Journey with Jesus #17

Here is the second October Bible Study...

OT - Healing 10/22/09

There are relatively few accounts of healings in the Old Testament. The focus of the Torah was the liberation of the people – the Exodus story recounting the setting free of the Hebrew slaves. Thus the big miracle of the Old Testament is the crossing of the Red Sea, later echoed in the crossing of the Jordan and the entry into the Promised Land. The histories then record the establishment and fall of the kingdoms. They tell of political and religious struggle not healing. There is, however, one point where a number of healings do take place: in the stories of Elijah and Elisha.

Elijah had the prestige of being the first of the Yahwist resistance prophets. A sign of the respect given to Elijah is that he appears with Moses at Jesus’ transfiguration. After the entry into the Promised Land there was a period of transition when the Israelites were led by charismatic warriors called “judges”. Then came David and Solomon followed by the splitting of the country into the Northern and Southern kingdoms. Ahab was a king who married Jezebel, daughter of the king of Sidon (a Phoenician city). She brought with her the Phoenician religion of the Baals. The Baals were warrior gods of violence and fertility. They were gods of the annual cycle of death and rebirth.

The word “baal” means “lord” and there are some places in the Old Testament where there is some confusion between Baal and Yahweh as a result. At the time of Elijah a tremendous effort was made to make a true distinction. Elijah fights against the prophets of Baal. He calls fire from heaven and slaughters the prophets. He defeats them, but then in fear for his life he runs away.

It is in this time of crisis in the prophet’s life and in the story of Israel that a little flurry of healings occur.1Kings 17: 8-23 tells the story of the widow of Sidon. The widow offers Elijah food from the little that she has. As a result her jar of meal and jug of oil do not fail. Later when the son of the widow becomes ill, Elijah stretches himself upon the child three times and he is brought back to life. Sidon, the place where Elijah escapes to, the home of the widow is located in Phoenicia. The miracles demonstrate both the character and the sovereignty of Yahweh. His character is illustrated in the care for the widow and child: in feeding the hungry and restoring life. His power is displayed in his actions taking place in the heart of the territory of Elijah’s enemies, over and against the “baals.” Jesus quotes this story in Luke 4:25 – but he takes from it a radical sense: rather than showing God’s sovereignty it demonstrates his healing grace is for everyone.

Another healing is the one performed by Elisha, the healing of the leper Namaan in Kings 5:1-19. An Israelite slave tells his master, a Syrian commander, of the prophet who has the power to heal his disease. The healing by Elisha is another example of the miracle displaying the power of Yahweh and his superiority over other gods. These are almost the only healing accounts of the Old Testament.

After the time of Elijah, Yahweh became established as the one God of Israel. It wasn’t until the Greek invasion of the 2nd century BCE that the influence of other gods again became something to be resisted. The books of the Maccabees give the account of the rebellion against Antiochus Epiphanes who attempted to impose Greek culture and religion on the Israelites. This time the battle is political and military. Unlike the fight against Jezebel which came down to the actions of a single prophet, this time the Maccabean family lead the violent resistance.

There were others who resisted the imposition of Greek religion but who seem to have taken a non-violent stance. Daniel 11:32-35 describes a group of people called “the wise”.
“The wise among the people shall give understanding to many; for some days, however, they shall fall by the sword and flame and suffer captivity and plunder…. Some of the wise shall fall so that they may be refined, purified, and cleansed, until the time of the end”.

In Dn 12:1-3. Michael shall rise during this time of anguish to deliver those written about in the book. “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Those who are wise [who have preciously fallen by the sword] shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” This is the first clear statement of resurrection in the Bible. It is vital to note its relation to non-retaliation and nonviolence.

Elijah fought with the sword and miracles. These “wise” people refuse to use the sword. The healing here is resurrection the greatest of all the miracles and resurrection is the last defense of the nonviolent. 1Macc 2:29-38 (written about the same time as Daniel) describes the same group. Here the “wise”, those “who were seeking righteousness and justice,” are portrayed as living in the wilderness, as refugees. They are pursued for refusing to obey the king. They refuse to fight on the Sabbath and as a result of their non-retaliation they are killed. 1 Maccabees (written from the point of view of those who did fight) says that they “die[d] in their innocence” (2:37). This group of people rejected violence. It is out of that group that the doctrine of the resurrection emerged. Out of their sacrifice a message of consolation and hope arises, one essential to the message of Jesus.

Elijah and Daniel are both instances in which God’s sovereignty is displayed. In Daniel it is through resurrection that God overcomes the world’s violence. In the same way Jesus held back healing from Lazarus to show the greater miracle of the resurrection. Resurrection is the final healing for the world. It is the healing that overcomes violence. All healings are an effect of the resurrection. They have not only power but significance because of this. Their meaning is to show that the systems of the world that lead to violence and death have been overcome.