As we continue to look at some of my favorite scriptures in our Word Up series I am drawn to Genesis 20:17. Genesis 20:17 is the first mention of healing in the Bible. Let's look at our text in the New Living Translation:
"Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, so they could have children."
Again, in this series, it is not my goal to completely dissect the passages or verses. This verse is pregnant with meaning (no pun intended:) and you actually could spend some time discovering it all. If this verse speaks to you, I encourage you to go deeper with it!
I do want to set up the context for you. Abimelech is the king who took a hankering to Sarah. Abraham lied to Abimelech and said Sarah was his sister. However, God came to Abimelech in a dream and informed him Sarah was already married and not to lay a finger on her. You can read the whole story in Genesis 20.
This made my favorites list for several reasons, I will cover two of them in this post. First, I am passionate about pursuing the healing Christ purchased for us on the cross in body, soul and spirit. Although my passion falls in the area of inner healing (soul/heart hurts) I have learned through in depth study of the subject it is also the will of God to physically heal and many times inner and physical healing are related (this is a whole other topic for another day:)
Second, I love verses, especially ones like this, that tell a story which set a precedent. I firmly believe we can look at what God has done in the past and claim those promises in the here and now. Because God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34) what He does for one, He will do for another.
This verse is cross referenced to James 5:16 which says, "Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results."
In reference to this story we see confession and prayer were applied. The fruit was healing to the wombs of Abimelech's wife and maids. They all bore children!
Yes, we live in a fallen world and sickness, disease, etc. are part of the fall...BUT, God sent us His son, Jesus, to make a way back to Him. Through Jesus we can be saved, which includes not only salvation, but healing and deliverance (according to the Greek word SOZO.) We will talk more about the word Sozo in the future.
Ask the Holy Spirit if there is any area in which you need to confess, so you may receive healing according to James 5:16. I have applied this kingdom principle many times and have received tremendous healing of the heart...which, say it with me, makes my soul sing!
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As I read the Gen 20:17 account in contest, I see that the healing of Abimelech was the removal of judgement by God upon him and his household. This is the first mention of the wortk heal, so the primary purpose of "healing" is of a spiritual nature: restoring fellowship with God by the blood of Jesus. Am I wrong?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting. If I have understood your question correctly you are asking if healing in the body was bought by the blood of Jesus. I believe the cross bought healing for us spiritually, as well as physically. I have addressed the topic of healing in an article you can read here:
http://www.iggm.org/clientimages/36405/amydover-divinehealing.pdf
But, the first scripture that came to my mind when I read your question was 3 John 2 "Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers." (NASB) Jesus cares for us not only in spirit, but also in body.
The Greek word Sozo which is used many times in the New Testament is translated, salvation, healing and deliverance. Christ purchased for us the complete package...and yes, restoration of fellowship with the Father was part of the package. I am forever grateful for the complete and finished work of the cross!