The Lord Gives and The Lord Takes Away

There has been a lot of negative things to write about amidst all the sickness and dying. I offer in this post some balance to it all. A light at the end of the tunnel. Thee light at the end of it all. A temporary glance at the much larger narrative.

יהוה נתן ויהוה לקח יהי

…the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away… Job 1:21

This famous quotation from the Book of Job effectively summarizes any concept of healthcare that ancient Israel might have had. God both dispenses and alleviates disease, as having been essential to the development of any interrelationship between God, His believers and healthcare. There is one God the source of all goodness and health, but also of all sickness and imperfection of body and mind.  It is all, good and bad, beholden to the Sovereign will of God. Such concepts force believers to deal with the fact that not only does God allow wellness and wholeness but also being unwell and incomplete which are sometimes the product of one’s own sin or consequences of one's decisions...and sometimes not.

This is not to say though that if God alone dispenses and heals all diseases; there is no need for nurses, physicians or perhaps even priests to practice medicine. In fact, it’s just the opposite. It very well may be that God puts the physician, the nurse or the priest directly into a person’s life and works through those people. At times disease and injury literally forces community out of need. In this way a nurse or physician acts as a priest and a priest acts as a nurse or physician out of necessity. Sickness forces interaction out of compassion and need. It initiates interaction not only with people but solicits thoughts of God. God draws nearer. When you are weak, God is strong. When you mourn, He will alleviate the pain...

Matthew 5:3-12 ~ Jesus said:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger, thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

“Blessed are those persecuted for righteousness' sake, theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

A physician or nurse that seeks to heal a patient cannot ignore the spiritual aspect of a person's wholeness and well-being and expect a complete recovery. Likewise a priest cannot ignore the physical aspects of humanity such as pain and expect a believer to be fully spiritually whole. When one lacks or suffers...so does the other. In between both...is God. The mediator not only between men but between the physical and spiritual in the self.

Additionally, it is unlikely that the Levitical purity laws and rituals presented in the Hebrew Bible were devised and formulated to operate in a wholly Jewish and Christian society. It appears the blessing of health and wholeness was available to all that would believe and obey God’s statutes and laws in the Bible. The offer, like Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross was offered to all that would come to a saving faith in the promises of God. As a matter of fact, those that appear to have abundant blessings in their lives as unbelievers are the beneficiaries of common grace.

Whatever conclusions we draw about the relationships between healthcare and the Levitical purity laws in the end really point in one direction. To Christ. All of the Laws point to restoration of a specific order laid out by God prior to the Fall of Genesis 3. The Civil, Ceremonial and Moral Laws. All were put in place to restore mankind. The restoration wasn’t just to be medical/physical but to restore all aspects of the Creation. Physical, communal and spiritual. 

Uniformity. Wholeness. Completeness. At one with God. All of this points to Jesus Christ and the coming Kingdom. A Kingdom in which there will be perfect health and restoration of the intended order and wholeness of the Creation which God originally intended before the entry of sin into it. 

Regardless, even in or physical and spiritual malady we see the influence and the overarching power of God to heal is unavoidable and ever present. With or without medicinal practice mankind eventually succumbs to age and death. It currently is the way of the world but will not be this way forever. God has promised us more if we believe. For now though…the Lord gives to whom He pleases when He pleases and He takes from those He chooses. 

Regardless of health or lack of it. Wholeness or incompleteness...we are to love God with all our heart, soul and mind and love others as ourselves. (Deuteronomy 6). The 'Greatest Commandments'. In these simple yet complex acts, all the disparate elements of heart, soul and mind meld into completeness and healthiness communally, physically and spiritually. In them...is the Kingdom. In them is The King. Kingdom is where the King is.

The Kingdom is coming and the King is preparing the way to His return. He is making straight the paths for His arrival. Sometimes we need to be proactive. Sometimes...we need to step back and allow Him to perform His miracles. What is His Spirit saying to you?

John 8:12 ~ Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”