United States—to cross a wilderness. Millions would be physically unable to go. Yet when God delivered Israel from Egypt, He worked a miracle of healing so that every person was physically able to make the journey. This is confirmed in the book of Exodus:
And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:41)
God made sure that all the Israelites were healthy and strong so that no one remained sick or weak in the land of Egypt. Everyone was able to go with Moses. It was a great miracle of God. When He delivered the Israelites from Egypt, He also delivered them from weakness.
If we compare the deliverance of the Exodus with the deliverance through Jesus Christ, we see that Jesus also desires to set people free from sickness. He wants to heal us. Jesus is not only concerned with redeeming us spiritually from sin—He also wants to redeem our bodies from sickness, weakness, and affliction. The following verse shows God’s physical care and protection for the people of Israel:
Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. (Deuteronomy 8:4)
This is another remarkable sign of God’s provision. Despite all the walking through the wilderness, their feet did not swell. God gave them physical strength and endurance, ensuring that everyone could continue the journey.
In the same way, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God wants to provide healing and strength for our bodies today. Just as He physically healed every Israelite during the Exodus, He also desires to heal us physically through the redemptive work of Christ.
[1] Exodus 12:36
Reason 11: Healing in the Passover
So, when were the Israelites healed of their physical weakness? Let us first consider the situation of the Israelites in Egypt. They were enslaved and forced to do hard labor. God chose Moses to lead them out of Egypt, but Pharaoh refused to let them go. To deliver His people, God brought a series of plagues upon Egypt. These included the Nile turning to blood, frogs covering the land, lice, swarms of flies, locusts, and thick darkness. Despite these nine devastating plagues, Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he still would not release the Israelites.
Then God declared that He would send one final plague—the death of all the firstborn in Egypt. This judgment was so severe that it caused the Egyptians to urge the Israelites to leave their land. Just before this last plague, God commanded the Israelites to observe the Passover. Each household was to take a lamb without blemish. That evening, the lamb was to be slain, and its blood was to be applied to the two doorposts and the lintel of the house. The lamb itself was to be roasted and eaten by the family. God had warned that the death angel would strike down all the firstborn in Egypt, but would pass over the houses where the blood of the lamb was applied. From that moment on, the Israelites were to observe the Passover each year to remember how God had delivered them from Egypt.
Now that we understand the context of the Passover, we can look at its connection to healing. The Passover was not just a symbolic act—it contained the power of God, including healing. One example of this can be seen in the time of King Hezekiah, about five hundred years later. King Hezekiah reigned over Judah after his father, who had led the nation into deep idolatry. Hezekiah chose to restore the worship of the Lord and reinstate the Passover. After the Passover was observed, Hezekiah prayed for the people, and God responded by healing them.
(...) But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord provide atonement for everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers.” (...) And the Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people. (2 Chronicles 30:18-20)
Do you see how wonderful the Passover is? Through this feast and Hezekiah’s prayer, the people were reconciled to God—and God healed them. If we go back to the time of the Exodus, we see that no one stumbled in the wilderness. What did the Israelites do before they left Egypt? They ate the Passover.
Not only did eating the Passover bring healing to the Israelites, but it also accomplished something else. Remember that the Passover was observed during the tenth plague, when the destroyer came to strike all the firstborn in Egypt? The Passover kept the destroyer out. In other words, it protected them from death.
And they shall take some of the blood (of the lamb) and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. (…) Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (Exodus 12:7 and 13)
The blood of the lamb—foreshadowing the precious blood of Jesus Christ—ensured that no plague would come upon those who observed the Passover. The Passover and the blood of the lamb protected the people from the destroyer, from death, and from disease. We see a similar promise in Psalm 91:
The Most High, who is my refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. (Psalm 91:9-10, ESV)
So, the Passover brought healing and prevented the destroyer from harming the people of Israel. But for this to happen, the Israelites had to sacrifice a lamb. If the blood and flesh of an ordinary lamb could bring healing and protection to the Israelites, how much more will the blood and body of Jesus Christ bring healing and protection to us today?
The lamb that the Israelites were commanded to sacrifice is a picture of the Lamb of the New Covenant—Jesus Christ:
(...) For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5:7, ESV)
The Passover lamb of the Israelites pointed to the perfect Lamb of God: Jesus Christ. If the Passover lamb, which was a type of Christ, brought healing, how much more will Jesus Christ, the true Passover Lamb, bring healing today. This is exactly what the prophet Isaiah foretold:
Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. (…) And by His stripes we are healed. (…) He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. (…) For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. (…) Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. (Isaiah 53:4-10)
This powerful passage will be discussed in more detail later in this book. But notice already that Jesus is described as the Lamb, and this is directly connected to both forgiveness and healing.
It is also important to observe that the word “stricken” is used—“For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.” Interestingly, the same Hebrew word appears in Exodus 11:1, where God says He will bring one more plague upon Egypt—the plague that struck down all the firstborn. Just as the blood of the Passover lamb protected the Israelites from that plague, the blood of Jesus Christ—our true Passover Lamb—protects us today from the plague and sickness.
Reason 12: The Bronze Serpent
As believers, we can learn many lessons from the Israelites in the wilderness. One important truth from the book of Numbers is that God desires us to believe Him, trust Him, and obey Him. The Israelites repeatedly tested God by living in unbelief, disobeying His commands, engaging in immorality, worshiping idols, and complaining. At times, God’s judgment came upon them in the form of a plague. The Law of Moses records several examples where God sent a plague among the people, and Moses and Aaron had to make atonement to stop it. One of these examples is found in Numbers 21.
Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” (Numbers 21:4-5)
Can you imagine it? The Israelites had been wandering in the wilderness for many years. Despite everything God had done for them—His provision, His guidance, and His daily miracles—they remained stubborn and continued to test Him. God provided manna from heaven every day, and He watched over them continually. Yet the people kept complaining throughout their journey. Finally, God’s patience came to an end.
So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. (Numbers 21:6)
This was a severe judgment. The fiery serpents bit the people, and many died. A remedy was urgently needed.
Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. (Numbers 21:7)
The Israelites repented and asked Moses to intercede for them. Some people claim, “God gives sickness—it’s in the Bible, and we just have to accept it.” It is true that Scripture shows God allowing or sending sickness. However, He never does so without cause. In this case, the people became sick because of their sin. The judgment came as a curse and a consequence of rebellion. But once the people repented, God provided a way of healing.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. (Numbers 21:8-9)
God’s solution was very unusual. Moses was instructed to make a bronze serpent and place it on a pole. Every Israelite who had been bitten by a fiery serpent had to look at the bronze serpent, and they would live. Let us take a closer look at the bronze serpent:
1. The bronze serpent. The word serpent immediately raises concerns. It was the serpent in Genesis 3 that tempted Eve to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The serpent is also a symbol of the devil, as we read in Revelation 12:9. Jesus said:
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19)
The serpent is a picture of sin and of humanity’s enemy—the devil and his demons. It not only symbolizes sin itself but also the consequences of sin. As we have already seen, the Fall brought sickness, curse, and misery into the world. In Genesis 3, God pronounced a curse on the serpent for deceiving Adam and Eve:
So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15)
So, the serpent represents evil, sin, and the curse. Since sickness is part of the curse and a result of the Fall, the serpent also serves as a picture of sickness. Furthermore, the Israelites became sick because of the bites of serpents, so their healing came by looking at the bronze serpent.
2. The serpent was lifted. Moses was not only commanded to make a bronze serpent—he was also told to lift it. There were hundreds of thousands of Israelites in the wilderness. Anyone who had been bitten needed to see the bronze serpent quickly, so Moses had to lift it high enough for all to see.
3. God did not remove the fiery serpents, but He provided a way of healing. God did not take away the serpents. Instead, He gave the people a way to be healed. Whoever was bitten had to look at the bronze serpent. This act of looking was an act of faith. The people had to believe God's word and respond in obedience to receive healing.
Now that we have studied this story, we can connect it to the New Testament. Just as Moses lifted the bronze serpent in the wilderness, so also Jesus had to be lifted on the cross.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:14-15)
One night, a teacher of the Israelites named Nicodemus came to Jesus. Jesus spoke to him about the kingdom of God and how a person could enter that kingdom and receive eternal life. In this conversation, Jesus said that He would be lifted, just as Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness. In this way, the bronze serpent was a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Consider the following parallels:
5. The serpent—representing sin, evil, and the curse—was lifted and placed on a pole. In the same way, Jesus bore our sins and became a curse when He was nailed to the cross.
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”). (Galatians 3:13)
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
6. God provided a solution for healing, but did not remove the fiery serpents. Likewise, God has not removed sickness from the earth, but He has given us a remedy through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This means we may still face sickness or symptoms, but we can look to Jesus and receive healing and strength.
7. When someone was bitten by a fiery serpent, they had to look at the bronze serpent and they were healed and lived. In the same way, we look to Jesus and receive eternal life—a life that begins the moment we are born again.
When we think of salvation or eternal life, we often think only of the future. On earth, we believe our sins are forgiven, but we sometimes assume that other blessings—like healing—are only available in heaven. It is true that the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternity with God are the greatest blessings, because eternity has no end. However, eternal life and salvation do not begin after we die—they begin now. God desires to save us not only from spiritual death, but also from sickness, poverty, and oppression. His salvation is greater than the forgiveness of sins alone.
8. The Israelites looked at the bronze serpent and received healing. Today, we look to Jesus and His sacrifice and receive healing.
Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; (...) And by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5)
The bronze serpent was a foreshadowing of Jesus’ sacrifice. If the foreshadowing could bring healing to those who looked at it in faith, how much more will the true sacrifice of Jesus Christ bring healing to those who look to Him today?
Reason 13: Moses, a Type of Jesus
The main character in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy is Moses. He is seen as a type of Jesus Christ. This does not mean that Moses was Jesus, but it means that we can see reflections of Jesus in certain events and characteristics of Moses' life.
Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. (Hebrews 3:1-2)
The book of Hebrews compares Moses to Jesus. The writer shows that Jesus is worthy of more honor than Moses. Yet, there are beautiful parallels between their lives. Consider the following:
1. Moses was born when the Israelites were under Egyptian rule. Jesus was born when the Israelites were under Roman rule.
2. Pharaoh commanded that all newborn boys be killed. Herod gave orders to kill all the male children under two in Bethlehem.
3. Moses was called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Jesus leads us out of the bondage of sin.
4. Moses led the Israelites to the Promised Land. Jesus gives us the true Promised Land.
5. Moses was a mediator between God and the people. Jesus is our Mediator between us and God.
Let us look more closely at the fifth point. Moses acted as a mediator between God and the people, and he often pleaded with God to forgive their sins. We see this in the following Bible verses:
Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God. (...) So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people. (Exodus 32:11-14)
Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” (Exodus 32:30)
And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” Then they fell on their faces, and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and You be angry with all the congregation?” (Numbers 16:20-22)
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” And they fell on their faces. So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the Lord. The plague has begun.” Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped. (Numbers 16:44-48)
Moses served as a mediator and reconciler for the Israelites. In the same way, Jesus is our Mediator and our Reconciler. Moses often interceded so that God would not destroy the people. The Israelites had sinned and deserved judgment, but because Moses pleaded, God's anger was turned away.
Likewise, Jesus is our Reconciler. Through His sacrifice on the cross, we have been reconciled to God. This also means that we have been delivered from the plague. In other words, no plague has the right to come upon us because Jesus has made full atonement. If God listened to Moses in the Old Testament, how much more will He listen to Jesus—His own Son—whose sacrifice reconciles us to Himself and stops every plague?
That He was cut off from the land of the living [by His death] For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke [of death] was due? (Isaiah 53:8, AMP)
Jesus took upon Himself the judgment we deserved. Because of this, we no longer need to be sick.
Summary
This chapter focuses on the foreshadowing of healing as seen in the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The chapter begins by emphasizing the importance of living according to God’s will to enjoy good health. It then explores various images and events that point to healing in these books.
A key example of healing is found in the story of Abraham and Sarah, who received a child in their old age. This shows that God can perform miracles that seem impossible for those who believe in Him. The story of Isaac and Rebekah also points to healing from infertility. Both accounts reveal that through faith in God’s promises, healing and fruitfulness are possible.
In the story of the Exodus—God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt—we see that no one was left behind. God healed the people of their weaknesses and diseases so that all were able to go out. This shows that God can bring healing to an entire nation.
The chapter also discusses the Passover and the bronze serpent as signs that point to healing through Christ. The blood of the Passover lamb protected the Israelites from the plague of the death of the firstborn. The bronze serpent lifted on a pole brought healing to those who were bitten by fiery serpents. In the same way, Jesus is our Passover Lamb, and He went to the cross to bear our sicknesses and plagues.
Finally, we see that Moses is a type of Jesus Christ. Just as Moses was the mediator and reconciler between the Israelites and God, Jesus is our perfect Mediator and Reconciler. Through His sacrifice, we are reconciled to God and receive both healing and salvation.