I think I've come across something that might shed some light on the problems we're often faced with these days health wise. I've been studying the old testament a lot lately and recently came across this passage:
2 Chronicles 16:12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians.
Asa wasn't following the Lord but instead was relying on other people so the Lord disciplined Him with wars and other things, even sending prophets to tell him that was why these things were happening. Finally the Lord afflicted him with this disease, but even that didn't cause him to turn to the Lord. When I read this, it reminded me of what God says in Revelation, how no matter how severe the judgments are that still the people don't repent and turn to Him.
If you look back through history, before the medical profession became so big and before it became easy for most people to seek a doctor for health care, whenever people were sick, they turned to God for help. Then doctors came along and little by little as that profession grew, people stopped turning to God and instead just like Asa, often only sought help only from the doctors.
Notice that the Lord is not condemning doctors or the medical community, but rather condemning those who do not seek His help as well.
I know that even today in the so called "less civilized" third world countries, where doctors aren't easy to find or see, the people there still seek God and when missionaries go there, we still see miracles just like those in the Bible. I remember when some folks from my church went to a place in Africa. They came back so excited and had lots of audio and video and we saw the miracles, it wasn't fake. They told us about one man who's legs were all shriveled up and atrophied from cerebral palsy (I'm very familiar with that since my youngest daughter has it). They witnessed to him and he was thrilled and asked Jesus to be his savior. They prayed for him and right before their eyes, his legs straightened out, bones, muscles, tendons, everything! Where he could never have walked or even stood before, he stood up and praised the Lord!!! My pastor's daughter, Amy who was 17 at the time was the one leading the prayer over this man and it affected her so deeply that she hasn't been the same since. She's a full time missionary there now.
The point is that God wants us to rely on Him and not on our selves or other people. He doesn't mind us going to to the doctor, that's fine, but He does mind if that's all we're doing. Just as with Asa, it wasn't that he sought a doctor, but that he "only" sought help from the doctors and not from the Lord as well. The Lord tells us:
Jeremiah 17:5 This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
Remember, one of the apostles was a doctor so we know the Lord doesn't mind us seeing them:
Colossians 4:14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.
Now when we read some of the descriptions of the times we live in, such as in 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 1:28-32 ; and 2 Peter 2:10; even when we just look around us it's pretty obvious that most people have turned from God. Even when people are living in really difficult times such as right now, where do they turn? Do you see them rushing to church, or perhaps in the bookstores buying Bibles? I see them in book stores looking for books in the "Self help" aisle, or perhaps looking for advice from other men who are "experts" in economics, finances, medicine, etc. Those that have already tried those books tend to be looking in the aisles for alternative medicine, and eastern mystical religious practices such as yoga, holistic health, meditation, visualization etc. Their next step when even that hasn't changed anything isn't to turn to to God but to go deeper yet and get involved in psychics, witchcraft, pagan or eastern religions and things like that.
Yes, just like Asa and so many others in the bible, they turn only to men instead of God, which is what He will soon be sending judgments down on them for.
Revelation 9:20-21 The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Revelation 16:9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.
I had never quite thought of it this way before, but we have turned other people and even ourselves into our "gods". We have become every bit as idolatrous as Israel was when they worshiped Baal going directly against God's command:
Deuteronomy 5:7 “You shall have no other gods before me.
Think of the main phrase that the bible uses to describe people during these times: "lovers of themselves" and yet the Lord tells us:
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Do you see anything at all in there about loving yourself? I sure don't! In fact loving yourself is a lie from hell that the world has been shoving down people's throats for a long time now, especially using worldly psychology to do so. The world, including us unfortunately, is now reaping the awards for what it has sown by teaching that, for indeed people are now very much "lovers of themselves", so much so that their love for others including God, has turned cold just as God said it would.
God tells us that He will discipline those He loves, so when we, like Asa, forget to seek the Lord first and foremost when we're having a problem in any area of our life, (from our health, to our finances to our emotions, or whatever it might be) we can expect His discipline.
Hebrews 12:5-6 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.
Unfortunately though the vast majority of the world and of our own society are not born again and they are not going to repent even if they finally figure out what's going on. We know that from Revelation. So I'm afraid that the discipline is going to continue. I think the seeming increase in illness, disease, pain and disability is the Lord calling people to turn to Him as well as doctors. God does give us a promise though. Returning to what started this line of thinking, read with me what happened with Asa. Since it's not too long, I'm going to post it all in context for us. See if you spot His promise to us:
2 Chronicles 16:7-13 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.” Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people. The events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians. Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his fathers.
Did you see it? Well of course you did LOL I underlined it! Isn't that neat though how the Lord hides His promises right in the midst of something like that? Let me post it separately for us to reflect on:
2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
This has already gotten longer then I meant it too but when you have time read 2 Chronicles 15:1-2 Chronicles 16:14. Very interesting look at how the Lord deals with us and with nations as well.
related posts:
Developing Biblical Self-Esteem
Christian Psychology
End Times Health Problems
2 Chronicles 16:12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians.
Asa wasn't following the Lord but instead was relying on other people so the Lord disciplined Him with wars and other things, even sending prophets to tell him that was why these things were happening. Finally the Lord afflicted him with this disease, but even that didn't cause him to turn to the Lord. When I read this, it reminded me of what God says in Revelation, how no matter how severe the judgments are that still the people don't repent and turn to Him.
If you look back through history, before the medical profession became so big and before it became easy for most people to seek a doctor for health care, whenever people were sick, they turned to God for help. Then doctors came along and little by little as that profession grew, people stopped turning to God and instead just like Asa, often only sought help only from the doctors.
Notice that the Lord is not condemning doctors or the medical community, but rather condemning those who do not seek His help as well.
I know that even today in the so called "less civilized" third world countries, where doctors aren't easy to find or see, the people there still seek God and when missionaries go there, we still see miracles just like those in the Bible. I remember when some folks from my church went to a place in Africa. They came back so excited and had lots of audio and video and we saw the miracles, it wasn't fake. They told us about one man who's legs were all shriveled up and atrophied from cerebral palsy (I'm very familiar with that since my youngest daughter has it). They witnessed to him and he was thrilled and asked Jesus to be his savior. They prayed for him and right before their eyes, his legs straightened out, bones, muscles, tendons, everything! Where he could never have walked or even stood before, he stood up and praised the Lord!!! My pastor's daughter, Amy who was 17 at the time was the one leading the prayer over this man and it affected her so deeply that she hasn't been the same since. She's a full time missionary there now.
The point is that God wants us to rely on Him and not on our selves or other people. He doesn't mind us going to to the doctor, that's fine, but He does mind if that's all we're doing. Just as with Asa, it wasn't that he sought a doctor, but that he "only" sought help from the doctors and not from the Lord as well. The Lord tells us:
Jeremiah 17:5 This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
Remember, one of the apostles was a doctor so we know the Lord doesn't mind us seeing them:
Colossians 4:14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.
Now when we read some of the descriptions of the times we live in, such as in 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Romans 1:28-32 ; and 2 Peter 2:10; even when we just look around us it's pretty obvious that most people have turned from God. Even when people are living in really difficult times such as right now, where do they turn? Do you see them rushing to church, or perhaps in the bookstores buying Bibles? I see them in book stores looking for books in the "Self help" aisle, or perhaps looking for advice from other men who are "experts" in economics, finances, medicine, etc. Those that have already tried those books tend to be looking in the aisles for alternative medicine, and eastern mystical religious practices such as yoga, holistic health, meditation, visualization etc. Their next step when even that hasn't changed anything isn't to turn to to God but to go deeper yet and get involved in psychics, witchcraft, pagan or eastern religions and things like that.
Yes, just like Asa and so many others in the bible, they turn only to men instead of God, which is what He will soon be sending judgments down on them for.
Revelation 9:20-21 The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Revelation 16:9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.
I had never quite thought of it this way before, but we have turned other people and even ourselves into our "gods". We have become every bit as idolatrous as Israel was when they worshiped Baal going directly against God's command:
Deuteronomy 5:7 “You shall have no other gods before me.
Think of the main phrase that the bible uses to describe people during these times: "lovers of themselves" and yet the Lord tells us:
Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Do you see anything at all in there about loving yourself? I sure don't! In fact loving yourself is a lie from hell that the world has been shoving down people's throats for a long time now, especially using worldly psychology to do so. The world, including us unfortunately, is now reaping the awards for what it has sown by teaching that, for indeed people are now very much "lovers of themselves", so much so that their love for others including God, has turned cold just as God said it would.
God tells us that He will discipline those He loves, so when we, like Asa, forget to seek the Lord first and foremost when we're having a problem in any area of our life, (from our health, to our finances to our emotions, or whatever it might be) we can expect His discipline.
Hebrews 12:5-6 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”
Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.
Unfortunately though the vast majority of the world and of our own society are not born again and they are not going to repent even if they finally figure out what's going on. We know that from Revelation. So I'm afraid that the discipline is going to continue. I think the seeming increase in illness, disease, pain and disability is the Lord calling people to turn to Him as well as doctors. God does give us a promise though. Returning to what started this line of thinking, read with me what happened with Asa. Since it's not too long, I'm going to post it all in context for us. See if you spot His promise to us:
2 Chronicles 16:7-13 At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.” Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people. The events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians. Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his fathers.
Did you see it? Well of course you did LOL I underlined it! Isn't that neat though how the Lord hides His promises right in the midst of something like that? Let me post it separately for us to reflect on:
2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
This has already gotten longer then I meant it too but when you have time read 2 Chronicles 15:1-2 Chronicles 16:14. Very interesting look at how the Lord deals with us and with nations as well.
related posts:
Developing Biblical Self-Esteem
Christian Psychology
