Contemplative Bible Reading

Exodus 15:26 (New Living Translation)

26 He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”

Jehovah, one English name for the LORD who is the one and true God of these people, is speaking to the people through Moses.

Back in Egypt, there were plenty of diseases. The people lived from the annual floods of the Nile River. Floods are messy, disease-ridden events. I won’t go into detail, but yuck. All the muck and sewage run off and all that yucky stuff. Disease was common and everyone knew it was coming all the time.

Shift to the wilderness where a million people were living in tents in a giant camp. Disease? Ever heard of dysentery running through a camp? Gosh, what a mess.

But not here, not with Jehovah God. God heals those who follow. Pretty simple. Pretty miraculous to have a camp of a million people with no disease. Funny how we fail to notice the lack of bad things. Oh sure, the people noticed a lack of fresh water. They notice a lack of variety in the food. They weren’t hungry. They weren’t sick. They weren’t dying of starvation. Didn’t notice that lack, did they?

Do I? Ooops. God heals. God heals me daily. Thanks be to God.