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February 7, 1999, Sunday
Would you want to listen to someone if they promised that
they would pay all of your debts? Would you weigh carefully
in your mind the requirements for such a promise to be true?
Would you be grateful to the person that made it possible to
be free and clear of the debt?
Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah that would come to
earth and pay the penalty for the sin debt of man. That
payment was made to heal us of our sin infirmity. His
humiliating manner of death was the payment that He
made that we might go free--"But because of our sins He
was wounded, He was beaten because of the evil we did.
We are healed by the punishment He suffered, made whole
whole by the blows He received" (Isa 53:5). The condition
of healing to the soul, that it might be free from sin, is the
acknowledgement of sin by the sinner, acceptance of the
remedy and payment for the sin by the sinner, and acceptance
of facts that Jesus will be the Lord of the healed sinner.
The Lord spoke through Isaiah to tell His people the only
requirement of quick healing and how one could find favor in
God's eyes---"Then My favor will shine on you like the morning
sun, and your wounds will be quickly healed. I will always
be with you to save you; My presence is protection on every
side" (Isa 58:8). The requirement is a change of heart that
removes the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice,
and lets the oppressed go free; That shares one's food with
the hungry and opens one's home to the homeless poor; That
gives clothes to those who have nothing to wear, and does not
refuse to help one's own relatives.
Luke tells us that Jesus was amazed that after finding favor
in the eyes of God to be healed, one out of the ten men that
He healed returned to thank Him and humbled himself to Jesus-
"Jesus spoke up, "There were ten who were healed; where are
the other nine?" (Luke 17:17). The surprise of Jesus was that
only one had enough gratitude to desire His presence and make
the sacrifice of praise to Him---"Why is this foreigner the only
one who came back to give thanks to God?" And Jesus said
to him, "Get up and go; your faith has made you well".
Let us remember who is the God that is our Healer. God's
Name is Jehová Rophe. He is the God that is our Healer.
He binds up our wounds and heals all of our infirmities. To
the brokenhearted, He comforts the soul. To the person who
is down, the Sun of Rightousness Rises with healing in His
wings. Lift your hands to Him and Praise Him today for
the fact that He is the God that heals us of the spiritual
infirmities that trouble us!
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