The Great Physician VI: Why Smoke Grass When You Can Eat It?

The symptoms are varied and different as are the diseases. The underlying spiritual diagnosis is always the same. We're all products of the Fall or Man. Therefore, we all succumb inevitably to sin. The Bible paints a graphic image of this indeed.

As one would expect, disease and illness are very much a part of the Old Testament narrative. God is the Great Physician. It is not surprising that a whole chapter is devoted to a wide range of skin problems. Leviticus 13 possibly mentions vitiligo or Michael Jackson’s disorder which turns the skin white along with the hair. It also sounds an awful lot like ringworm in the same chapter. The child of a Shunammite woman can die of some form of cerebral dysfunction then be resuscitated through some form of spiritual CPR (2 Kings 4:18-37).

There is then the account of Nabal of Carmel in 1 Samuel 25:36-38 who appears to have some form of coronary event and then reportedly expires nine days later without gaining consciousness. It was likely due to some form of apoplectic seizure.

Then we have the Philistines of 1 Samuel 5-6 afflicted with hemorrhoids or might have possibly been buboes. A plague apparently brought on by rats or mice 1 Samuel 6:5, 11, 18. Likewise, the Assyrians descend on Jerusalem and lay siege to the city. During the siege, Hezekiah dressed in sackcloth (a sign of mourning), but the prophet Isaiah assured him that the city would be delivered. Isaiah 10:16 anticipates the sending of “a wasting sickness” among Assyria’s otherwise healthy and stout warriors, and extra-canonical sources unequivocally claim an infestation of “field mice” as the means for the decimation of Sennacherib’s army. Herodotus wrote that the Assyrian army was overrun by mice when attacking Egypt. Some scholars believe this to an allusion that the Assyrian army being decimated by the rodent borne disease Bubonic plague. A death toll to the tune of 185,000 dead.

Morbidly the book of Chronicles feels compelled to share with us the fate of numerous Judean kings who proved unfaithful to God. Underlying all these illnesses again? Sin and unrighteousness of course.

Asa succumbed to “diseased feet”. Possible gangrene or diabetic or gout complications. Gout in particular afflicts mostly males that consume a lot of protein and alcohol…the calling card of bad Jewish kings (2 Chronicles 16:12-13)

Uzziah succumbs to “leprosy” (2 Chronicles 26:21)

Jehoram succumbs to some “intestinal” malady where his bowels literally fell out. This certainly sounds like cancer which left untreated would cause oozing sores and severe agony. (2 Chronicles 21:18-19).

We should also note mental illness and instability, such as Saul’s possible paranoia, schizophrenia, dementia or depression. (1 Samuel 16:14-23; 18:10-11; 19:9-10; 20:20-34; 24:16-22; 26:21-25)

Nebuchadnezzar was afflicted with an amusing case of lycanthropy a form of madness involving the delusion of being an animal with correspondingly altered behavior. In Neb's case a rather docile bovine eating grass (Daniel 4). Lol

Lastly, I mention David’s own feigned madness before Achish, the king of Gath (1 Samuel 21:12-15). Mental illness made all the more believable because of psychosis’ prolific presence in the ancient world due to disease, parasites, age and other causes.