YHVH Raphah is translated as “YHVH who heals you,” but of what does He heal us? We find the answer in Ex 15:24-26 where we’re introduced to this name. It is given to us in the context of Israel striving against God at Marah.
And the people grumbled against Mosheh, saying, “What are we to drink?” Then he [Moses] cried out toיהוה , and יהוה showed him a tree. And when he threw it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a law and a right-ruling for them, and there He tried them. And He said, “If you diligently obey the voice ofיהוה your Elohim and do what is right in His eyes, and shall listen to His commands and shall guard all His laws, I shall bring on you none of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I amיהוה who heals you.”
Let us carefully consider these words. Israel is taking issue about being thirsty, but Abba Father is using the opportunity to teach them, and us, a lesson regarding healing, commandments and obedience. He is not responding to the issue of water, or perhaps He is, but in a far deeper sense than we think. Let’s investigate. Which diseases and commandments are at play? The real diseases of Egypt were not the plagues. Rather were the plagues the consequences of the Egyptians’ disobedience to the voice of God, i.e. stubbornness, arrogance, idolatry, etc., leading to spiritual thirst and physical death. That is what YHVH desired to heal Israel from, so that Israel would not go down the same path as the Egyptians.
Can we hear the message of John 7:37: If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me, and let him who believes in Me drink. How do we come to HIM other than to listen, to guard and do according to HIS word? And if we do, we will drink waters that heal from the fountain of LIFE. We see the same message in Is 53:5-6: But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our crookednesses. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. What are we healed from? From the crookedness of our transgressions, and the consequences thereof. That is the true healing He provides.
Also, in 2 Chron 7:14, we read …[I]f I send pestilence among My people, and My people upon whom My Name is called, shall humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their evil ways, then I shall hear from the heavens, and forgive their sin and heal their land. The healing sought and provided by God is about the relationship with El. He desires to forgive our sins, and to restore our relationship with Him, but we need to turn to, or drink from, Him, and listen, guard and do.
YHVH Raphah is the One who heals us from our eternal thirst, our crookedness, lawlessness, stubbornness, idolatry and the consequential physical brokenness. Let’s thus seek relational healing from and with YHVH Raphah; healing from our stubbornness, arrogance and idolatry. He offers that freely, since HE is YHVH Raphah: the One who heals us.
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