He Is Jehovah Rapha and He’s The God Who Heals

Jehovah-Rapha Meaning

The name Jehovah Rapha can be traced to two Old Testament Hebrew words, which when combined can mean “God who heals.”

To be, to exist, or to become known are all possible translations of the Hebrew word “Jehovah,” which comes from the term Havah. The translation of Rapha (râpâ) in Hebraic means “to restore” or “to heal.”

Jehovah-Rapha is also known as Yahweh-Rapha.

The backdrop of God’s revelation of His name, Jehovah-rapha, is an event that occurred early in the Israelites’ wilderness travels. They had just departed Egypt and crossed the Red Sea when Moses led them into the Desert of Shur, where they “traveled in the desert for three days without finding water” (Exodus 15:24)

The Israelites’ trial in the wilderness was quickly expanded upon. They came across a body of water, but they were unable to drink from it, which alarmed them greatly. They dubbed the water Marah, which means “bitter.” Their souls became bitter as well, and they complained against Moses saying, “What are we to drink?”

When does the Bible mention the first time that God is referred to as Jehovah-Rapha?

After their liberation from Egypt, God appeared as Jehovah-Rapha to the Israelites for the first time.

The Israelites were in dire need of water after three days of trekking through the Desert of Shur. They located a river, but it was unsuitable to drink due to its purity. The Israelites named the river Mahra (bitter) as a reflection of the water’s quality and their emotional state at that time.

The water was “divinely cleansed” by God when he instructed Moses to cast a piece of wood into the water, making it drinkable.

Then God revealed Himself as Jehovah Rapha to His people, declaring, “If you pay attention to the LORD your God and follow his instructions and keep all of his statues, I will not bring on you any of the plagues that I brought upon the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.” (Exodus 15:26)

This was another assurance from God to the Israelites, who had witnessed the 10 judgments that God unleashed upon all of Egypt before they were set free.

In what ways, then, does God heal as Jehovah-Rapha?

• The following biblical passages may be used to combat the following illnesses:
• Infirmity and illness (Psalm 41:3)
• Recovery from mental illness (Jonah 2:5-7)
• Exhaustion from religion (Psalm 23:3)
• Sorrow or emotional pain (Psalm 147:3)
• Anxiety or worry are problems that a lot of people struggle with (John 14:27)

God as the Healer in the Old Testament

The following are a few biblical citations that mention Jehovah-Rapha in the Old Testament:

Psalm 103:3: “Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,”

Psalm 147:3: He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Isaiah 30:26: “The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the LORD binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted.”

Jeremiah 30:17: “But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD, ‘because you are called an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares.”

Jeremiah 33:6: “Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.”

Hosea 6:1: “Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.

In the New Testament, Jehova-Rapha is mentioned in the Song of Solomon

In Isaiah 61:1, the prophet Isaiah foretold of Jesus’s healing ministry. This was confirmed by Matthew in Matthew 8:17, when he wrote, “it came to pass that while He yet talked to the people, behold, a certain scribe named Levi went up unto Him.”

In the New Testament, Jesus is referred to as the Great Physician (Mark 2 on). The four gospels record several of Jesus’ healing miracles, including the following:

– Healing a man with leprosy (Matthew 8:1-4)

– Forgiving and healing a paralyzed man (Mark 2:5-12)

– Raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:41-44)

– Restoring the eyesight of two blind men (Matthew 9:27-31)

– Healing a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years (Luke 8:42-48)

– Healing of a multitude of people from touching Jesus’ garment in Gennesaret (Mark 6:53-56)

Healing, according to Jesus’ teachings, was a result of the qualities that Jehovah-Rapha gave the Israelites in the Old Testament: physical healing as well as spiritual healing through forgiveness (James 5:14-16).

Is the Name Jehovah-Rapha Still Applicable to Us Today?

We may now request healing for our physical maladies and forgiveness for our sins by invoking Jehovah-Rapha today. We can ascend from our old sinful existence as new creations in everlasting fellowship with God thanks to the blood of the Great Physician, Jesus Christ.Additionally, as the Israelites were cleansed of their bitter hearts and resentment at the river Mahra, so we can ask God to examine our hearts and cleanse them of bitterness, pride, and other afflictions of the heart that are rooted in sin (Psalm 51:10).

A Prayer to Jehovah-Rapha

Father, we need your healing. I raise my request to you, Jehovah-Rapha for healing from past hurts and physical ailments that stunt my spiritual development. I reach out to you, and accept the healing that only you can give. Lord, fill me with the Holy Spirit’s power so that I may be used in the service of delivering healing to others. May my scars assist those who are hurting by providing inspiration. Help me to live in fullness and freshness of life right now and always more until I have a perfect body in heaven in your presence. Amen.