I certainly hope you don't mean the belief "God always wants us well" is a false doctrine. I have met a few who hold on to that, most of them is because they have either prayed for others in the past, but the person died, or they themselves were trusting God to be healed, but they could not see it with their physical eyes. For these people, they often regard Isa 53 as "spiritual healing", meaning healing from sins, and not infirmities nor physical sicknesses. Is that where you are coming from?
Actually, I believe many of us who believe that God hates sickness with the same intensity as he hates sin, when we pray for others or ourselves, have seen people died or even got worse after we prayed. But we continue to renew our minds in this truth daily, as I have said, many years of wrong doctrine need more time to be erased.
But yes, I will be very happy to discuss with people with different perspectives about this issue, as I don't think I have all the answers as of now.
Actually, I believe many of us who believe that God hates sickness with the same intensity as he hates sin, when we pray for others or ourselves, have seen people died or even got worse after we prayed. But we continue to renew our minds in this truth daily, as I have said, many years of wrong doctrine need more time to be erased.
But yes, I will be very happy to discuss with people with different perspectives about this issue, as I don't think I have all the answers as of now.
Look at the context of Isa. 53:5-6 (And do not leave off verse 6, because it is important in context!) It is about SIN!! Not about healing. Even the Septuagint acknowledges that. Israel was sin sick and needed "healing!" Healing from what? Let's look at the verses again.
"But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all." Isa. 53:5-6
Let's see the main words:
transgressions
iniquities
chastisement
gone astray
turned our own way
the iniquity of us all.
These words are all about sin - rebellion, iniquity. You can't just pluck out the 4th line of one verse out and claim it is about healing, when all the surrounding verses, in fact all of Isa. 53 is about sin, and the Messiah and the atonement saving us from our sins. Besides, it the worst of hermeneutics, or Bible interpretation to make a doctrine out of a 1/4 of a verse. It is bound to be wrong, if you cannot find it many times in the Bible, when in an in-context verses.
Then, there is the 1 Peter passage, which quotes it.
""He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:24 ESV"
Notice the words in the first part of the sentence have to do with the last part of the verse.
bore our sins
die to sin
live to righteousness.
So what are we healed from?? From sin and unrighteousness. There is absolutely nothing to do in context with physical healing, in either Isa. 53:5-6 or 1 Peter 2:24.
Try reading the verses for what they are saying, not the lies you have been fed by the Word Faith movement!!
In fact, if you read Isa. 53 and those verses in context, here are the verses that finish that chapter on the suffering Messiah. What are they about?
They are about salvation from sin and evil!
"Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors." Isa. 53:10-12
Please see that these verses in Isaiah 53 clearly are about sin. Not a single word about healing! This is the message, Isaiah never would have thought of it being about a heretical doctrine in the late 20th and 21st century, and people interpreting these verses to be about healing! That is context, and context is the most important thing, when you are interpreting the Bible. Read all of Isaiah 53, and realize it goes together. One part of one verse, talking about healing, in the context of talking about healing of our spiritual sins, means those "wounds" are sin and death. Not my metaphor, but Isaiah's. And Peter's! (I forgot to mention that Isaiah 53:4, was already changed by the translators of the Septuagint, LXX 300 years before Jesus. These people knew ancient Hebrew and early Koine Greek better than any modern scholar, I am sure, because they spoke those languages every day. Plus, the LXX is actually a better version than the Masoretic text, which was made between 800-1000 AD. That's right, no existing manuscripts from Isaiah's day, up to the present. But a lot of LXX extant manuscripts!
And if you really want to know what the word WOUND means to Isaiah, then read the whole book of Isaiah. Because the opening chapter explains this prophecy is to a "diseased" (spiritually) and unrighteous and sinful Israel.
"1 The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
2 Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth! For the Lord has spoken:
“I reared children and brought them up,
but they have rebelled against me.
3 The ox knows its master,
the donkey its owner’s manger,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand.”
4 Woe to the sinful nation,
a people whose guilt is great,
a brood of evildoers,
children given to corruption!
They have forsaken the Lord;
they have spurned the Holy One of Israel
and turned their backs on him.
5 Why should you be beaten anymore?
Why do you persist in rebellion?
Your whole head is injured,
your whole heart afflicted.
6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head
there is no soundness—
only wounds and welts
and open sores,
not cleansed or bandaged
or soothed with olive oil." Isa. 1:1-6
Note verse 6 actually talks about the things that promoted healing, in those days! It was cleansing, bandages and olive oil. No mention of praying to heal the sickness, because it was plain to Isaiah and his readers, that the book of Isaiah, introduced in Isaiah 1, is above corruption, forsaking the Lord, rebellion, evil doing and sin! The entire prophecy is to Israel, so that they will hear about the Messiah, who will heal their diseased and sin sick land. Note verses 1 and 3! To Judah, Jerusalem, and in verse 3 - Israel. And all those painful things were to do with the sin-sick land of Israel. Not to us! The plain meaning of the text, is the original meaning of the text, to Israel. (Although certainly we can then apply this to the sin sickness in our lands, today, of we are careful!) Jesus came to heal us of our sins. There is no other way Isaiah can be interpreted! Do not make this prophecy about yourself, unless you take it in context.
What does God call Israel? A SINFUL NATION! He is talking about the wounds of Israel spiritually. This is Isaiah, not me, not my opinion.
Last part of verse 5 says,
"Your whole head is injured,
your whole heart afflicted."
Notice that the metaphor of an injured head - or our thoughts is intricately linked to the WHOLE HEART BEING AFFLICTED!
Why are they affected?
Because they are a people:
laden with iniquity
offspring of evil doers
children who deal corruptly
forsake the Lord
despised the Holy One of Israel
utterly estranged Verse 4
This is what context is all about!! What was Isaiah's message?
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