In fact, the etiological story explaining the origin of the name Israel occurs in Genesis 35:9-15, where Jacob obtains this name through the blessing of El Shaddai, that is “El of the Mountain.” 1 Just exactly how has this come about you ask?įirst, the name Israel is not a Yahwistic name. El is the name of the deity invoked in the name Isra el, which translates: “May El persevere.” 2 This suggests that El was seen as the chief god in the formative years of Israel’s religious practices. Every day, in every way, Jesus proved Himself to be Jehovah-Rapha in the flesh.Recent archaeological, biblical, and extrabiblical research has led scholars working in the area of the origins of Israelite religion to assert rather boldly and confidently that the original god of Israel was in fact the Canaanite deity El. Not only did Jesus heal people physically, He also healed them spiritually by forgiving their sins (Luke 5:20). They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed” (Mark 6:56). In fact, “wherever he went-into villages, towns or countryside-they placed the sick in the marketplaces. In Judea “large crowds followed him, and he healed them there” (Matthew 19:2). In Galilee, Jesus went from town to town, “healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23). Jesus Christ showed that He was the Great Physician who heals the sick. Neither impurity of body nor impurity of soul can withstand the purifying, healing power of Jehovah-Rapha. Jehovah-Rapha has the power to heal physically (2 Kings 5:10), emotionally (Psalm 34:18), mentally (Daniel 4:34), and spiritually (Psalm 103:2–3).
![you are yahweh you are jehovah you are yahweh you are jehovah](https://s.mxmcdn.net/images-storage/albums4/5/5/5/7/6/8/44867555_800_800.jpg)
Like many Old Testament promises to Israel, this one was conditional God’s people were required to “diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes” (verse 26, ESV cf. This is a reference to the ten plagues that God had recently sent upon the Egyptians-plagues including boils, the death of livestock, devastating hail, etc. This power was going to work on behalf of the Israelites, God’s chosen people, as the Lord brought them to the Promised Land.Īlong with giving His name Jehovah-Rapha, God gives the Israelites a promise: “I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians” (Exodus 15:26). The healing of the waters was a demonstration of God’s power to overcome any impurity, contamination, or corruption. He doesn’t just heal water He heals people.
![you are yahweh you are jehovah you are yahweh you are jehovah](https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/concept-photo-open-holy-bible-gods-word-set-against-sunset-clouds-background-bible-text-etc-open-holy-bible-god-word-165333482.jpg)
Immediately after the Lord “healed” the waters of Marah, He identified Himself to them as Jehovah-Rapha: “I am the Lord, who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). Following God’s instructions, Moses threw the wood into the water, and the water miraculously became fit to drink. Moses did exactly what he should have done: he prayed to the Lord, and “the Lord showed him a piece of wood” (verse 25). They called the water Marah, which means “bitter.” Their souls began to turn bitter, as well, and they “grumbled against Moses, saying, ‘What are we to drink?’” (Exodus 15:24). They came across a body of water, but, to their great consternation, they could not drink from it. The Israelites’ test in the desert was soon amplified.
![you are yahweh you are jehovah you are yahweh you are jehovah](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/G9TR2u6jdE4/maxresdefault.jpg)
The Lord was testing them and their faith. Moses took them into the Desert of Shur, where “for three days they traveled in the desert without finding water” (Exodus 15:22). They had just left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea. The context of God’s revelation of His name Jehovah-Rapha is an incident that took place early on in the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites. God says to the people of Israel, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” The name Jehovah-Rapha appears in Exodus 15:26. Jehovah-Rapha is one of the many different names of God found in the Old Testament. Jehovah-Rapha (more properly Yahweh-Rapha) means “The Lord Who Heals” in Hebrew.