Medical doctors and physicians are mentioned in the Bible a number of times. Way back in Genesis we find Joseph directing the Egyptian physicians who served him to embalm his father (Genesis 50:2). The practice of medicine in Egypt was known for being very specialized. It is said that each physician in Ancient Egypt was only qualified to treat one type of disease.
Should Christians See Doctors?
Some people try to use (2 Chronicles 16:12) as a reason that Christians should not go to doctors. The verse says King Asa had developed a serious disease in his feet. As serious as the disease was, Asa did not seek the Lord’s help. He only sought help from his physicians. The problem here was Asa put his faith in his physicians only. He did not even bother to seek the Lord’s help.
The Bible does not condemn seeking the help of a doctor when needed. From broken bones to eye doctors, we are blessed by God to have these resources available to us when necessary. It’s when we replace our faith in God with a trust that physicians and medicines can take care of all our health needs, as Asa did, that it becomes a problem.
With or without doctors and physicians, there will come a time for all of us medically speaking when a doctor will not be able to help. The woman in (Luke 8:43) spent all of her living on physicians trying to find a cure for her condition. The Bible says she could not be healed by anyone. It was only by the healing touch of Jesus that she was made well (Luke 8:44).
And so it is with us today. There will be times when doctors can help. Other times only a touch of God is going to bring us healing. Always putting our faith and trust in God first is the key.
Jesus, Paul, And Doctor Luke
Jesus himself even gave a shoutout to doctors. In (Mark 2:17) he said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Jesus gave recognition that there is a time and place for the need of a doctor.
Luke, who was the author of Luke and Acts, was not only a physician, but a well loved one at that. The Apostle Paul went so far as to call Luke, “The beloved doctor” in (Colossians 4:14). From Paul’s missionary trips, to his imprisonments, Luke traveled with him as a faithful friend, and most likely as a doctor when Paul needed one.
Other Physician Scriptures
(Jeremiah 8:22) Is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why is there no healing for the wounds of my people? NLT
(Luke 4:23) Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ NLT
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