“He said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of 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” (Exodus 15:26).

 

From the beginning of recorded history, people have believed in supernatural cures for their physical ailments. In ancient mythology allegedly there were evil gods or demons who brought sickness or death upon people, and good ones who could take it away. The medicine man was the intermediary who allegedly had power over these spirits or demons, so by casting a spell or taking power over evil, the medicine man could bring healing to the suffering person.

Whether or not you believe this, the reality is that even today in the twenty-first century there are millions of people in this world who still hold to the same belief system. Their first line of defense is not the doctor who can give them a round of antibiotics but the shaman who allegedly received his powers from his father, who in turn got it from his father.

Greek mythology tells of a healer by the name of Asklepios, allegedly the son of Apollo, who was raised by the Centaur Chiron, who taught him the art of healing. But when Asklepios raised someone from the dead, so says the myth, he was killed by Zeus. But that didn’t stop Asklepios, however, who got the last word. He metamorphosed into a snake–which explains why you see the serpent entwined around a branch as the symbol of medicine which is used to this very day.

Go to Turkey, to the ancient ruins of Pergamos, and there you will find the Asklepieion, which by the fourth century B.C. had become a kind of hospital where people were laid on pallets and treated for their illnesses. Galen, the prominent physician, used hot water spas, herbs, and medicines and expanded the known cures for sicknesses.

If you know your Bible, you immediately recognize the symbolism of the serpent which stood in opposition to the cross. When Satan fell, his appearance was changed into that of a serpent, and when God gave deliverance from the scourge of poisonous vipers when Israel was in the wilderness (Numbers 21), God instructed Moses to put a bronze serpent on a pole—a picture of Christ who would eventually be put on a cross—and anyone who looked upon the bronze serpent was spared.

A study of ancient mythology and the teaching of Scripture immediately bring into focus the conflict over how healing from sickness actually is found. Both agree that sickness is a scourge to humankind, but the source of healing is vastly different.

Moses, of course, grew up in Egypt and availed himself of the finest education the university of Cairo could give. Acts 7:22 says, “Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.” So what did the Egyptians teach? The Egyptians had a whole gallery of gods who healed, including Ibis to whom you prayed when you needed an antacid for indigestion, Urgal and Negal in times of danger, and Marduk when you were sick and didn’t know why.

But Moses disbelieved all of that. What he did believe is that God, who had delivered them from Egypt was the one who would heal them. At Marah when the waters were bitter, Moses cried out to the Lord. God said, “If you listen carefully to the voice of 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” (Exodus 15:26).

Question: Has the church abdicated God’s power over disease, preferring to let medical science handle the healing of humankind? More on our next edition of Guidelines.

 

Resource reading: Exodus 15:22-27.