Healing in the Proverbs
We have now studied almost all the books in the Old Testament that speak about healing. We have come to the books of the prophets. These books are full of powerful messages that reveal God's goodness, mercy, and judgment.
The prophets speak about different themes: the time of the exile, the coming of Jesus to the earth, and His return in the future. To understand why Israel and Judah were sent into exile and had to suffer terrible conditions and diseases, we must carefully study the words of the prophets. But before we look at the exile, we will first read and study several passages in the prophets that speak about healing.
Reason 34: The Stripes of Jesus
One of the most well-known passages about healing is found in Isaiah 53. This chapter is a prophecy about what Jesus would do, written hundreds of years before it happened. It speaks about the cross and how Jesus would provide atonement for us. His sacrifice made it possible for all our sins to be forgiven. But it also made healing available for our sicknesses. Jesus bore our sins so that we might become righteous.
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)
Jesus also carried our sicknesses so that we might be healed.
(…) by whose stripes you were healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
On the last day of His earthly life, Jesus suffered greatly. He did this for us. Not only did He suffer on the cross, but even before that, He was treated cruelly by those who arrested Him.
Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is the one who struck You?” (Matthew 26:67-68)
Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified. (Matthew 27:26)
Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. (Matthew 27:30)
This was terrible. Because of the scourging and beatings, Jesus suffered many physical wounds. During the scourging, blood flowed from His head, back, stomach, arms, and legs. He was struck all over with a brutal whip that tore away much of His skin. The suffering was so great that Jesus no longer looked like a man. This took place just before He was crucified. But why was Jesus scourged? The answer is found in Isaiah 53:
(…) And by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
The reason Jesus was scourged was that He paid the price for our healing from sickness. Jesus was never sick. He is God, and God does not experience infirmity, discomfort, or physical pain. But when Jesus came to earth, He willingly took on human flesh. And during His crucifixion, He experienced pain and suffering. He knew exactly what it felt like to be afflicted.
Jesus took every blow of the scourge, fully aware that He was paying the price for our sickness and pain. He was abused, wounded, and made physically weak because He took our sicknesses upon Himself—so that we could be healed and walk in health. This reveals the depth of Jesus’ love for us and His desire to heal. Jesus wants to heal us; He even gave His life to make it possible.
You may be sick right now. There may be many people around you who wish, pray, hope, or believe for your healing. But how many people would be willing to carry the sickness themselves so that you could be made well? Probably not many. But there is One who already took your sickness upon Himself. Someone who gave His life so that you could be healed. Someone who suffered, felt pain, was afflicted, and whose blood flowed from His head, back, stomach, and entire body—so that you could be fully restored. He did it all for you.
We often long for many things in life. Think about owning a house or car, going on vacation, or receiving some other blessing. But how much would you be willing to give for it? A house costs a lot, and many people take out a mortgage that takes thirty years to repay. But would anyone give their life for a house? Hopefully not. Most people want to receive good things—so long as the price is not too high.
Your healing, however, cost Jesus His life and His strength. He was made weak so that you could be made strong. What does this tell us about His desire for your healing? Jesus paid the full price for your health. There is no one on earth—no friend, no family member, not even yourself—who wants you to be well more than Jesus does. He wants to heal you. It is one of the reasons He came to earth.
But didn’t Jesus come to save me and forgive my sins? Yes, that is true. But He also came to heal you and set you free from the power of sickness. It is not forgiveness or healing—it is forgiveness and healing. Jesus came to restore you completely—body, soul, and spirit.
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
Jesus deeply cares about your body. He was wounded, scourged, and crushed—so that your body could be made whole.
(…) And by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
Notice also the tense of the sentence: “we are healed.” It is written in the present tense. This means it is already done. In the spiritual realm, your healing and physical strength have already been given. You have already received them in your spirit. It is not a future event—it has already taken place. The only thing that remains is for your healing to flow from your spirit into your body.
God has already given it. Now, it is up to us to receive it by faith, so that it becomes visible in our physical body.
You do not need to receive it again. You do not have to try to convince God to move. We do not need to fast, proclaim, pray, or read the Bible for years to make it happen. We received healing when our spirit was born again—at the moment of our new birth. Now it is time for that healing to become visible in our body.
It is good to fast, pray, declare God’s Word, read the Bible, and seek the Lord. But it is not that God gives healing in return for these things. It is not: “I give something to God, and He gives me healing in exchange.” No. What is needed is the revelation and the faith that God has already given you healing and health, and that sickness has no right to remain in your body.
What gave you this healing?
(…) And by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)
The stripes of Jesus paid for your healing. So, when was the price paid? It was at the moment Jesus was scourged by the Romans. And when did that happen? Around 30 A.D., about 2,000 years ago. In other words, the price was paid long ago. And it was paid for everyone. The next verse I want to share speaks about the forgiveness and redemption of sins. But the same truth applies to healing.
Not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. (Hebrews 9:25-26)
Suppose you sinned today. God forgives that sin because of the sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus does not need to come back to earth and be crucified again for your sin to be forgiven. His sacrifice, made over 2,000 years ago, already paid the penalty for all sin. No new atonement is needed.
It is the same with sickness. Jesus does not need to do anything more to defeat your sickness. He does not need to return to earth and be scourged again so that you can be healed. Just as the sacrifice of Jesus paid for all sin once and for all, His stripes also paid for all sickness and disease—once and for all.
In heaven, no further action is required for your healing. The price has already been paid, and healing has already been given to you. What remains is for that healing, which is already present in your spirit, to flow into your body.
Reason 35: The Disease was Carried
In the previous reason, we looked at the stripes of Jesus. That verse comes from a larger prophecy in the book of Isaiah. Let us now read a few verses from that prophecy:
Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)
This is a beautiful passage filled with promises of healing. Let us take a closer look at verse 4. It says that Jesus “has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.”
When we study the word “griefs” in Hebrew, we find that it refers to physical sicknesses or is used in comparison to physical sickness. The same Hebrew word appears in other parts of the Bible as well. For example:
And the Lord will take away from you all sickness (...) (Deuteronomy 7:15)
We also find this word in the next verses we have already studied. When the Israelites disobeyed God, the curse came upon them—and with it came sickness:
(...) great and prolonged plagues—and serious and prolonged sicknesses. (Deuteronomy 28:59)
Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law, will the Lord bring upon you until you are destroyed. (Deuteronomy 28:61)
And Jesus bore all this sickness. The same Hebrew word for sickness is used in both Deuteronomy 28 and Isaiah 53. This same word is also found in the following verse:
Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him. (1 Kings 17:17)[1]
So, Jesus bore our physical sicknesses.
Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; (Isaiah 53:4)
Now let us look at what the word “sorrows” means. Several Bible translations—such as the NIV, NASB, AMP, and CEV—use the word “pain.” Others, like the NLT and BSB, use “suffering” or “weakness.”
In the Bible, the Hebrew word for “sorrows” can refer to both physical and emotional pain. However, we know for certain that Isaiah 53:4 is primarily referring to physical pain and weakness. This is confirmed in Matthew 8:17, where Matthew quotes this verse to describe Jesus’ healing ministry. He clearly understood it as speaking about physical sickness and disease:
(…) and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.” (Matthew 8:16-17)
So Isaiah meant that Jesus took our sicknesses and bore our pains and sorrows. Because Jesus carried them, we do not have to carry them ourselves. This is not only what the Old Testament teaches, but also what the New Testament confirms in Matthew 8:16–17. Jesus came to earth to bear our sicknesses so that we could live without sickness. He carried the diseases out of our lives.
[1] Other Bible passages where this Hebrew word for sickness appears include: 2 Kings 1:2; 8:8–9; 13:14; 2 Chronicles 16:12; 21:15–19; Psalm 41:3; Ecclesiastes 5:17; 6:2; Isaiah 1:5; 38:9; 53:3–4; Jeremiah 6:7; 10:19; and Hosea 5:13.
Reason 36: The Healing Messiah
The prophets in the Old Testament spoke about the coming of the Messiah. One of the clear signs of the Messiah is that He would bring healing. When John the Baptist began to doubt whether Jesus was truly the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” Jesus answered:
“Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Matthew 11:4-6)
Why did Jesus answer like this? Because these were the signs that the Messiah was supposed to show. God had already spoken through the prophets that the Messiah would do these things.
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. (…) (Isaiah 35:5-6)
In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. (Isaiah 29:18)
These healing miracles were signs that would help people recognize the true Messiah. And Jesus Christ, the Messiah, healed thousands of people during His time on earth. These prophecies were fulfilled in His ministry. The blind received their sight, the deaf began to hear, and many others were healed.
Although these promises will be fully completed in the Millennial Kingdom, we can already see that Jesus is the Messiah now, and He is the King of all who believe in Him. What Jesus will do for all in the future, He already began to do when He was on the earth. And even after His ascension to heaven, He gave His followers the same mission: to continue His healing work.
And these signs will follow those who believe: (...) they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. (Mark 16:17-18)
So, the Old Testament clearly prophesied that the Messiah would heal, and the New Testament shows how this was fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Reason 37: He Gives Strength to the Weary
Sickness is never pleasant. Besides the physical pain, it can also leave a person feeling weak and worn out—both in body and mind. Sometimes sickness makes it hard to sleep. Other times, it causes extra tiredness because the body is constantly working to fight it. That’s why it’s so encouraging to read a beautiful promise from God’s Word about receiving strength:
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)
What a powerful promise from the Word of God. Maybe you feel tired and worn out. Perhaps you don’t know how you’ll make it through the day. Let this verse encourage your heart. God wants to renew your strength. He can make you feel refreshed, strong, and full of energy again—more than before.
Just as God never grows tired or weary, He wants to give His strength to you. He desires to give you even more strength and energy than the strongest youth. God is full of strength and energy, and He wants to share it with us. When we come into His presence—when we worship Him, sing to Him, and spend time with Him—His power begins to flow. In His presence, there is both peace and strength.
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)
When we enter into the stillness and presence of God, there should be peace. Of course, there are moments of joy, and it is possible to act for God out of that joy. But when we are in His presence, there is rest and peace. We can come to Him as children and receive from Him.
In His presence, we do not need to be busy with religion or rituals. We do not have to pray for three hours, then read the Bible for another three hours, and then sing thirty more songs just to enter His presence. We can simply receive. We can go into our inner room and draw near to God.
God does not come to you because you pray, sing, or do other things. He is already there. He was there before you began your quiet time, and He is there after it ends. During your quiet time, you are simply setting aside your thoughts, worries, and distractions to focus on the God who is already with you. You do not need to “bring God down from heaven.” He already dwells in you through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Do not think you must earn a relationship with God through good works or religious rituals. He is already with you. He wants to be with you, and He desires to give you strength, peace, and health. You do not have to earn it—you can receive it in peace.
For we who have believed do enter that rest, (...) (Hebrews 4:3)
God is the One who wants to give you strength, health, energy, and rest. He does not want you to be weak, always tired, or constantly struggling through life. He wants you to be strong, full of health, and full of physical strength.
However, I want to make something clear as you study these Scriptures: you also need physical rest. These verses are not a reason to live an unhealthy lifestyle. Staying up until three in the morning and waking up at six is not wise. Nor is it right to skip rest periods just to stay busy. You need rest. God created our bodies, and He designed us to rest. Man was not created just to work—he needs sleep, food, water, and oxygen. If any of these are taken away, he cannot survive. Did you know that a person can go longer without food than without sleep? God placed the need for sleep, rest, and relaxation within us. Jesus said:
And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)
The Sabbath was a day of rest each week. In Israel, people were to work six days, but on the seventh day, they were not to do any work. Jesus makes it clear, in the context of this passage, that we do not need to be religious about the Sabbath. On the contrary, the Sabbath was given as a blessing to man—not as a burden.
I am not saying you are required to stop working one day each week. You are free to choose what you do. But it will benefit you to take at least one day a week to rest—not to focus on work, but to relax in the presence of God.
Reason 38: Justice and Health
We have already looked at the following passage earlier, but it is important to include it again here to complete the picture. In the book of Ezekiel, we read that God planned to send the people into exile because of their many sins. They also experienced terrible judgments, such as pestilence and famine. But what about the righteous? What would happen to someone who obeyed God’s commandments and laws? Would that person also suffer from plagues and sickness like the rest who lived in sin?
The word of the Lord came again to me, saying: “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord God. (...) “Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast, even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.” (Ezekiel 14:12-20)
This passage shows that even if an entire nation falls into sin, God still remembers the righteous. He does not allow a righteous person to perish because of the plague. It is clear that it is not God's will to punish the righteous with sickness or to treat them the same as those who rebel against Him. God is willing to make a distinction for the sake of the righteous. Even if the whole land is struck by pestilence, the righteous will be protected by God.
Reason 39: God Heals His Sheep
In the New Testament, believers are often described as sheep. Jesus and the Scriptures frequently compare us to sheep.
But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)
Jesus does not want people to be tired and helpless. He desires them to have a shepherd who will care for them. In the New Testament studies, we will explore more about Jesus’ teaching and healing. For now, it is important to see that Jesus wants His sheep to be guided by good shepherds—leaders who care for the flock with compassion.
Jesus was not the first to compare God’s people (in the Old Testament, primarily Israel) to sheep without a shepherd. The Old Testament prophets also used this image, often condemning the leaders of Israel as unfaithful shepherds.
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.” (Ezekiel 34:1-6)
God was displeased that the leaders of Israel did not care for His people—the sheep. He was angry that they did not strengthen the weak, heal the sick, or care for the injured. When we apply this to the New Testament Church, we see that God desires pastors and elders who truly care for the people. He wants the “weak” members of the Church to be strengthened—through teaching, prayer, and support. And He wants the sick to be healed, for example, through the prayer of faith.
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (James 5:14-15)
It is the responsibility of church leaders to care for their flock. God has entrusted His sheep to the care of these leaders, and it is their duty to look after them well.
In the following verses, God speaks directly to the shepherds of Israel and tells them that He is turning against them. Because they failed to care for the flock, He will take over and shepherd His people:
For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God. (Ezekiel 34:11-15)
This passage is first and foremost for the people of Israel. But God also wants to bless us with the same care and compassion. As Jesus said:
And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. (John 10:16)
We too have God as our Shepherd. If God leads the people of Israel to green pastures and still waters, He will do the same for Gentile believers. God does not say, “Here is an Israelite who believes in Me—let Me feed him, care for him, and give him the best food and drink,” and then think, “Here is a Gentile believer—let Me send him into the wilderness. He can eat scraps and drink from a polluted pool, and if he survives, he will learn to love Me.”
No, that is not God’s heart. What God wants to do as a Shepherd for Israel, He also wants to do for you and me. He desires to lead us, care for us, and provide for us as a good Shepherd.
And now we come to one of the most beautiful verses in Ezekiel 34, which speaks of healing:
I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; (...) (Ezekiel 34:16)
If the leaders of Israel choose not to care for the flock, then God will step in and care for them. He will strengthen the sick, bind up the broken, and bring back the lost. God will personally take action. This shows how important it is to Him that the sick be healed.
God began to fulfill this prophecy through the coming of Jesus to the earth. Let us look again at Matthew 9:
But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. (Matthew 9:36)
Did you know that this passage is connected to healing the sick? Just look at what happened immediately before this verse:
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. (Matthew 9:35)
Jesus did not only come to preach the good news—He also came to bring redemption from sickness and healing for the body. But He faced one major challenge: there were so many sick people, and the need was so great. Jesus could not do it all alone during His earthly ministry. That’s why He told His disciples to pray that God would send more laborers into the harvest.
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)
And what was the result of this prayer and desire of Jesus? More people were sent into ministry—to preach the gospel and heal the sick.
And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. (...) But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. (Matthew 10:1-8)
Jesus, the Great Shepherd, chose to send out “smaller” shepherds to care for the sheep. The disciples were sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But what exactly were they commanded to do? To preach, heal the sick, cleanse lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons. Do you see how God, as our Shepherd, desires to care for His sheep? Not only in their spiritual needs, but also in their physical needs.
We will continue studying New Testament passages in part two of this book, but for now, let us return to Ezekiel 34:
I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken. (Ezekiel 34:23-24)
God was deeply grieved by how the shepherds—the leaders of Israel—had treated the sheep. But He was also grieved by how the sheep treated one another. They hurt each other and kept each other from doing what was right. So, God promised to appoint another Shepherd over them—David.
David here is a type of Christ. This prophecy points forward to Jesus, whom God would appoint as the true Shepherd over His flock. And one thing is certain: we could not ask for a better Shepherd than Jesus Christ. He will bind us up, heal us, and care for us.
We see a similar picture in Jeremiah 23, where God rebukes the shepherds for neglecting the flock and promises to raise new shepherds who will truly care for His people. God desires shepherds who love and tend the sheep—not those who dominate them or abandon them. As our Shepherd, God always has our best interests at heart.
Reason 40: Healing in His Wings
Let us look at the prophecy of Malachi, the last of the Old Testament prophets:
But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. (Malachi 4:2)
This verse is part of a prophecy that speaks of the future—the Day of the Lord. The full fulfillment of this promise will take place in the future. Yet, even now, the promise remains true. Today, we can already find shelter under the wings of God. This image is beautifully expressed in Psalm 91:
He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid (...) of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. (...) Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; (Psalm 91:4-10)
Even today, we can take refuge under the wings of God. His presence is our protection. Just as a young chick is safe under the wings of its mother, we too are safe under the wings of the Lord. He will guard us and heal us. We can turn to Him at any time and find shelter—protection from sickness, evil, and danger.
Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings. (Psalm 17:8)
How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. (Psalm 36:7)
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34)
Today, there is a place prepared for you under the wings of God. It is a place of healing, mercy, and protection. Can you picture yourself leaping with joy like calves released from the stall? God wants you to live in joy and health, rejoicing in His presence and goodness.
Reason 41: The Exile was not God's Will
Finally, let us look at what the prophets say about the exile. As we saw in the studies on the Law of Moses, God promised to bless His people if they kept His commandments. But if they disobeyed, they would be sent into exile. God sent many prophets to warn the people and to call them to repentance. If they refused to repent, exile would come, along with sickness and trouble.
In the books of the prophets, we often see that God called His people to turn from their evil ways. God did not want to bring judgment. He wanted them to repent so that He would not have to send disaster, sickness, or exile. Here are some Bible verses that show this:
Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. (Ezekiel 18:27-28)
“Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!” (Ezekiel 18:31-32)
Seek good and not evil, That you may live; So the Lord God of hosts will be with you, As you have spoken. (Amos 5:14)
Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. (Jonah 3:10)
The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. (Jeremiah 18:7-8)
Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may relent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings. (Jeremiah 26:3)
“Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him— A grain offering and a drink offering For the Lord your God? (Joel 2:12-14)
God did not speak through just one prophet at one time, but through many prophets over a long period. It was not God's will to send His people into exile or to bring terrible plagues upon them. God had warned the people many times.
From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, this is the twenty-third year in which the word of the Lord has come to me; and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened. And the Lord has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear. They said, ‘Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. (Jeremiah 25:3-5)
Through the prophets, God made it clear to the people of Israel that they were sinning, and He called them to repent of their evil ways. When the Israelites turned from their sins, God would relent from the disaster He had planned and restore them. We see this pattern throughout the prophetic books. Sadly, the people did not listen to the prophets and did not repent. As a result, they were taken into exile.
When we consider the judgment God warned about if the people refused to repent, we see famine, exile, disease, and the other plagues listed as curses in the Law of Moses. We have already studied the curse. Now I want to briefly show that sickness was one of the consequences mentioned in the curse of the law. As we have read, the Israelites had a choice: they could live under the blessing or under the curse. Because they disobeyed God, they came under the curse.
Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law, will the Lord bring upon you until you are destroyed. (Deuteronomy 28:61)
Because the people of Israel sinned and turned away from God, He began to warn them through the prophets. But they would not listen. Therefore, terrible diseases came upon them. God wanted His people to stop sinning so that the sickness and the exile would not come. But they refused to obey. As a result, the Israelites became sick and were taken into exile—even though this was not God's desire. It was their choice and disobedience that brought these things upon them. Let us look at some Bible verses that show this:
(...) He will remember their iniquity now, And punish their sins. (...) When they fast, I will not hear their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I will not accept them. But I will consume them by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. (Jeremiah 14:10-12)
I will strike the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they shall die of a great pestilence. (Jeremiah 21:6)
‘And as the bad figs which cannot be eaten, they are so bad’—surely thus says the Lord—‘so will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, his princes, the residue of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt. (...) And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence among them, till they are consumed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers. (Jeremiah 24:8-10)
‘Therefore, as I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you; My eye will not spare, nor will I have any pity. One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; (...) (Ezekiel 5:11-12)
“Or if I send a pestilence into that land and pour out My fury on it in blood, and cut off from it man and beast, even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live,” says the Lord God, “they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.” For thus says the Lord God: “How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem—the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence—to cut off man and beast from it? (Ezekiel 14:19-20)
And say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Sidon; I will be glorified in your midst; And they shall know that I am the Lord, When I execute judgments in her and am hallowed in her. For I will send pestilence upon her, And blood in her streets; The wounded shall be judged in her midst By the sword against her on every side; Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel 28:22-23)
There are many other Scriptures in the prophets that speak of God sending pestilence or other diseases upon the people. It is important to understand the following: God did not send sickness because He wanted to. He did not say, “I feel like striking the people with pestilence for a while.” No! On the contrary, God was grieved that the people were suffering under the plague. That is why He sent prophets to call them to repentance. When the people repented, the plague and the sickness would cease in the land.
It is very important to read the passages that speak of God sending sickness to His people in the right context. When we understand the context, we see that these judgments were connected to the exile and the disobedience of the Israelites. In other words, God does not desire to afflict people with sickness. Israel lived under the curse because of their disobedience, and that is why they were afflicted with disease.
God sent His prophets so that the people of Israel could turn back to Him, be healed, and no longer live under the curse of sickness.
Summary
In this chapter, we have seen that the prophets spoke about the time of the exile, the coming of Jesus, and His return. A well-known Scripture about healing is found in Isaiah 53, where it was prophesied that Jesus would bear our sins and our sicknesses. Jesus suffered greatly on the cross and was mistreated before He was crucified. He was scourged, and His blood flowed from many wounds. He endured all this to bring healing to us. Jesus paid the price for our healing with His own life. He has already healed us—it is up to us to receive it by faith so that it becomes visible in our bodies.
Another well-known passage about healing is Isaiah 35, which says that the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf shall hear. This was fulfilled during the time Jesus, the Messiah, walked on the earth and it still applies to believers today. Jesus healed many who were sick and commanded His disciples to heal the sick as well.
We also saw that God cares for His sheep and desires them to be healthy. He calls leaders to care for the sheep and to heal the sick. God knew that human leaders were bad, so He sent His Son. Jesus is the perfect Shepherd who heals His sheep.
Under the wings of God, we find healing, protection, and rest. We can seek refuge under His wings, and according to Malachi 4, healing is found there. This picture is confirmed in Psalm 91.
Finally, it is important to understand that God did not send sickness to Israel because He desired to. He sent prophets to warn the people and to call them to repentance so that they could be healed. It was God’s will for His people to be healthy and to walk in His commandments. Sickness and exile came as a result of disobedience—not because God chose it in His sovereignty.