fever – Praying Pint

31.x. “He laid his hands on every one of them and healed them”

Matthew 8:14 And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

Mark 1:32-34   That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons.  And the whole city was gathered together at the door.  And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.

Luke 4:40   Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.

Exodus 15:26  saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.”

Matthew rightly understood this as a partial fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, which primarily refers to spiritual healing, but also definitely includes physical healing. In this, Matthew showed Jesus as the true Messiah in delivering people from the bondage of sin and the effects of a fallen world.

The deaf could hear. The blind could see. The leper cleansed. The cripple could stand. The paralytic could walk. The sick were cured. Demons were cast out. All of this at the touch or word from Jesus. Can you imagine how people would be talking to one another. There were be those who were personally healed or those whose family member or friend were, and they would tell others. These others might believe this to be true but their first thought might have been “you’re crazy”, but as the word spread of the healing that Jesus did more and more people would come running to find Him. There was no magic or corporate healing of all at once. Each person had a personal encounter with Jesus. As the word spread of all of this healing faith had to increase too. Faith in what Jesus could do because of what He had done and was doing.

Physical healing is most welcomed by the afflicted. They know their affliction, pain, and difficulty. Relief from whatever was their affliction certainly was desired. When word of what Jesus was doing spread these desiring to be healed were seeking Jesus. In some cases it might not have been the afflicted person themselves but rather a friend or family member on their behalf. People desired and then went seeking.

When we desire to know Jesus Christ there is a seeking that quickly follows and is not easily diminished. It is not fully on our own that this desire and seeking spring up. No, most assuredly it is first because God has placed in our hearts a foundational seed of knowledge of Him, sin and righteousness, good and bad, right and wrong, true and false. He sent His one and only Son, full of power, wonder, might, love, grace, and mercy, to redeem all who would believe. Desiring and seeking spring up in our hearts and points us directly to Jesus Christ. It is when we see our sinful state and His holiness and offer of forgiveness that we then humbly surrender, believing, trusting, relying, and cling to Jesus Christ for eternal salvation and life.

15.j.“Go; your son will live.”

John 4:46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

Signs and wonders can lead a person towards belief in God, and can validate a heavenly messenger – but they can also have no effect on a person. Signs and wonders from God are obviously good things, but they should not form the foundation of our faith. We should not depend on them to prove God to us. In themselves, signs and wonders cannot change the heart; Israel saw incredible signs at Mount Sinai and even heard the very voice of God, yet a short time later they worshipped a gold calf. We can see true faith in this official. He did not seek a sign to believe. He believed in Jesus’s word. “Go, your son will live”. The father begged at mercy’s door for the life of his son and believed what Jesus told him. The man said, “Come and save my son”. It is as if the father believed Jesus could heal his son if his son was in the presence of Jesus’s touch. Jesus pointed out to this man that there was a serious issue with his faith. I am sure the father did not expect to hear a rebuke, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” But, after this, the father believed his son was healed at the moment Jesus said, “Go, your son lives”. He had faith to trust in the healing. This belief in healing at the word of Jesus grew. It grew from, “my son will be healed because Jesus said so”, to “Jesus is the Messiah, Christ, Son of God.” When our belief in Jesus Christ awakens our hearts, minds, and souls, we are transformed deep within. If only we would continue to grow in faith then we might say like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, “our God can save us, but even if He doesn’t, we will not bow down and worship your idol.” When our faith grows we come to a place where we have faith to believe but allow the purpose and plans of God to dictate the outcome without hindering our faith.

55. I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart.

Deuteronomy 28:15 “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.

“The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me. The Lord will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. The Lord will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. The Lord will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed.

Leviticus 26:14-46     “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments,  if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant,  then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.  I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you.  And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins,  and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your heavens like iron and your earth like bronze.  And your strength shall be spent in vain, for your land shall not yield its increase, and the trees of the land shall not yield their fruit.  “Then if you walk contrary to me and will not listen to me, I will continue striking you, sevenfold for your sins.

Lamentations 2:17     The LORD has done what he purposed; he has carried out his word, which he commanded long ago; he has thrown down without pity

Daniel 9:11-13    All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him.  He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers who ruled us, by bringing upon us a great calamity. For under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem.

Malachi 2:2 If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart.

Romans 2:8-9     but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.  There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil,

I wonder if we take these curses as something that will happen to really wicked people and does not apply to those who are for the most part “Good”. We tend to put people (others) into one box and we place ourselves in another. Their box is the box of God’s wrath and anger and our box is the box of God’s mercy and grace. My sin is under a blanket of love and theirs is under a thunderstorm of curses.

Complacency and neglect of God’s word lead to drifting away from Him, becoming lukewarm to Him, unable to know what is right and pure, blind to the ways of righteousness, deaf to God’s leading, and allows the way of the world to become a driving influence into your thoughts and actions. The problem is you don’t even see it happening. Like a frog in a pot that is slowing being heated up, it is boiled alive because it was unaware.

I think the worst place for a “believer” to be is in a place of neglect and complacency. Busyness and cares of this life slowly carry them away from walking with God, listening to God, honoring God. It is truly sad to see God’s word being taken for granted and not needed but for special troubling times.

God’s word says “Depart from Me for I never knew you” and “So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

There is no time like today to commit to being in His word and humbly serving, honoring, loving, following, and obeying God. God’s word is life, hope, purpose, bread to the soul, water to the thirsty, music to the heart, air to the drowning, and understanding and knowledge to the soul.