When God delivered His people Israel from the bondage of Egypt, and instructed them as to just what kind of nation they were to be, He addressed very directly the issue of health care. In Exodus 15.26, it was promised, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” The people took advantage of this divinely devised health care ‘system’, and it paid off wonderfully. Throughout a sojourn of forty years in the desert, it was said of them, “There was not one feeble person among their tribes.” (Ps. 105.37).

When Israel was set to enter the Promised Land, the Lord warned them to not forsake His ways, pointing out that the consequences of doing so would be felt even in their health. In Dt. 28.15, He declared, “If you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, (then) all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.” He then went on to enumerate the diseases of Egypt, which are, interestingly enough, the same illnesses and conditions which plague modern America, things like: heart disease, cancer, infections and inflamatory conditions, allergies and mental disorders.

Illness is a harsh reality in our fallen world. It certainly takes it toll on families and nations. It has been noted that, in the first half of our lives, we spend our health pursuing wealth, whereas the last half we spend our wealth pursing health. How much better it would be, both individually and collectively, if our lifestyles were structured by the principles and precepts of the One who designed and made us. God’s plan for health is clear: listen to, trust and obey His Word. The Lord has provided for and made possible our ultimate health, our very salvation, and He did it through the substitutionary suffering of His Son on the cross. What has been called the Gospel according to Isaiah describes it beautifully: “He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
the chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
and by His stripes we are healed” (Is. 53.5). How does one get enrolled in God’s health care plan? It’s simple, and free to all: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, and your house.” (Acts 16.31).