Immediately after the waters were made sweet, the Lord made a statute for the people and an ordinance, “and there he tested them” (v. 25, Heb.). Then He said, “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am Jehovah thy Healer” (Heb., Jehovah Ropheka, v. 26). When I first read this promise, I could not understand why it was mentioned immediately following the healing of the bitter waters. If we consider this in the light of our experience, we shall realize that the cross of Christ heals not only our bitter situation, but it also heals us. Not only are the waters of our circumstances bitter; we ourselves are also bitter and in need of healing. Our very self is bitter. In other words, the self is sick. We are sick physically, psychologically, and also spiritually. There is bitterness in our body, soul, and spirit.
When I have been in bitter circumstances, often the Lord has pointed me to the cross of Christ. I realized that I needed to take the cross and live a crucified life. This saved me from my bitter situation, and my bitter circumstances were healed. However, at the same time the Lord has often shown me that there is bitterness within me. I saw that there was bitterness in my self as well as in my circumstances. I also saw that there is bitterness in my whole being, in my spirit, soul, and body, and that I needed to apply the cross of Christ to every aspect of my being. Spiritually, psychologically, and physically I needed the application of the cross of Christ. Time and time again I have experienced the Lord’s healing in this way. As my situation was healed, I was healed inwardly. Both in my circumstances and in my being, bitterness was changed into sweetness.
You may think that you have no need to be healed in your mind, emotion, or will, much less in your spirit. Allow me to say that we all have problems with these parts of our being. Whether we are old or young, male or female, we are sick in our mind, emotion, and will. We are sick even in our spirit. Before I was saved, my will did not function properly. When it should have made a certain decision, it failed to do so. But when it should not have decided things in a particular way, it proceeded to make that decision. Have you not experienced this? Furthermore, our emotion may not be balanced. When we are joyful, we may rejoice without restriction; when we weep, we may weep without restraint. Therefore, we need a great deal of healing. We realize this every time the healing tree is cast into our bitter circumstances.
As we walk in the realm of resurrection, we shall be led to Marah again and again. Every time we experience the healing tree cast into our circumstances, we spontaneously realize that something in our being needs to be healed. We may sense the need for healing in the mind, or realize that our will needs to be adjusted, or see that our emotion needs to be balanced. At other times we may become conscious that our spirit is bitter toward others and needs to be healed.
Just as the Lord tested the children of Israel at Marah, He uses our experience of His cross in bitter circumstances to test us and to prove us. By testing us, He shows us where we are and what we are. He exposes our motives, intentions, and desires. Nothing tests us more than the experience of the cross. The experience of the cross in bitter circumstances tests us and exposes every aspect of our being. When we are exposed in this way, we should pray, “Lord, I need You, and I need more experience of the cross. I need to put the tree not only into my circumstances, but also into my very being. I need to apply this tree to my mind, emotion, and will. I need to apply it to my spirit and to my attitude toward others.” Through such an application of the cross, the Lord heals us.
This kind of healing is very different from the so-called healings that take place in healing campaigns. I have attended such campaigns, and not once did I see a genuine healing. Real healing takes place as we receive the dealing of the cross. We are healed when we are subdued and when we hearken to the voice of God, listen to His statutes, and obey His commandments. Then Christ’s resurrection life becomes our healing power, and the Lord becomes our Healer.
Through His work of redemption Christ intends to be our Healer. Speaking of healings performed by the Lord Jesus, Matthew 8:17 says, “In order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, He Himself took our infirmities and bore our diseases.” All healings accomplished on fallen mankind are accomplished through the Lord’s redemption. Through His redemption the Lord is our Healer. In Matthew 9:12 the Lord indicates that He is our Physician: “Now when He heard this He said, Those who are strong have no need of a physician, but those who are ill.” As our Physician, He cares for us not only physically, but also psychologically and spiritually. He is able to heal our entire being.
First Peter 2:24 says, “Who Himself carried up our sins in His body onto the tree, in order that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose bruise you were healed.” This verse indicates that the cross is the tree and that the One who died on the cross is our Healer. He was crucified for our healing. If we would experience His healing, we need to be identified with His crucifixion. Suppose, for example, that you have stomach trouble. To be healed of this illness, you would need your stomach to become identified with the cross of Christ. If your stomach is identified with Christ’s crucifixion, the crucified Christ will become your Healer. Your stomach ailment may be caused by living according to the self. In your eating you need the dealing of the cross. The cross must deal with the self in relation to eating. In the same principle, your mind may be sick because it has never been dealt with by the cross, never identified with the crucifixion of Christ.
The same may be true of your spirit. Possibly your spirit is not upright or is impure. The reason for the impurity or the lack of uprightness is that your spirit has not been touched by the cross of Christ.
Some brothers have not allowed their attitude toward their wives to be dealt with by the cross. For this reason, in their relationship with their wives they are sick. Hence, there is the need for healing in their married life. This healing comes only through the application of the cross of Christ. This principle should be applied to every part of our being.
The Lord’s word in Exodus 15:26 indicates that in His eyes the children of Israel were sick and in need of healing. Otherwise, the Lord would not have used the title “Jehovah thy Healer.” As the Lord Jesus said, only those who are sick have need of a physician. The fact that the children of Israel needed Jehovah to be their Healer indicates that they were sick.
The same is true of us today. In certain parts of our inward being we are still sick and need the Lord’s healing. As we pointed out, the process of healing takes place as we are touched by the cross of Christ. The only way to be touched by the cross is to see the vision of the tree and to cast this tree into the very place that needs to be healed. If your mind is bitter, cast the tree into your mind. If your attitude toward someone or something is bitter, cast the tree into your attitude. Do this with every part of your being, and little by little you will be healed. Every time we experience the cross of Christ, we shall have a deeper realization of our need to be healed through the touch of the cross. We need to be identified with the crucifixion of Christ by applying His cross to every part of our being that is bitter and sick. Then those parts will be healed. In this way daily and even hourly the Lord Jesus becomes our Healer.
The more we are healed by the Lord, the more we have an ear to hear His voice, a heart to keep His statutes, and the willingness to obey Him. Unless we are healed, we shall remain rebellious in every aspect of our being. Our natural being is a constitution of rebellion, for the element of rebellion is in all of our inward parts. How we need to be healed by seeing the cross and by having the cross applied to us! We need to see the tree on which Christ was crucified and then apply this tree to every part of our being. We must allow the cross of Christ to test our inward parts. As the cross is applied to our being, our inward parts will be healed and subdued. Then those parts will listen to the voice of the Lord, obey His word, and keep His statutes. As a result, those parts will become one with the Lord in a practical way. May we all experience this healing day by day.
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