JEHOVAH-ROPHE—I am the Lord, thy Physician, or I am the Lord that healeth thee. The first Jehovah name of God (Jehovah-jireh) reveals Him as the Provider. Jehovah-rophe reveals Him as Healer. The setting in which the name Jehovah-rophe first appears is in the wilderness. The Lord had been leading Israel in the wilderness for three days without water. Since the Lord God was not lost, He must deliberately have been keeping them from water. He will use this occasion to prove Himself in a new way. The people must have been excited when they came to the river, Marah. What disappointment when they found the waters were bitter! They may have wondered why God would trifle with them in their time of need. They knew they were in desperate need of water; God knew they were in desperate need of a revelation of Himself. It was time to reveal Himself in a new way. God would show the people that he had a provision for them that they had not previously known. There God “proved them” and made a “statute and ordinance” - a promise for health to those who were obedient. He told Moses to cut down a tree and cast it into the water. When it fell into the waters, they became sweet (Ex. 15:25-26). When Jesus was crucified, the atonement was made; God provided the Lamb. He was Jehovah-jireh. By the stripes He suffered, He was Jehovah-rophe. Isaiah 53:5 “he was wounded for our transgressions, … and with his stripes we are healed.”
Posted on: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 21:58:43 +0000