The First Healing

Lessons on Divine Healing from the Life of Abraham

Reading: Genesis 20 and Genesis 21:1-6

Introduction: The unusual story of Abraham’s encounter with King Abimelech is the first account of a healing miracle in Scripture. Abraham’s prayer opens the barren wombs of the king’s household. Christian teachers often speak of the “law of first mention”; ie the first time a subject appears in the Bible, it establishes principles that will abide throughout.  Let us examine this story and draw out five lessons in healing that can help us today.

1. Sickness is a result of human sin but it's "nothing personal". Abimelech’s wife and the female house servants were struck barren due to the king’s sin. However, even the king could not be held completely responsible as Abraham had deceived him. It can be a mistake to say that sickness is always the result of personal sin; this is probably extremely rare. The original sin of the world committed in Eden has caused untold suffering, even to this current generation, and healing is always a sign of God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ, both personally and corporately.

2. The miracle occurred in an evangelistic context. Abimelech was not one of God’s chosen people but a Philistine king. In spite of this, God speaks to him and heals him. We should never box God into only performing miracles among Christians. He is a God who longs to show His goodness to the unbelieving world too. A miracle can have a great impact upon an unbelieving person.

3. The one ministering healing was flawed! Abraham had behaved in a deceitful way and his sin had caused the sickness that had come upon Abimelech’s house. However, although he was far from perfect, we can be encouraged that God still used this sinner’s simple prayer (no clever techniques here) to effect the miracle upon these ladies. Remember evangelist Reinhard Bonnke’s quote: “Miracles are not signs of saints, they are signs of God”.

4. He had to pray for another’s miracle while waiting for his own. A year before this incident, God had spoken to Abraham and told him that Sarah would conceive. In Genesis 20, Abraham is still waiting on this promise to be fulfilled – we see its fulfilment in Genesis 21. Just because we ourselves are waiting for a miracle, does not negate us ministering to others. Remember that even Paul struggled with ill health and calamity as he travelled bringing the Gospel to the first century world (Galatians 4:13; 2 Corinthians 12:7), but his hands healed the sick everywhere.

5. The full manifestation of the miracle must have taken months. To know that the whole household was cured of barrenness was not something that could have been tested overnight! For some there is a dramatic miracle, but not all are healed instantly, and some who are cannot physically know it until later. But whether instant or over time, the important thing is that we receive God’s healing power and get better and stronger. God is not interested in “having a show” but displaying His glory!