Humble Yourself, Pray, Seek
Yahweh's Face And Turn From Your Wicked Ways
2 Chronicles 7:12-16 reads,
7:12Yahweh
appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him, I have heard your prayer, and
have chosen this place to myself for a house of sacrifice. 7:13If I shut up the sky so that there is no
rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence
among my people; 7:14if my people,
who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face,
and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive
their sin, and will heal their land. 7:15Now
my eyes shall be open, and my ears attentive, to the prayer that is made in
this place. 7:16For now have I
chosen and made this house holy, that my name may be there forever; and my eyes
and my heart shall be there perpetually.
Heeding Yahweh's words, Yahweh's people should humble themselves, pray, seek Yahweh's face, and turn from their wicked ways. That Yahweh may indeed from heaven hear their prayers, forgive their sin, and heal them and their land, on account of the pestilences Yahweh sent them due to their sins.
It should indeed be noted that Yahweh's healing isn't limited to humans, but also extends to other aspects of his creation, including waters and land.
Yahweh Healed The People Upon
Hezekiah's Prayer
2 Chronicles 30 reads,
30:1Hezekiah
sent to all
30:6So
the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all
Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, You
children of Israel, turn again to Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
Israel, that he may return to the remnant that have escaped of you out of the
hand of the kings of Assyria. 30:7Don’t
be you like your fathers, and like your brothers, who trespassed against
Yahweh, the God of their fathers, so that he gave them up to desolation, as you
see. 30:8Now don’t you be
stiff-necked, as your fathers were; but yield yourselves to Yahweh, and enter
into his sanctuary, which he has sanctified forever, and serve Yahweh your God,
that his fierce anger may turn away from you. 30:9For
if you turn again to Yahweh, your brothers and your children shall find
compassion before those who led them captive, and shall come again into this
land: for Yahweh your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his
face from you, if you return to him. 30:10So
the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh,
even to Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. 30:11Nevertheless certain men of Asher and
Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to
30:13There
assembled at Jerusalem much people to keep the feast of unleavened bread in the
second month, a very great assembly. 30:14They
arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for
incense took they away, and cast them into the brook Kidron. 30:15Then they killed the Passover on the
fourteenth day of the second month: and the priests and the Levites were
ashamed, and sanctified themselves, and brought burnt offerings into the house
of Yahweh. 30:16They stood in their
place after their order, according to the law of Moses the man of God: the
priests sprinkled the blood which they received of the hand of the Levites. 30:17For there were many in the assembly who
had not sanctified themselves: therefore the Levites had the charge of killing
the Passovers for everyone who was not clean, to sanctify them to Yahweh. 30:18For a multitude of the people, even many
of Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet
did they eat the Passover otherwise than it is written. For Hezekiah had prayed
for them, saying, The good Yahweh pardon everyone 30:19who sets his heart to seek God, Yahweh,
the God of his fathers, though not cleansed according to the purification of
the sanctuary. 30:20Yahweh
listened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.
30:21The
children of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the feast of unleavened
bread seven days with great gladness; and the Levites and the priests praised
Yahweh day by day, singing with loud instruments to Yahweh. 30:22Hezekiah spoke comfortably to all the
Levites who had good understanding in the service of Yahweh. So they ate
throughout the feast for the seven days, offering sacrifices of
peace-offerings, and making confession to Yahweh, the God of their fathers. 30:23The whole assembly took counsel to keep
other seven days; and they kept other seven days with gladness. 30:24For Hezekiah king of Judah did give to the
assembly for offerings one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep; and the
princes gave to the assembly a thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep: and a
great number of priests sanctified themselves. 30:25All
the assembly of Judah, with the priests and the Levites, and all the assembly
who came out of Israel, and the sojourners who came out of the land of Israel,
and who lived in Judah, rejoiced. 30:26So
there was great joy in Jerusalem; for since the time of Solomon the son of
David king of Israel there was not the like in Jerusalem. 30:27Then the priests the Levites arose and
blessed the people: and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to his
holy habitation, even to heaven.
Healing Is Equated With
Forgiveness
It should be noted that healing is equated with pardon or forgiveness. For Yahweh's miraculous cleansing of the people was equated with his pardoning or healing them of their uncleanness or sin.
Yahweh Rebukes And Disciplines
By Sickness And Disease
Psalm 6 reads,
For the Chief Musician; on stringed
instruments, upon the eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm by David.
6:1Yahweh,
don’t rebuke me in your anger,
Neither discipline me in your wrath.
6:2Have
mercy on me, Yahweh, for I am faint.
Yahweh, heal me, for my bones are troubled.
6:3My
soul is also in great anguish.
But you, Yahweh — how long?
6:4Return,
Yahweh. Deliver my soul,
And save me for your lovingkindness’ sake.
6:5For
in death there is no memory of you.
In Sheol, who shall give you thanks?
6:6I
am weary with my groaning;
Every night I flood my bed;
I drench my couch with my tears.
6:7My
eye wastes away because of grief;
It grows old because of all my adversaries.
6:8Depart
from me, all you workers of iniquity,
For Yahweh has heard the voice of my weeping.
6:9Yahweh
has heard my supplication.
Yahweh will receive my prayer.
6:10May
all my enemies be ashamed and dismayed.
They shall turn back, they shall be disgraced suddenly.
David understood that the sickness he was experiencing was Yahweh rebuking and disciplining him. Yahweh therefore sometimes afflicts his servants with sickness in order to rebuke them and discipline them.
Healing Is Manifestation Of
Yahweh's Mercy
David also understood that by Yahweh healing him of his sickness he would be extending his mercy upon him. Healing is therefore a manifestation of Yahweh's mercy.
Healing Is Manifestation Of
Yahweh's Deliverance And Salvation
David also understood that by Yahweh healing him of his sickness he would also be delivering him and saving him from his affliction. Healing is therefore a manifestation of Yahweh's deliverance and salvation.
Ask Yahweh To Deliver You For
His Own Name's Sake, And Undertake To Serve Him Faithfully
It should be noted that David didn't ask Yahweh to heal or deliver him on account of David's great works. He simply appealed for Yahweh's mercy on account of Yahweh's own lovingkindness' sake. In other words, he asked Yahweh to deliver him of his affliction that he may indeed serve, praise and thank Yahweh. In other words, in exchange for Yahweh's mercy David was undertaking to faithfully serve Yahweh.
Learning from David, when we pray that Yahweh delivers us from our afflictions, we should ask him to so save us for his own name's sake. We should also undertake to faithfully and diligently serve him, abiding by his words, when he heals us, beginning our submission and diligent service to him even while we still need deliverance and healing.
Ask Yahweh To Heal You That
You May Praise Him
Psalm 30 reads,
A Psalm. A Song for the Dedication of the
Temple. By David.
30:1I
will extol you, Yahweh, for you have raised me up,
And have not made my foes to rejoice over me.
30:2Yahweh
my God, I cried to you, and you have healed me.
30:3Yahweh,
you have brought up my soul from Sheol.
You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
30:4Sing
praise to Yahweh, you saints of his.
Give thanks to his holy name.
30:5For
his anger is but for a moment;
His favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may stay for the night,
But joy comes in the morning.
30:6As
for me, I said in my prosperity,
"I shall never be moved."
30:7You,
Yahweh, when you favored me, made my mountain to stand strong.
But when you hid your face, I was troubled.
30:8I
cried to you, Yahweh.
To Yahweh I made supplication:
30:9"What
profit is there in my destruction, if I go down to the pit?
Shall the dust praise you? Shall it declare your truth?
30:10Hear,
Yahweh, and have mercy on me.
Yahweh, be my helper."
30:11You
have turned my mourning into dancing for me.
You have removed my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness,
30:12To the end that my heart may
sing praise to you, and not be silent.
Yahweh my God, I will give thanks to you
forever.
David joyfully thanked and praised Yahweh when Yahweh was merciful to him and healed him of his sickness leading unto death. Learning from David, we should likewise joyfully thank and praise Yahweh when he heals us. We should then be faithful to our undertakings to him at the times of our affliction, undertakings to the effect to diligently and faithfully serve him upon our healing and deliverance.
David Was Sick On Account Of
His Folly And Sin Against Yahweh
Psalm 38 reads,
A Psalm by David, for a memorial.
38:1Yahweh,
don’t rebuke me in your wrath,
Neither chasten me in your hot displeasure.
38:2For
your arrows have pierced me,
Your hand presses hard on me.
38:3There
is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation,
Neither is there any health in my bones because of my sin.
38:4For
my iniquities have gone over my head.
As a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
38:5My
wounds are loathsome and corrupt,
Because of my foolishness.
38:6I
am pained and bowed down greatly.
I go mourning all day long.
38:7For
my loins are filled with burning.
There is no soundness in my flesh.
38:8I
am faint and severely bruised.
I have groaned by reason of the anguish of my heart.
38:9Lord,
all my desire is before you.
My groaning is not hidden from you.
38:10My
heart throbs. My strength fails me.
As for the light of my eyes, it also is gone from me.
38:11My
lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague.
My kinsmen stand afar off.
38:12They
also who seek after my life lay snares.
Those who seek my hurt speak mischievous things,
And meditate deceits all day long.
38:13But
I, as a deaf man, don’t hear.
I am as a mute man who doesn’t open his mouth.
38:14Yes,
I am as a man who doesn’t hear,
In whose mouth are no reproofs.
38:15For
in you, Yahweh, do I hope.
You will answer, Lord my God.
38:16For
I said, "Don’t let them gloat over me,
Or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips."
38:17For
I am ready to fall.
My pain is continually before me.
38:18For
I will declare my iniquity.
I will be sorry for my sin.
38:19But
my enemies are vigorous and many.
Those who hate me without reason are numerous.
38:20They
who also render evil for good are adversaries to me,
Because I follow what is good.
38:21Don’t
forsake me, Yahweh.
My God, don’t be far from me.
38:22Hurry
to help me,
Lord, my salvation.
David clearly understood that his sickness was on account of his folly and sin against Yahweh. Yahweh was therefore punishing, rebuking and disciplining him with sickness on account of his sin.
Declare Your Sin And Seek
Yahweh's Mercy
David also understood that he needed to acknowledge and declare his sin, that Yahweh may forgive him for it, and manifest that forgiveness by healing or delivering him of his sickness. Learning from David we should likewise acknowledge and declare our sins, and seek Yahweh's mercy and forgiveness. This we should do whether or not we are sick, but more so when we are sick if we desire salvation from our sickness.
Consider The Poor That Yahweh
May Sustain You When You Are Sick
Psalm 41 reads,
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David.
41:1Blessed
is he who considers the poor:
Yahweh will deliver him in the day of evil.
41:2Yahweh
will preserve him, and keep him alive,
He shall be blessed on the earth,
And he will not surrender him to the will of his enemies.
41:3Yahweh
will sustain him on his sickbed,
And restore him from his bed of illness.
41:4I
said, "Yahweh, have mercy on me.
Heal me, for I have sinned against you."
41:5My
enemies speak evil against me:
"When will he die, and his name perish?"
41:6If
he come to see me, he speaks falsehood.
His heart gathers iniquity to itself.
When he goes abroad, he tells it.
41:7All
who hate me whisper together against me.
They imagine the worst for me.
41:8"An
evil disease," they say, "has afflicted him.
Now that he lies he shall rise up no more."
41:9Yes,
my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted,
Who ate bread with me,
Has lifted up his heel against me.
41:10But
you, Yahweh, have mercy on me, and raise me up,
That I may repay them.
41:11By
this I know that you delight in me,
Because my enemy doesn’t triumph over me.
41:12As
for me, you uphold me in my integrity,
And set me in your presence forever.
41:13Blessed
be Yahweh, the God of Israel,
From everlasting and to everlasting!
Amen and amen.
To facilitate Yahweh sustaining us when we are sick we should indeed be loving our neighbours, especially the poor and needy ones. For Yahweh remembers the good deeds we do during the times of our trouble, and shows us mercy on account of the good that we did.
Psalm 103:1-5 reads,
By David.
103:1Praise
Yahweh, my soul!
All that is within me, praise his holy name!
103:2Praise
Yahweh, my soul,
And don’t forget all his benefits;
103:3Who
forgives all your sins;
Who heals all your diseases;
103:4Who
redeems your life from destruction;
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
103:5Who
satisfies your desire with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Affliction Arises On Account
Of Disobedience And Iniquity
Psalm 107:16-21 reads,
107:16For
he has broken the gates of brass,
And cut through bars of iron.
107:17Fools
are afflicted because of their disobedience,
And because of their iniquities.
107:18Their
soul abhors all kinds of food.
They draw near to the gates of death.
107:19Then
they cry to Yahweh in their trouble,
He saves them out of their distresses.
107:20He
sends his word, and heals them,
And delivers them from their graves.
107:21Let
them praise Yahweh for his lovingkindness,
For his wonderful works to the children of men!
Yahweh Heals And Binds Up The
Wounds Of The Broken In Heart
Psalm 147:1-5 reads,
147:1Praise
Yah,
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant and fitting to praise him.
147:2Yahweh
builds up Jerusalem.
He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
147:3He
heals the broken in heart,
And binds up their wounds.
147:4He
counts the number of the stars.
He calls them all by their names.
147:5Great
is our Lord, and mighty in power.
His understanding is infinite.
Proverbs 3:7-8 reads,
3:7Don’t
be wise in your own eyes.
Fear Yahweh, and depart from evil.
3:8It
will be health to your body,
And nourishment to your bones.
Attend To Yahweh's Words For
Your Health
Proverbs 4:20-22 reads,
4:20My
son, attend to my words.
Turn your ear to my sayings.
4:21Let
them not depart from your eyes.
Keep them in the midst of your heart.
4:22For
they are life to those who find them,
And health to their whole body.
Proverbs 12:18 reads,
12:18There
is one who speaks rashly like the piercing of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise heals.
Why does the tongue of the wise heal? Because wisdom is Yahweh's words, and it is Yahweh's word that heals, seeing that Yahweh's word fulfils his desire.
Poverty And Shame Are More
Severe Forms Of Discipline Than Ill Health
Proverbs 13:17-18 reads,
13:17A
wicked messenger falls into trouble,
But a trustworthy envoy gains healing.
13:18Poverty
and shame come to him who refuses discipline,
But he who heeds correction shall be honored.
To facilitate our healing we should avoid wickedness and be trustworthy. We should also heed discipline and correction, even that Yahweh gives us through sickness on account of our folly and sin.
In other words, sickness on account of our folly and sin is a stage in Yahweh dealing with us. But if we refuse this disciple and correction then he sends us poverty and shame, implying that poverty and shame are more severe forms of discipline and correction.
Good News And Reproof
Facilitate Healing
Proverbs 15:30-32 reads,
15:30The
light of the eyes rejoices the heart.
Good news gives health to the bones.
15:31The
ear that listens to the reproof lives,
And will be at home among the wise.
15:32He
who refuses correction despises his own soul,
But he who listens to reproof gets understanding.
Good news is equated with Yahweh's word, seeing that it is Yahweh's word that provides healing or health to the bones.
Pleasant Words Facilitate Good
Health
Proverbs 16:24 reads,
16:24Pleasant
words are a honeycomb,
Sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
Pleasant words are Yahweh's words, as it is Yahweh's words that are health to the bones.
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