The Ultimate Healer

<p>When a medical treatment began to provide relief for a family member&rsquo;s severe food allergies, I became so excited that I talked about it all the time. I described the intense process and extolled the doctor who had created the program. Finally, some friends commented, &ldquo;We think God should always get the credit for healing.&rdquo; Their statement made me pause. Had I taken my eyes off of the Ultimate Healer and made the healing into an idol?</p> <p>The nation of Israel fell into a similar trap when they began to burn incense to a bronze snake which God had used to heal them. They&rsquo;d been performing this act of worship until Hezekiah identified it as idolatry and &ldquo;broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made&rdquo; (2 Kings 18:4).</p> <p>Several centuries earlier, a group of venomous snakes had invaded the Israelite camp. The snakes bit the people and many died (Numbers 21:6). Although spiritual rebellion had caused the problem, the people cried out to God for help. Showing mercy, He directed Moses to sculpt a bronze snake, fasten it to a pole, and hold it up for everyone to see. When the people looked at it, they were healed (vv. 4&ndash;9).</p> <p>&nbsp;Think of God&rsquo;s gifts to you. Have any of them become objects of praise instead of evidence of His mercy and grace? Only our holy God&mdash;the source of every good gift (James 1:17)&mdash;is worthy of worship.</p>