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◄ Being Sick►

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Definition and Context:
Sickness, in the biblical context, refers to a state of physical or mental illness, disease, or infirmity. It is a condition that affects individuals throughout the Scriptures, often serving as a backdrop for divine intervention, teaching, and the demonstration of faith.

Biblical Instances and Teachings:

1.Old Testament Understanding:
Sickness in the Old Testament is often seen as a consequence of sin or disobedience to God's commandments. InDeuteronomy 28:58-61, God warns the Israelites that if they do not obey His laws, He will bring upon them "every kind of sickness and plague not recorded in this Book of the Law." However, it is also recognized that not all sickness is a direct result of personal sin, as seen in the account of Job, who suffered despite being righteous (Job 1:1-22).

2.Healing and Restoration:
The Old Testament also presents God as a healer. InExodus 15:26, God declares, "I am the LORD who heals you." The Psalms frequently express trust in God's healing power, as inPsalm 103:2-3, "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds—He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases."

3.New Testament Perspective:
The New Testament continues the theme of healing, with Jesus Christ's ministry being marked by numerous healings. InMatthew 8:16-17, it is recorded, "When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Him, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: 'He took on our infirmities and carried our diseases.'"

4.Faith and Healing:
The New Testament emphasizes faith as a key component in healing. InJames 5:14-15, believers are instructed, "Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick." This passage highlights the communal and faith-based approach to dealing with illness.

5.Sickness and Suffering:
Sickness is also seen as a means through which God can work for good. InJohn 9:1-3, when Jesus encounters a man born blind, He explains, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." This suggests that sickness can serve a higher purpose in God's plan.

6.Eternal Perspective:
The Bible offers an eternal perspective on sickness, promising a future where there will be no more pain or suffering.Revelation 21:4 provides hope, stating, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away."

Practical Implications for Believers:

·Prayer and Trust: Believers are encouraged to pray for healing and trust in God's sovereignty, recognizing that He is capable of healing but also works through sickness for His purposes.
·Compassion and Care: Christians are called to show compassion and care for the sick, following Jesus' example of ministering to those in need.
·Hope and Assurance: The promise of ultimate healing and restoration in eternity provides hope and assurance to those who suffer from sickness in this life.

Conclusion:
The biblical narrative presents sickness as a multifaceted issue, intertwined with themes of sin, faith, divine intervention, and eternal hope. It calls believers to respond with prayer, compassion, and trust in God's ultimate plan for healing and restoration.

Topical Bible Verses

James 5:14
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
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Matthew 10:8
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give.
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Greek

2192. echo -- to have, hold
... 1), acknowledge* (1), am (2), become (1), been (3),being (1),being under (1... of
necessity, + need, next, + recover, + reign, + rest, + return, Xsick, take for...

2480. ischuo -- to be strong, have power
... And the prayer characterized by (4102 ) will restore the one who issick, and the...
for the benefit of one another, for the purpose ofbeing supernaturally healed...

Library

He,Being Sick in Body, and Having Sent Some of his Servants to...
... The Sacred History Of Sulpitius Severus. Book I. Chapter XLV. He,being sick
in body, and having sent some of his servants to consult an?...

Special Practices of Uniformity.
... The story is told of a client of St. Thomas of Canterbury, whobeing sick, went
to the saint's tomb to obtain a cure. He returned home cured....

How WynfridBeing Deposed, Sexwulf Received his Bishopric, and...
... but the very splinters cut from it, when carried to thesick, are wont...Being put
into the government of that monastery, she showed herself in all respects...

How He Healed aSick Maiden by his Prayers. [705 AD ]
... and at last prevailed with him to go in and visit thesick maiden.... was followed by
the assuaging of the grievous swelling; and the maidenbeing thus delivered...

How the Same Holy Man,Being Detained There by Sickness, by his...
... How the same holy man,being detained there by sickness, by his prayers quenched
a... the crowd endeavoured to save, was destroyed; and what thesick and helpless...

Chammath. Ammaus. The Warm Baths of Tiberias.
... them:". "R. Josua Ben Levibeing sick, washed sometime in the warm baths
of Tiberias, leaning on the shoulders of R. Chajia Bar Ba."....

How Another in Like Manner,Being at the Point of Death, Saw the...
... For he fallingsick, andbeing brought to extremity, called the brethren, and with
much lamentation, like one damned, began to tell them, that he saw Hell...

On visiting theSick
... so circumstanced that they cannot attend thesick in person; and where this is the
real case it is undoubtedly sufficient for them to send help,being the only...

That the Example of Certain Saints who Seem to have Exercised...
... S. Thomas Aquinas, that great star of theology,being sick of the disease of which
he died, at the Monastery of Fossanuova, of the order of Citeaux, the...

Perishing orBeing Saved
... healed orbeing made safe. In the one sense it is often employed in the Gospel
narratives of our Lord's miracles, and it involves the metaphor of asick man...