Job had sickness brought upon him by the Devil as a test and a Christian named Epaphroditus likewise faced serious illness:
“Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow” (Philippians 2: 27).
Yet another example of a faithful servant of God suffering illness was Timothy: "Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses" (1 Timothy 5:23 NIV).
King David also penned these words: "The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness" (Psalm 41:3 NIV).
"Jehovah supporteth on a couch of sickness, All his bed Thou hast turned in his weakness" (YLT).
Other translations suggest this is something Jehovah will do, but either way, the psalm indicates that a servant of God can get sick--even if he/she is faithful.
James 5:14-15 apparently deals with spiritual sickness rather than physical illness. It's also possible that Paul's "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7-12) could have been some type of illness.
While some people did experience healing in the Bible, the book of Revelation teaches that genuine and permanent healing will only happen when this evil age is a thing of the past. Please read Revelation 21:1-4 and Revelation 22:1-5.
Sporadic theological and historical musings by Edgar Foster (Ph.D. in Theology and Religious Studies and one of Jehovah's Witnesses).
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