Jewish Lords' Witness

Jesus Guides The Doctors

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Physicians

​​​​​Introduction

This is the first of potentially four new Bible research papers that I am writing as a direct result of my having recently suffered a totally unexpected heart attack that required a 7-hour quintuple heart bypass operation. Why this should have happened to me at this point in the end-times chronology I will be covering in one of the other papers that I intend to publish on the subject.

This was the first time in my life that I had spent a lengthy stay as an in-patient in hospital and it gave me a seriously intimate insight into the medical profession as I had never seen it before. My overall impression of all the hospital staff that I met during my stay there was one of their love and care for the patients. This was from the cleaning and catering staff, through the nurses and medical doctors right through to the heart surgeons. Clearly, they were not in it for the money. I found it all a very humbling experience. Once I was well enough to be discharged from the hospital, I have to say that despite the loving care I received, I was nonetheless very glad to leave the hospital to continue my recovery in my own home. I marvelled at the fact that, while had been in the hospital for a total of some 5 weeks or so, the hospital staff were there for the rest of their working careers. This level of dedication to the care of others has helped me to further see my own shortcomings in that department!

Whilst I wish to not pick out any individuals in whose care I was blessed to be, there is one young nurse who sticks out in my immediate post-op recollection. On coming out of the operating theatre, the patients are sent immediately to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for the first couple of days post-op. The normal nurse-to-patient ratio in the ICU is 1:1 with the patients allocated nurses being in constant attendance 24/7. When I awoke from the anaesthetic an hour or so after exiting the operating theatre, I found that I had two nurses sitting by my bedside. Surprisingly I was compos mentis enough to ask if I was so sick as to warrant two nurses. The young nurse, Maria, commented that she had been one of my nurses in the pre-op ward and that she wanted to check up on me post-op. It transpired that she was doing this in her own time having had her shift end best part of an hour previously, God bless her. Whilst I have picked Maria out as a special case, I think she nonetheless represents the good-heartedness of the vast majority of the staff in the hospital.

This paper is dedicated to those medical professionals whose role in life is to care for the sick. In that regard I decided to search the scriptures to determine what the Bible has to say about the medical profession.

 

Sickness is a Part of Life

It is God’s intention that Adamic man can become ill as a result of our fall from grace. We need to remember that it is God Himself who determines who gets sick or wounded and who He heals for His purposes:

39 See now that I, [even] I, [am] he, and [there is] no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither [is there any] that can deliver out of my hand. (Deuteronomy 32 KJV)

26 and he said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians: for I am Jehovah that healeth thee. (Exodus 15 ASV)

18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. (Job 5 KJV)

1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. (Hosea 6 KJV)

The wise King Solomon identifies numerous necessary aspects of our lives. Amongst those sickness and the consequent healing is an expected part to which we are all familiar to varying extents:

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; (Ecclesiastes 3 KJV)

Now, whilst this next verse is highly symbolic, it clearly identifies medicinal cures and physicians as a necessary means to promote the good health of mankind:

22 [Is there] no balm in Gilead; [is there] no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered? (Jeremiah 8 KJV)
 

Sickness and The Law

The whole of Leviticus Chapters 13-15 are dedicated to the Law on dealing with the plague of leprosy and other illnesses and uncleanliness. Below I provide a small sample of verses from Leviticus 13-15; I do not think reproducing the whole of the three Chapters consisting of well over a hundred verses will add much to this discussion:

2 When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh [like] the plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one of his sons the priests: (Leviticus 13 KJV)

46 All the days wherein the plague [shall be] in him he shall be defiled; he [is] unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp [shall] his habitation [be]. (Leviticus 13 KJV)

In Chapter 13, there appears to be little medical help offered here except the examining of the symptoms to determine if they are commensurate with the disease of leprosy or not. We have the isolation and re-examining of potential victims. Also, the destruction by cleansing or fire of any clothing that may contain the infection. So, we have much avoidance of the spreading of the disease but there appears to be no form of medication to alleviate it. Also, the Aaronic priesthood are those diagnosing the symptoms, so they would appear to be the physicians of the day.

Moving on to Chapter 14 we appear to have the prospective cleansing of lepers but according to God’s rules of sanctification through the use of blood sacrifice and priestly administration of various substances and ritualistic practices. Neither of these come into the realm of modern-day medicinal care. The take-away from this is that it is the Lord’s power that came into force to exorcise the plague from the sufferer but only in the circumstances that the appropriate rituals are strictly adhered to. This is as much a lesson for all of us to understand how we must exorcise spiritual as well as physical sickness from our souls (check out my Cleanliness paper):

2 This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest: (Leviticus 14 KJV)

6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird [that was] killed over the running water:
7 And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field. (Leviticus 14 KJV)

57 To teach when [it is] unclean, and when [it is] clean: this [is] the law of leprosy. (Leviticus 14 KJV)

Chapter 15 then moves on to discuss other matters surrounding ‘discharges’ which seem to fit into the two categories of the genuine sickness of infection and that of natural seminal and menstrual flow. Whilst the latter are normal biological functions, they are nonetheless categorised by the Law as matters of uncleanliness to be treated as those identified as infections:

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When any man hath a running issue out of his flesh, [because of] his issue he [is] unclean. (Leviticus 15 KJV)

14 And on the eighth day he shall take to him two turtle-doves, or two young pigeons, and come before Jehovah unto the door of the tent of meeting, and give them unto the priest:
15 and the priest shall offer them, the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him before Jehovah for his issue.
16 And if any man's seed of copulation go out from him, then he shall bathe all his flesh in water, and be unclean until the even. (Leviticus 15 ASV)

19 'And in case a woman is having a running discharge, and her running discharge in her flesh proves to be blood, she should continue 7 days in her menstrual impurity, and anyone touching her will be unclean until the evening. (Leviticus 15 NWT)

29 And on the eighth day she shall take to herself two turtledoves, or two young doves, and bring them to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
30 And the priests shall offer the one [for] a sin offering, and the other [for] a burnt offering; and the priest shall atone for her before Jehovah for the issue of her uncleanness.
31 So you shall separate the sons of Israel from their uncleanness, and they shall not die in their uncleanness, when they defile My tabernacle that [is] in their midst.
32 This [is] the law of him that issues, and of him from whom semen goes out, for uncleanness by it;
33 and of her who is menstruating in her impurity, and of him from whom the issue [goes], of a male or of a female, and of a man who lies with an unclean woman. (Leviticus 15 GLT)

So, I think it is made very clear in God’s Law that Adamic mankind will suffer disease but should take appropriate means to cleanse himself from it.

 

Leprosy

All the above raise at least one question in my mind. Why do we have a whole chapter (Leviticus 13) on just the one disease - leprosy? I think the disease was calculated by God to be the physical sickness that mirrors man’s spiritual sickness. Both were difficult to cure, needing the combination of God’s intervention, significant ritualistic effort on the part of the patient and the priest and separation from the healthy ones until such time as the patient achieves cleanliness. That separation is reiterated later in the scriptures:

1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is unclean by the dead:
3 both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camp, in the midst whereof I dwell.
4 And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp; as Jehovah spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel. (Numbers 5 ASV)

Leprosy and lepers are mentioned numerous times throughout the Bible in various contexts. Let us have a look at a selection of them to see if they throw further light on the nature and purpose of that awful disease.

The first occurrence of leprosy in scripture was to be used by God as a sign to the children of Israel that He, Jehovah, had indeed appeared before Moses. It is clear in these verses that God could make leprosy appear and disappear instantly at His will. To me this also testifies that the physical disease mirrors the spiritual. Trust in God can cure both maladies:

5 That they may believe that Jehovah, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.
6 And Jehovah said furthermore unto him, Put now thy hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as [white as] snow.
7 And he said, Put thy hand into thy bosom again. (And he put his hand into his bosom again; and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was turned again as his [other] flesh.)
8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. (Exodus 4 ASV)

Similarly, God used leprosy as a punishment against Miriam who had spoken out against Moses. This was an instant occurrence at God’s hand which was eventually only resolved after seven days of Moses’ appealing to God to heal her:

9 And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against them; and he departed.
10 And the cloud removed from over the Tent; and, behold, Miriam was leprous, as [white as] snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. (Numbers 12 ASV)

13 And Moses cried unto Jehovah, saying, Heal her, O God, I beseech thee.
14 And Jehovah said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut up without the camp seven days, and after that she shall be brought in again. (Numbers 12 ASV)

And just in case we had not yet got the point, we are again reminded of the rituals required to purge leprosy from our midst together with the punishment that God had brought upon Miriam:

8 Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you: as I commanded them, so ye shall observe to do.
9 Remember what Jehovah thy God did unto Miriam, by the way as ye came forth out of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 24 ASV)

And then we have the rather convoluted tale of Naaman the leper. The first thing to note is that, even as a leper, this did not seem to prevent Naaman from being a great man of the Syrian army with Jehovah’s help. I suspect that he just had the mild early onset symptoms of the disease to allow him to carry out his important responsibilities. Despite some resistance from Naaman, Elisha was able to cure him of his leprosy by following Jehovah’s ritual:

1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him Jehovah had given victory unto Syria: he was also a mighty man of valor, [but he was] a leper.
2 And the Syrians had gone out in bands, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maiden; and she waited on Naaman's wife.
3 And she said unto her mistress, Would that my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! then would he recover him of his leprosy.
4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maiden that is of the land of Israel.
5 And the king of Syria said, Go now, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand [pieces] of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, And now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.
7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? but consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
8 And it was so, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.
9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of Jehovah his God, and wave his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
12 Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
14 Then went he down, and dipped [himself] seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. (2 Kings 5 ASV)

In a rather more serious example of God’s using leprosy as a punishment compared with that of Miriam, King Uzziah was struck with the disease as a result of his taking over the role of priest unauthorised by God. This was a terminal case. The king was separated from his people and died of the disease:

19 Then Uzziah was wroth; and he had a censer in his hand to burn incense; and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy brake forth in his forehead before the priests in the house of Jehovah, beside the altar of incense.
20 And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out quickly from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because Jehovah had smitten him.
21 And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a separate house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of Jehovah: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land. (2 Chronicles 26 ASV)

Moving on to the time of Christ we see that Jesus had the same power as Jehovah in instantly removing the disease from those who portrayed their faith:

2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
3 And Jesus put forth [his] hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. (Matthew 8 KJV)

Now one verse that I find very strange is to be found later in Matthew’s Gospel. Here Jesus is staying in the house of a leper. Presumably Jesus had no risk pf catching the disease, but why stay in such a house unless to prove the point? Did Jesus cure him? We are not told that He did! Why are we even given this information since it seems to have no overt purpose in scripture? Letters in a sealed envelope to the usual address please:

6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, (Matthew 26 KJV)

So, what do we know of the disease today? Well, it would appear to be one of the oldest known diseases throughout the whole of history and can still be found today although it does seem to be under control or almost non-existent in most parts of the world. It is difficult to contract except under circumstances of close, confined and extended contact with sufferers. Today a multi-drug regime is successful in killing off the responsible bacteria and curing the patient.

So why did God pick this particular disease to demonstrate the vulnerability of the human body and His powers to cause and prevent the disease? Well, firstly the multi-drug regime was not available in biblical times so the only means of curing a leper was through God’s specified ritualistic practices performed by His authorised priesthood or through the miraculous and instant Word of God or Christ. Also, despite the disease being relatively difficult to contract under normal circumstances, God used it as an instant means of punishment which may well have meant that no-one actually caught the disease except by the will of God.

If left unchecked, the disease leaves a horrible disfigurement on its sufferers’ bodies which clearly delivered a message of uncleanliness to all observers in biblical times. Also, the disease can last for a long time on any one sufferer prior to death so also appears as a long-term message from God. I think this was clearly meant as a sign of a spiritual observation as well as a medical one. For further details on the disease please check out: https://www.britannica.com/science/leprosy/Transmission.

 

Good Physicians

Arguably the best physician the world has ever known is Jesus Christ (check out my earlier paper Jesus Christ Superdoc). Here, Luke refers to Jesus' healing powers being bestowed upon Him from the Holy Spirit.

38 [even] Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. (Acts 10 ASV)

The Gospels make mention of His healing many people:

14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. (Matthew 14 KJV)

11 And the people, when they knew [it], followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing. (Luke 9 KJV)

Nonetheless the people in his own neighbourhood doubted His abilities and status as the Messiah and healer hence his cryptic and famous comment to them:

23 And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country. (Luke 4 KJV)

There are numerous accounts of Jesus healing various different ailments. One example is His restoring the sight of the blind:

52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way. (Mark 10 KJV)

Another example is provided by the haemorrhaging woman who was cured purely through her faith. In this case, Jesus did not even have to make a deliberate act of healing her but felt the power leave Him through her own action. This account also makes clear the limitations to curing sickness by the physicians of the day:

43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
44 Came behind [him], and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press [thee], and sayest thou, Who touched me?
46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.
47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.
48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. (Luke 8 KJV)

The disciples received the gifts of the spirit, which bestowed upon them Jesus‘ own power to heal the physically sick and cleanse the spirits of men from demonic possession:

1 And when he had called unto [him] his twelve disciples, he gave them power [against] unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. (Matthew 10 KJV)

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. (Matthew 10 KJV)
9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; (1 Corinthians 12 KJV)

Amongst the blessed ones on Jesus’ right hand are those who tend after the sick ones of Jesus’ brethren. In humbly hoping that I come into the category of the least of Jesus’ followers, then all the medical and associated staff that looked after me in my stay in hospital shall inherit their portion in God’s Kingdom:

34 'Then shall the king say to those on his right hand, Come ye, the blessed of my Father, inherit the reign that hath been prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
35 for I did hunger, and ye gave me to eat; I did thirst, and ye gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and ye received me;
36 naked, and ye put around me; I was infirm, and ye looked after me; in prison I was, and ye came unto me.
37 'Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see thee hungering, and we nourished? or thirsting, and we gave to drink?
38 and when did we see thee a stranger, and we received? or naked, and we put around?
39 and when did we see thee infirm, or in prison, and we came unto thee?
40 'And the king answering, shall say to them, Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye did {it} to one of these my brethren -- the least -- to me ye did {it}. (Matthew 25 YLT)

Professional physicians were certainly on the scene to serve the OT patriarchs. Joseph used their services to embalm his father Israel upon his death:

2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel. (Genesis 50 KJV)

Luke, the author of the same named Gospel, was a constant companion of Paul        (https://www.bibleref.com/Colossians/4/Colossians-4-14.html). For Paul to describe Luke as a beloved physician certainly puts that profession in very good esteem indeed:

14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you. (Colossians 4 KJV)

Then we have the famous story of the good Samaritan. There is no evidence to suggest that the Samaritan was a physician by profession, but he obviously had some basic first aid knowledge which he applied, no doubt with God's blessing:

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion [on him],
34 And went to [him], and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. (Luke 10 KJV)
 

Physical and Spiritual Health

Jesus acknowledged the benefit of a physician to those in ill physical health. In doing so, He compared Himself as a physician of spiritual health to tend those of a sickly spirit:

12 But when Jesus heard [that], he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
13 But go ye and learn what [that] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Matthew 9 KJV)

31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are in health have no need of a physician; but they that are sick.
32 I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. (Luke 5 ASV)

17 When Jesus heard [it], he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (Mark 2 KJV)

After His crucifixion, it was acknowledged that His sacrificial blood was the means by which His spiritual healing was still active

24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2 KJV)

Jesus was able to cure those with physical diseases and those with the spiritual malady of demon-possession:

32 And evening coming, when the sun sank, they brought to Him all those having illness and those having been demon-possessed.
33 And the whole city was gathered at the door.
34 And He healed many who had illness of various diseases. And he cast out many demons, and [He] did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him. (Mark 1 GLT)

40 And the sun sinking, all, as many as had sick ones with various diseases, brought them to Him. And laying hands on each one of them, He healed them.
41 And also demons came out from many, crying out and saying, You are the Christ, the Son of God! And rebuking [them], He did not allow them to speak, for they knew Him to be the Christ. (Luke 4 GLT)

24 and his fame went forth to all Syria, and they brought to him all having ailments, pressed with manifold sicknesses and pains, and demoniacs, and lunatics, and paralytics, and he healed them. (Matthew 4 YLT)

In one interesting account, a paralysed man had his sins forgiven him by Christ due to his faith. The interesting point in this account is that a physically sick man had his spirit cleansed, but there is no mention that his physical illness was cured by Christ. If nothing else, perhaps this account is telling us that spiritual cleanliness is somewhat more important than physical well-being:

18 And, behold, men carrying on a cot a man who was paralyzed. And they sought to bring him in, and to lay [him] before Him.
19 And not finding a way through [which] they might bring him in through the crowd, going up on the housetop, they let him down through the tiles with the cot, into the midst, in front of Jesus.
20 And seeing their faith, He said to him, Man, your sins have been forgiven you. (Luke 5 GLT)

Some 8 centuries earlier we have the amazing prophesy of Isaiah acknowledging that Jesus’ physical wounds and sacrifice bestowed the healing, both physical and spiritual, upon the faithful of mankind:

5 But He was wounded for our transgressions; [He was] bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His wounds we ourselves are healed. (Isaiah 53 GLT)

That prophecy was reprised in the Gospel of Matthew:

16 And when even was come, they brought unto him many possessed with demons: and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were sick:
17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying: Himself took our infirmities, and bare our diseases. (Matthew 8 ASV)

Let us consider Jehovah’s promise to the Children of Israel to remove their physical sickness:

25 And ye shall serve Jehovah your God, and he will bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. (Exodus 23 ASV)

Nonetheless Isaiah’s writings start with the parlous state of Judah’s unrighteous behaviour. Their lack of spiritual good health uses metaphors of poor physical health without the benefit of medical treatments:

4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, children that deal corruptly! they have forsaken Jehovah, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are estranged [and gone] backward.
5 Why will ye be still stricken, that ye revolt more and more? the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; [but] wounds, and bruises, and fresh stripes: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with oil. (Isaiah 1 ASV)

Some 150 years after Isaiah’s prophecy regarding our Saviour, Jeremiah returned to Jehovah’s promise to Israel to restore the nation’s health. Here I think we can certainly take that to mean both physical and spiritual health in the Kingdom to come:

17 For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith Jehovah; because they have called thee an outcast, [saying], It is Zion, whom no man seeketh after. (Jeremiah 30 ASV)

God continued in His promise even after the children of Israel had sinned against Him:

6 Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. (Jeremiah 33 KJV)

A little earlier in his writings, Jeremiah asks for his own physical and spiritual health to be restored:

14 Heal me, O Jehovah, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise. (Jeremiah 17 ASV)

And similarly with Ezekiel’s writings:

16 The lost I seek, and the driven away bring back, And the broken I bind up, and the sick I strengthen, And the fat and the strong I destroy, I feed it with judgment. (Ezekiel 34 YLT)

And David’s:

19 Then they cry unto Jehovah in their trouble, And he saveth them out of their distresses.
20 He sendeth his word, and healeth them, And delivereth [them] from their destructions. (Psalms 107 ASV)

An early indication of physical versus spiritual health comes in regards to King Asa’s death which would appear to have arisen from his diseased feet. The point here is that he sought the support of his physicians but did not ask for God’s help to cure his disease. The implication is that, if he had, then he would probably have had a good few more years on this earth. An interesting aside here is that there is also mention of the services of apothecaries for his funeral arrangements. So, we have the full medical team of doctors and pharmacists within the ranks of the Children of Israel. This mirrors today’s medical profession thereby legitimising God’s approval of such service provision:

12 And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease [was] exceeding [great]: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.
13 And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign.
14 And they buried him in his own sepulchres, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds [of spices] prepared by the apothecaries' art: and they made a very great burning for him. (2 Chronicles 16 KJV)

In stark contrast to King Asa, we have the case of the sick woman who also was failed by physicians but who then put her faith in the healing qualities of our saviour as we saw in the previous section. Her faith enabled her to make an immediate and complete return to good physical health due to her good spiritual health:

25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in [her] body that she was healed of that plague. (Mark 5 KJV)

33 And the woman, being afraid and trembling, knowing what had happened on her, she came and fell down before Him and told Him all the truth.
34 And He said to her, Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be whole from your plague. (Mark 5 GLT)

The wise King Solomon confirms that by keeping a good heart condition with Jehovah we are also helping to maintain good physical health:

7 Do not become wise in your own eyes. Fear Jehovah and turn away from bad.
8 May it become a healing to your navel and a refreshment to your bones. (Proverbs 3 NWT)

20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they [are] life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. (Proverbs 4 KJV)

As did his father David before him:

2 Bless Jehovah, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits:
3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases; (Psalms 103 ASV)

2 O Jehovah my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
3 O Jehovah, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. (Psalms 30 ASV)

In this next verse, David would appear to be speaking both of God’s spiritual as well as His physical healing powers in one succinct statement. This is particularly pertinent to my own recent situation in which God kept my surgeon’s knife steady in replacing my damaged heart arteries:

3 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. (Psalms 147 KJV)

Taken at face value, the wise King Solomon tells us that a healthy heart keeps our body alive. Since this is such an obvious statement, hardly worthy of mention by anyone let alone in the Book of Proverbs, Solomon was clearly referring to one’s heathy spiritual heart keeping our fleshly bodies healthy. This must be the case since he also refers to the negative effects of bad thoughts on our bodies:

30 A sound heart [is] the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones. (Proverbs 14 KJV)

Similarly, Solomon comments on the negative effect upon the spiritual and physical hearts of disappointment of a hope not fulfilled but recognising the positive health benefits when that hope is realised. As I have found during my convalescent period post-op, there is little doubt that a positive outlook aids one’s bodily health. The health of the whole soul clearly figures in Solomon’s writing:

12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but [when] the desire cometh, [it is] a tree of life. (Proverbs 13 KJV)

Again, David states that Jehovah will sustain the righteous ones in their days of physical sickness. This verse is then immediately followed by David’s plea to Jehovah to heal his whole soul, spirit as well as his physical body. Once again, there is no mention of the services of physicians when God is directly involved in one’s healing:

3 Jehovah will uphold him on the couch of sickness; You change all his bed in his sickness.
4 I said, O Jehovah be gracious to me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against You. (Psalms 41 GLT)

Similarly in David’s Psalm 6:

2 Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah; for I am withered away: O Jehovah, heal me; for my bones are troubled.
3 My soul also is sore troubled: And thou, O Jehovah, how long? (Psalms 6 ASV)

Likewise, Isaiah wrote to the effect that a righteous way of life will lead both to good physical well-being as well as good spiritual health:

8 Then broken up as the dawn is thy light, And thy health in haste springeth up, Gone before thee hath thy righteousness, The honour of Jehovah doth gather thee. (Isaiah 58 YLT)

11 and Jehovah will guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in dry places, and make strong thy bones; and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. (Isaiah 58 ASV)

James, in his letter to the twelve tribes, entreats the physically sick to be treated by prayers and oil from the congregation elders thereby providing spiritual support for their infirmities. I am by no means certain that the anointing of oil was expected to provide a true physical healing medication. In my own case I was too ill to directly request the presence of our church President, Gordon, to my hospital bed. My bad, but I am well aware that he and many of those in our congregation were praying for my swift recovery from what was a serious piece of heart surgery:

14 Is any sick among you? 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:
15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. (James 5 KJV)

John, in his letter to Gaius, wishes him well both in physical and spiritual health:

2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. (3 John 1 KJV)

Ironically one reference to bad physicians is made by Job but is aimed specifically at a metaphorical and therefore spiritual level to those who tell lies

4 But ye [are] forgers of lies, ye [are] all physicians of no value. (Job 13 KJV)

Medical Treatment

Well, it seems that the scriptures even give us advice on medical treatments. This one I rather like, since I often tell myself that a little of what you fancy is good for one’s health:

23 No longer drink water, but use a little wine on account of your stomach and your frequent infirmities. (1 Timothy 5 GLT)

Also, following on from the previous section, a good heart condition aids one’s physical health. This I have certainly found to be the case in that, through my recovery period post-operation, I certainly found that the days when I was in good spirits were the days when my physical health seemed to benefit directly. And the opposite was the case when I was in low spirits:

22 A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. (Proverbs 17 KJV)

Similarly, even the presence of kind words from a faithful visitor can improve the spiritual heart condition of sick ones thereby bringing about an improvement in their physical health. Evil speaking has the very opposite effect on one's physical well-being: 

17 A wicked messenger falls into evil, but a faithful ambassador [is] healing. (Proverbs 13 GLT)

24 Pleasant words [are as] an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. (Proverbs 16 KJV)

18 Some wound as they speak, [like] swords; but the tongues of the wise heal. (Proverbs 12 LXXb)

Isaiah requested that a cake of dried figs be applied as a poultice to King Hezekiah on a life-threatening ulcer. It is debatable as to how far the figs provided a genuine medical cure (https://ferrelljenkins.blog/2014/04/28/visualizing-isaiah-38-a-cake-of-figs-for-medication/), but it certainly worked by adding fifteen more years to Hezekiah’s life. It looks as if the figs were little more than a symbolic sign that Jehovah would act through Isaih’s words to save the King’s life:

5 Go back, and you must say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, 'This is what Jehovah the God of David your forefather has said: I have heard your prayer. I have seen your tears. Here I am healing you. On the 3rd day you will go up to the house of Jehovah.
6 And I shall certainly add 15 years to your days, and out of the palm of the king of Assyria I shall deliver you and this city, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for the sake of David my servant.'
7 And Isaiah went on to say: You men, take a cake of pressed dried figs. So they took and put it upon the boil, after which he gradually revived. (2 Kings 20 NWT)

21 And Isaiah proceeded to say: Let them take a cake of pressed dried figs and rub [it] in upon the boil, that he may revive. (Isaiah 38 NWT)

And whilst God confirms that there were indeed medicines and dressings available for the healing of physical ailments, none were available at a spiritual level for any nation operating at odds with Jehovah:

10 For that day is [a day] of the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour and be satiate, and shall drink its fill of their blood; for the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt: in vain dost thou use many medicines; there is no healing for thee. (Jeremiah 46 ASV)

21 Son of man, I have shattered the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And behold, it shall not be bound up to give healing, to set a bandage to bind it, to make it strong to handle the sword. (Ezekiel 30 GLT) 

 
Synopsis

1. I wrote this paper, the first potentially of four, based on my having suffered a totally unexpected heart attack followed by a 7-hour quintuple  heart bypass operation together with my first long-term stay as a hospital in-patient.
   
2. Mankind’s diseases and cures were largely in God’s hands in biblical times. While I believe this is still the case, there is no doubt that modern-day advances in medicine have contributed to a larger proportion of cures being made possible. Nonetheless there are still an enormous number of maladies that still plague mankind on a global basis.
   
3. God’s Law makes it very clear that Adamic mankind will suffer disease but should take appropriate means to cleanse himself from it.
   
4. Leprosy takes up the whole of Leviticus Chapter 13 and appears on numerous occurrences in the rest of the Bible text. I think this disease was calculated by God to be the physical sickness that mirrors man’s spiritual sickness. God used leprosy as a punishment to demonstrate the spiritual uncleanliness of the victim.
   
5. Physicians generally seem to have been reported in the Scriptures with good esteem, Jesus being the most notably successful at healing the sick by some considerable distance. Those tending any sick amongst Jesus’ own followers will certainly find their place in the Kingdom.
   
6. Scripture refers heavily to the provision of healing for the spiritually sick. There are numerous examples where good spiritual health led directly to good physical health. This is true both of Jesus’ healing powers and those of His Father, Jehovah, before Him. Spiritual health is frequently described metaphorically in terms of physical health.
   
7. While medicines and dressings were available in biblical times, it does not seem that they were all that effective in treating illness or injury compared with spiritual balm.

 

Conclusion

There are numerous references in the Bible to the curing of diseases. So, the many ailments that can beset mankind were as prevalent in those times as they are today. Today, however, our medical advances mean that we are now able to treat more of those ailments with considerable success, my own treatment for angina being a case in point. Whilst physicians in those days were treated with much respect, as indeed they are today, their reach in fixing all the ills of mankind were limited. One might argue the same case today. Mankind has greater need of spiritual healing than purely medicinal cures. However, God bless those in the medical profession who have decided to devote their lives to the physical healing of their fellow man. Amen.

Date of Publication:  22nd August 2024