Jehovah RopheSample

The cure for Israel’s sin sickness was obedience to the Word of the Lord. For Israel to be spared from the diseases/plagues of the Egyptians, they were required to 

“Give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes” (Exodus 15:26). 

After the euphoria of celebrating God’s mighty deliverance from the Red Sea had dissipated, God wanted to know whether Israel would be obedient to His commands even when struggling through the wilderness. The key to healing Israel’s sin-sick hearts was found in obedience to God’s commands and trust in His guidance in spite of the circumstances encountered.

I want to remind you of the prophet Jeremiah’s question to a later generation of disobedient Israelites: “Is there no balm in Gilead?” (Jeremiah 8:22). This question was later popularized in the old hymn “There Is a Balm in Gilead” with the refrain that affirms: 

“There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole; there is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.”

The balm that heals our sin sickness is to know and to obey the commandments and statutes that God has given us in His Scriptures. As we learn to trust the Word of God regardless of our circumstances and obey that Word in the midst of life’s trials and tests, we will come to know the “Lord who heals,” and we will learn to call Him Jehovah Rophe.

If you would like to learn more about this powerful name and others, click here to download an e-book all about the names of God.