Healing or Divine Health?
Introduction: What is the better miracle? Is it to have a wonderful healing or to walk
in divine health? Here are a few steps
for us to take in healing and health.
I.
Trust in the Lord – Vs 5
A.
This is the first thing each of us must do
1.
Psalm 37:3-5
a.
Trust in the Lord and do good.
b.
And be fed – God takes care of us
2.
Vs 4 – Delight thyself – take delight
a.
God will bless us – give us our desires [divine health]
3.
Vs 5 – Commit – trust
a.
Your desire? He
will bring it to pass
B.
Jeremiah 9:23-24
[Pr. 3:5]
1.
Be careful what we ‘glory’ in
a.
Not wisdom, might, or riches
b.
Glory in the fact “We know God”
c.
That God loves us and judges righteously
2.
The Targum paraphrases: “Thus saith the Lord, let not Solomon the son of David the wise
man praise [or please himself] in his wisdom, nor let Samson the son of Manoah
the mighty man please himself in his might, nor let Ahab the son Omri the rich
man please himself in his riches.”
II.
Acknowledge Him – Vs6
A.
God is the way of life, our journey
1.
We are to be aware and know God
2.
Allow God to direct, level, strengthen our way
3.
To life or death
B.
David’s instructions to Solomon – 1 Chronicles 28:5-9
1.
When David named Solomon his successor
C.
David turns to Solomon and begins to exhort him
1.
Know God, the God of your father
a.
The Covenant God with David
b.
The God that showed many favors, blessings, spiritual
and temporal.
2.
Davis exhorts Solomon to learn more of God
a.
Acknowledge Him as God to love and fear
3.
Serve Him with a perfect heart and willing mind
a.
Sincerely, cheerfully, freely
b.
Not in a hypocritical manner
c.
Not through force or constraint
d.
Not with loathing and weariness
4.
The Lord searches our heart
a.
Of all men – kings or peasants
b.
Understands all the thoughts of the heart
5.
God will grant His presence, “If we seek Him”
a.
Will give you your heart’s desire
6.
But --- Take away the blessing – Bs 9b
III.
Be not wise in your own eyes – Vs 7-9
A.
Three exhortations – each enforced with a good reason
1.
We must live humbly and dutifully before the Lord
a.
Be not wise in your own eyes – Vs 7a
b.
No greater enemy than conceitedness of our own wisdom
c.
To wise to follow God’s instructions
2.
Fear the Lord, depart from evil – Vs 7b
a.
Do ALL NOT to offend God
b.
To depart from evil in true wisdom and understanding
3.
The fear of the Lord, it shall be health to thy navel
a.
This fear is as necessary as food
b.
It is strength to the inner man, marrow for the bones
[divine health]
c.
The keeping of His statutes tend to bring health to the
soul
d.
Note: Envy is
the rottenness of the bones
e.
But hope and joy in God are marrow to them
B.
We must make good use of our wealth – Vs 9-10
1.
It is our duty to serve God with our means
a.
An opportunity to serve God with our money
b.
We MUST honor God with our wealth, large or small
2.
With our increase
a.
When riches increase we tend to honor ourselves
b.
God will give us more as we give more
c.
God has prospered us in everything
d.
God has given a prescription:
1.
Mo-dus Dec-I- man- di – a mode of tithing
2.
None for ---
De-non dec-I-man-do --- no exemption for paying tithes
C.
With our first fruits of all
1.
As Able – Genesis 4:4
2.
The law of the prophets – Exodus 21:19, Malachi 3:10
3.
God is first, the best, must have the first and best
4.
He, God must be ‘served’ first
5.
We are to make our wealth serviceable to God
6.
We are to use it to promote God’s work
“God shall bless thee with an increase of that which is
for use, not for show or ornament, for spending and laying out, not for hording
and laying up.”
7.
Those that do good with what they have shall have more
to do good with.
a.
When we make our wealth serviceable to God –
b.
Then we find our wealth more serviceable to our
affairs.
IV.
We must conduct ourselves right – Vs 11-12
A.
We must allow God to correct us
1.
Do not despise His correction, it is His love
Conclusion: These
verses may not sound like walking in divine health, but when one begins to walk
in His statutes, obey His commands, receive His corrections, divine health will
come.