What does it mean God sent His Word and healed them? He sent His Word and healed them is often quoted and used for the healing of sickness. But does Psalm 107:20 only refers to physical healing or does it refer to more than that?
The fools, who were afflicted because of their transgression and iniquities
Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent His word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the Lordfor his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing (Psalms 107:17-22)
Psalm 107:17-22 is about fools, who are afflicted because of their transgression (sin) and their iniquities. Who are fools? Fools are those, who don’t have a fear for God and turn against God and His Word and keep walking in sins and iniquities and therefore are sinners, or in other words, wicked. The wicked have the ability to repent and turn from their wicked ways, but they don’t want to because they love doing the works of the flesh (sin).
For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him: I hid Me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.
I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord; and I will heal him.
But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked (Isaiah 57:17-21)
The fools aka the wicked live under the authority of the devil in the oppression of the death and are tormented in their soul. They have no peace in their heart, but live in fear and are on their way to eternal death.
They are always looking for ways and methods to get rid of the torment in their souls and their fears and experience rest and peace in their lives
But this peace, which is obtained with the use of (natural) technics and methods is only temporary and shall not be able to redeem man from their fears and deliver them from death.
God sent His word through His prophets
And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear It (Acts 28:25-28, see also Isaiah 6:9-10, Matthew 13:13-15, John 12:39-41)
In the Old Covenant, God sent His word many times by His prophets, to turn the fools aka the wicked from their wicked ways and restore them (heal them) with God.
Many times, God called His people to repent from their vain walk that caused apostasy and led to oppression, bondage, and captivity. But the people were rebellious and stubborn and didn’t listen to the words of God and didn’t obey His words, but rejected the words of God and trusted their own insight.
God healed His people and the land, when the people repented
Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up. After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord (Hosea 6:1-3)
But every time the people called on God in their trouble and repented and turned to God, God heard the cry of His people and sent His word and healed them.
God sent His saviours to deliver His people from the hand of their enemies and to save them from their trouble, affliction, and/or captivity and restore (heal) the land or deliver the people and led them back to their land. And so God healed His people and the land (a.o. 2 Chronicles 15, Nehemia 9:26-31).
What does the word ‘râphâ’ mean?
The word ‘‘râphâ’ (H7495) means a.o., healing, recover, make whole, repair, physicians.
The word ‘healing’ refers to many more things than just the sickness of the human body.
God healed (and still heals) many people, who were sick, but God healed (and still heals) so much more by His word. God healed through His word that was spoken by His prophets, the water, the land, the soul, His people (congregation), the wicked sinful state (uncleanness) of His people, etc. (a.o. 2 Kings 2:21-22, 2 Chronicles 7:14; 30:170-20, Psalms 41:4, Isaiah 6:9-10;19:22; 57:18-19, Jeremiah 3:22, Ezekiel 47:8, Hosea 6:1; 7:1.
God sent His Word and healed them
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth (John 1:1-14)
Eventually, God sent His Word to heal (restore) the separation between God and man and the position of fallen man, whereby the promise of God was fulfilled to restore (heal) mankind and make them whole, and return the dominion that God originally had given to man when He created them, to the (new) man (a.o. Genesis 3:15, Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:25-29 (Read also: ‘The peace Jesus restored between fallen man and God‘ and ‘Jesus restored the position of fallen man‘).
Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent Me. And he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear My words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of Myself; but the Father which sent Me, He gave Me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that His commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto Me, so I speak (John 12:44-50)
God sent His Son Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God and Saviour of mankind, to the earth to deliver mankind from destruction.
Jesus came to deliver mankind from the power of the devil (oppressor, afflicter) sin, iniquity, and death and save mankind from hell (hades), and heal fallen man, or in other words, to restore the righteous state and position of fallen man and reconcile man back to God.
A person can only be saved from eternal destruction and escape hell (hades) if a person believes the Word and repent and is delivered by Jesus Christ; the Word and is restored (healed) from his fallen state and be made whole , and by the blood of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of the spirit from the dead, is reconciled with God.
Jesus preached the Kingdom of God and called the people to repentance. Jesus came first for the lost sheep of the house of Israel and healed all, who were oppressed by the devil, by preaching the Kingdom of God, calling the people to repentance, forgiving their sins, healing the sick, casting out demons, etc. (a.o. Matthew 9:12-13; 15:24, Luke 4:18-19; 5:32, Acts 10:38-39)
Through Jesus Christ, the Word and Saviour, and His redemptive work man is healed
And finally, Jesus finished the perfect work of redemption for mankind, by taking the place of fallen man on the cross.
Jesus carried the sins of the world, which the Father had laid upon Him, and because of that Jesus entered hell (hades), where Jesus conquered the death and rose as a Victor from the dead with the keys of hell and death (Read also ‘The crucifixion of the soul‘, ‘The crucifixion of the flesh‘ and ‘The true meaning of the cross‘).
Jesus had finished the redemptive work and gave, and still gives, to everyone the ability to be delivered from the power of the devil and sin and death, by faith and regeneration in Him; the death of the flesh and the resurrection of the spirit from the dead and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus restored man, or in other words, Jesus healed man completely; spirit, soul, and body. God restored His breath of life in the new man through His Holy Spirit.
The new man is born of God and is healed (made whole) in Jesus Christ and is delivered from the power of the devil and sin and death and saved from eternal destruction!
And so God sent His Word and healed them.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
