Jehovah-Rophe: The Lord Who Heals
In Exodus 15, we find the children of Israel in the wilderness. No longer did they have the food and water that was supplied for them in Egypt. In the wilderness they were thirsty, and sources of water were few and far between. Coming upon a water supply at an oasis called Marah, they rushed to get the water only to discover it was brackish—completely unfit for man or beast. If you’ve ever taken a mouthful of what used to be called “sulfur water” along the Florida coast or in some places in the Midwest, you know the taste.
The Israelites cried out to God in bitterness, asking why He had led them into such an inhospitable place. God told Moses to take a nearby branch and throw it into the pool of water and the water would be made sweet to the taste. Moses obeyed the Lord, the waters were changed, and the peoples’ needs were met.
In His concluding remarks to Moses, God told him that their experience with the bitter water had been a test; that if they would walk in the Lord’s commandments, He would keep them from experiencing any of the diseases He put upon the Egyptians—“For I am the Lord who heals you” (verse 26). So, in that place, Moses celebrated the Lord who heals.
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