Diverting the Flow of the Word
August 6, 2009 at 10:26 am | In Biblical Doctoring | 2 CommentsTags: Babylon, Belshazzar, Biblical Doctoring, Biblical medicine, Biblical preaching, Biblical symbols, Biblical worship, breaching the walls, Chaldeans, Daniel, Daniel 5, dehydration, diseases in the Bible, Ephesians 5, Euphrates River, God's hand, good hygiene, hand of God, handwriting on the wall, Medes, Medo-Persians, movers and shakers, Nebuchadnezzar, Persians, preaching, siege, siege strategy, siege tactics, spriritual death, symbols for God's Word, the Bible as water, the centrality of preaching, the Prophet Daniel, thirst, walled cities, water in the Bible, whipper-snapper
The prophet Daniel had been a very important young man in the kingdom of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar, the wicked and powerful ruler, had known him very well. As the years passed, however, Nebuchadnezzar’s successor came to power, and Daniel faded out of the thoughts of the movers and shakers in Babylon.
One day, however, a hand appeared out of thin air in the royal banquet hall, and began to write on the wall. The king was scared out of his wits. He did not understand what the writing meant, and none of his advisors could tell him. Suddenly, Daniel was remembered.
But the Daniel who was summoned to appear before Belshazzar was not the young whipper-snapper who had dealt with Nebuchadnezzar. This Daniel was probably about 82 years old, and he had no time or interest for the king’s frivolous gifts. (Daniel 5:16-17)
We can almost see Daniel, God’s man, shaking his stern finger at Belshazzar, and giving him the interpretation of the writing on the wall without fear:
But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified… In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.
Daniel 5:23; 30
It is interesting to note the manner in which the Medo-Persian army invaded the supposedly impenetrable walls of Babylon. First they diverted the course of the Euphrates River, which ran under the walls, and into the city. When the water level went down they were able to go under the walls.
Water is very important to a city. Without water, two tragedies would befall the inhabitants. One, they would get thirsty. Two, they would lose the ability to maintain hygiene, thereby increasing the spread of disease.
In the Bible, water is a picture of God’s Word. (Ephesians 5:26) If the flow of God’s Word is cut off from His people, the people will get thirsty, they will become defiled, they will get spiritually sick, and, ultimately, many will suffer a form of spiritual death. The preaching and teaching of the Bible must be central in the local church.
The Remedy for Mood Swings
July 21, 2009 at 8:32 am | In Biblical Doctoring | 1 CommentTags: 2 Peter 3, spiritual health, Biblical doctors, Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Peter, good spiritual health, Peter, church attendance, church membership, Spirit-filled Christians, Simon Peter, mood swings, Biblical remedies, Biblical Doctoring, good health, good health in the Bible, spiritual maturity, mental illness, mental problems, schizophrenia, split personality, mental disorders, mental health, the Apostle Peter, charity, Christian love, moodiness, tantrums, John 13, foot-washing, physical health, spiritual food, Bread of Life
During his later years, Simon Peter, the disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ, was a shining example of a Spirit-filled Christian. However, this was not always the case. Like many of us, Peter started off his Christian life sometimes acting like a tantrum-throwing toddler or a moody teen-aged child. We’re talking about a man who went from refusing to allow Jesus to wash his feet in one breath, to demanding that He wash his whole body, in the next. (John 13:6-10)
What caused the change from this Peter to the man we see in the epistles I and II Peter: the spiritually mature believer? The answer is that he grew in grace and knowledge.
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
II Peter 3:18
Nature teaches that the keys to physical and mental growth are a healthy diet, exercise, and caring companionship. These are good illustrations for the balance needed for spiritual growth also – growth in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. Believers must partake of spiritual food: the bread of life, which is the Word of God. Also, they must be active in obedience and good works: Christian love, or “charity.” Finally, they must learn to fellowship with other believers in caring for, and being helped by, the Church.
Christians who swing violently from one extreme to the other in spiritual matters are demonstrating spiritual immaturity. Those who are growing are marked by consistent Bible-study and obedience, active service in sharing the love of Christ, and in regular church attendance and ministry to the living saints.
Two “Right” Feet
July 2, 2009 at 9:20 am | In Biblical Doctoring | Leave a CommentTags: 2 Chronicles 16, Asa, Asa king of Judah, Biblical doctors, Biblical medicine, David's descendants, foot diseases, foot injuires, God's perfect will, God's will, King Asa, King David, ordered steps, paths of righteousness, physicians in the Bible, podiatry, Psalm 23, Psalm 37, stumbling, Syria, two left feet
Asa was the third king of the Kingdom of Judah. The Bible records that he began his reign by walking in God’s will. As he trusted and obeyed the Lord for 35 years, he was blessed with success.
However, one who truly walks in the center of God’s will does not walk on a broad meandering thoroughfare. The centerline of God’s will is razor-thin. One step to the left or right can take you out of God’s perfect will, and 1000 miles in either direction can be just as damaging as that first step.
In that 35th year of his reign Asa took his first big step – a stumble, really – out of God’s will, and trusted the King of Syria instead of the Lord.
And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand.
II Chronicles 16:7
Instead of repenting, and getting back on God’s narrow path, Asa continued to order his own steps, ignoring the Holy Spirit’s counsel which had been given to his great-great-grandfather, David. (Psalm 37:23)
Even when God allowed him to contract a disease which reminded Asa that he had stumbled and was using his feet to walk away from the Lord, instead of back to the Lord, the reproof was not taken.
And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.
II Chronicles 16:12
God, help us to follow You on the paths of righteousness, for Your name’s sake. (Psalm 23:3)
The Great Physician
April 23, 2009 at 10:22 am | In Biblical Doctoring | 1 CommentTags: Matthew 5, 1 John 1, Biblical medicine, Galatians 3, Biblical doctors, Doctors in the Bible, swim lessons, Ezekiel 3, The Great Physician, John 15, medical treatment in the Bible, Psalm 17, acrostics, acronyms, Biblical acrostics
Acrostics, formed by taking the first letter of a series of words to make one word, can be helpful memory tools. For example, the acrostic, S.W.I.M., stands for looking in the Bible to “S.ee W.hat I.t M.eans.” If we don’t learn to S.W.I.M., we might S.I.N.K. (S.tep I.n N.ot K.nowing).
Over the past few weeks we have seen similarities and differences between earthly physicians and the Great Physician, the Lord Jesus Christ. The following acrostic, using the word “D.O.C.T.O.R.,” may serve as a review of those lessons:
Dwell in Christ (John 15:10)
Offer yourself for regular examinations (Psalm 17:3)
Confess your sins (I John 1:9)
Take His instructions seriously (Matthew 5:18)
Operate in submission to the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:2)
Refer new patients (Ezekiel 3:11)
The Great House Call
April 9, 2009 at 8:26 am | In Biblical Doctoring | 1 CommentTags: abide, Biblical doctors, Biblical medical treatment, Biblical medicine, doctors, Doctors in the Bible, good spiritual health, Jesus Christ's power to heal, John 15, Matthew 9, medical exam, Psalm 139, regular check-ups, sin-sick, The Great Physician
But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
Matthew 9:12
Have you been healed from the sickness of sin by the Great Physician? Only Jesus Christ provides the cure for sin.
Before the days of modern transportation, a person who had been successfully treated by an innovative doctor would sometimes physically change his residence, and move to the place where the doctor was located. This was so he could be near for regular examinations.
Jesus invites us to “abide” in Him. (John 15:4) If we do so, He will be able to continually “examine” us, letting us know if there are signs of our old sin-sickness creeping back in to make us ill. Regular check-ups, conducted by the Holy Spirit, are a key part of good spiritual health.
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24
Satisfied Patients
March 27, 2009 at 9:46 am | In Biblical Doctoring | 1 CommentTags: Biblical doctors, Biblical medical treatment, Biblical medicine, doctors, Ezekiel 3, free advertising, Great Physician, Jesus Christ's power to heal, medical treatment, medicine in the Bible, patients, satisfied patients, second opinion, word of mouth
The Great Physician, Jesus Christ, is greater than any earthly doctor. This can be seen in how He deals with pre-existing conditions, in the type of Doctor’s orders He gives, and in the success rate of His treatment.
People who have been well-treated by a doctor will always recommend that doctor to their friends. You may see a billboard or advertisement occasionally, but “word of mouth,” rather than paid advertising, is how most doctors get their patients.
If you’ve been healed from the fatal sickness of sin by Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, you should “spread the word.” Don’t miss a chance to tell people about the Lord.
“And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.” Ezekiel 3:11
An earthly doctor likes to get referrals from patients, but the Great Physician has commanded us tell others about how He has PERMANENTLY healed us.
The Doctor Who Never Fails
March 17, 2009 at 8:24 am | In Biblical Doctoring | 4 CommentsTags: Great Physician, Biblical medical treatment, Biblical medicine, Galatians 3, Ephesians 2, Biblical doctors, Doctors in the Bible, healing, permanent healing, temporary healing
Doctors often take the majority of the credit for healing a patient. However, all physical healings are, at best, temporary. Earthly doctors, being human, are susceptible to mistakes. A patient may need a second opinion. A patient who has been proclaimed “healed” may suffer a relapse. But when you have been healed from the fatal illness of sin by the Great Physician, you have been fully and permanently healed.
When the Lord Jesus, the Great Physician, saves someone, it is by grace through faith, not of works. (Ephesians 2:8-9) If you have been healed from the sickness of sin, you were not healed by works, so you should not trust in works to keep you healed.
The Holy Ghost spoke to the Galatian believers through the Apostle Paul: “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” Galatians 3:2-5
An earthly physician offers a temporary cure, but the Great Physician has the power to keep you healed, and to make you GROW.
Doctor’s Orders
March 10, 2009 at 9:58 am | In Biblical Doctoring | 2 CommentsTags: Biblical medicine, doctor's orders, doctors, important verses, Matthew 5, spiritual health
When a patient leaves his doctor’s office, he will often be given a written copy of “doctor’s instructions.” Patients are admonished to follow these instructions to the letter. For example, a patient who takes his prescribed medicine, but does not perform his prescribed exercises, may not fully recover.
The Great Physician, however, is even more serious about us following His instructions word for word. “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:18) There are no “unimportant verses” in the Bible. It is our God-inspired instruction manual for spiritual health and daily living.
An earthly physician gives the patient “doctor’s orders” to follow, but the Great Physician gives the COMMANDMENTS to live by in His Holy Word.
Pre-existing Conditions
February 26, 2009 at 10:19 am | In Biblical Doctoring | 2 CommentsTags: 1 John 1, Biblical medical treatment, confession, doctors, Great Physician, medical history, pre-existing conditions
Doctors want an accurate medical history on their patients. This is an important part of diagnosis and treatment. Patient forms have spaces for admitting to a history of high blood pressure, heart problems, and prior injuries. I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Each day we need to confess our faults and sins to our Great Physician. If you have truly trusted Jesus Christ as your savior, your post-salvation sins will not change your status as a child of God with a home in Heaven. However, there’s no use in trying to hide our sins from the Lord – He sees everything. An earthly physician wants an accurate medical history of past problems, but the Great Physician wants honest and sincere confession.
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