Healing and Doctors

[Updated July 29, 2026]

Hi Mike,

I’ve been reading your articles, and they are awesome. Thanks so much for all the work you have put into them.

I have a question on healing. I understand that God uses everything for our good, and I was wondering if it is wrong for us to go to doctors? I was told that it was a lack of faith because of the drugs they give and how the doctors take an oath, etc. Is this wrong? Also, how the Greek word I can’t remember means pharmacia and that [it] is witchcraft.

Do you have any understanding of this?

Thanks so much,
J____

 

Hi J____,

You ask:

… if it is wrong for us to go to doctors? I was told that it was a lack of faith?

Nothing could be further from the truth. It is no more a sin to go to a doctor to have a broken ankle set back in place than it is to receive the antidote for a poison snake bite.

Let’s simply go to the scriptures and see what they have to say on this subject:

Gen 50:2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians [H7495: ‘rapha’, to heal] to embalm his father: and the physicians [H7495:‘rapha’] embalmed Israel.

You see, Joseph had servants who were physicians. Now those who tell you not to go to a doctor will very likely tell you that these are simply embalmers. This is absolutely untrue. Anyone seeking only the Truth can go to the trouble of looking up the Hebrew word for ‘physician’, and he will find that this is the very same word that is most often translated ‘heal’ or ‘healed’ in the scriptures. Here is but one example of dozens in the Old Testament where this word is translated ‘healed:’

Gen 20:17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed [H7495: ‘rapha’] Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.

Notice how Job describes his self-righteous ‘miserable comforters.’

Job 13:4 But ye are forgers of lies, ye are all physicians [H7495: ‘rapha’] of no value.

Here is the BT+ entry for this Hebrew word H7495, ‘rapha’:

Original: רפה רפא

– Transliteration: Rapha’

– Phonetic: raw-faw’

– Definition:

1- to heal, make healthful
2- (Qal) to heal
3- of God
4- healer, physician (of men)
5- of hurts of nations involving restored favour (fig)
6- of individual distresses (fig)
7- (Niphal) to be healed
8- literal (of persons)
9- of water, pottery
10- of national hurts (fig)
11- of personal distress (fig)
12- (Piel) to heal
13- literal
14- of national defects or hurts (fig)
15- (Hithpael) in order to get healed (infinitive)

– Origin: a primitive root

– TWOT entry: 2196

– Part(s) of speech: Verb

– Strong’s: A primitive root; properly to mend (by stitching) that is (figuratively) to cure: – cure (cause to) heal physician repair X thoroughly make whole. See H7503.

Total KJV Occurrences: 68

cure, 1

Jer 33:6

heal, 21

Num 12:13; Deu 32:39; 2Ki 20:5; 2Ki 20:8; 2Ch 7:14; Psa 6:2; Psa 41:4; Psa 60:2; Ecc 3:3; Isa 19:22(2); Isa 57:18; Isa 57:19; Jer 3:22; Jer 17:14; Jer 30:17; Lam 2:13; Hos 5:13; Hos 6:1; Hos 14:4; Zec 11:16

healed, 33

Gen 20:17; Exo 21:19(2); Lev 13:18; Lev 13:37; Lev 14:3; Lev 14:48; Deu 28:27; Deu 28:35; 1Sa 6:3; 2Ki 2:21; 2Ki 2:22; 2Ki 8:29; 2Ki 9:15; 2Ch 22:6; 2Ch 30:20; Psa 30:2; Psa 107:20; Isa 6:10; Isa 53:5; Jer 6:14; Jer 8:11; Jer 15:18; Jer 17:14; Jer 51:8; Jer 51:9(2); Eze 34:4; Eze 47:8; Eze 47:9; Eze 47:11; Hos 7:1; Hos 11:3

healeth, 4

Exo 15:26; Psa 103:3; Psa 147:3; Isa 30:26

of, 1

2Ki 6:11

physician, 1

Jer 8:22

physicians, 4

Gen 50:2(2); 2Ch 16:12; Job 13:4

repaired, 1

1Ki 18:30

whole, 2

Job 5:18; Jer 19:11

Like the apostle Paul, Job knew that even though his comforters were “like physicians of no value” there were physicians which were of much value. Like any other profession, modern medicine has become polluted with greed and careless disregard for human life, and unfortunately people are more careful about who they pick as a mechanic for their car than the person they choose to help with health issues.

Here is what Proverbs has to say about medicines:

Pro 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Eze 47:12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.

The New Testament tells us:

Col 4:14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.

Luke traveled with Paul, and it is he who has given us his firsthand account of many of the events in the book of Acts.

2Ti 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.

In the book of Acts, Luke uses the pronoun ‘we’ many times; for example:

Act 16:10 And after he had seen the vision, immediately we [Paul, Silas and Luke] endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.

So Paul had a resident physician traveling with him on this journey, and that did not indicate that Paul lacked faith. He calls him “Luke, the beloved physician.” Even so, Paul himself was sick at times and afflicted and was not healed of his affliction. Not even his “beloved physician, Luke” could heal him at times:

Gal 4:13 Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first.
Gal 4:14 And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
Gal 4:15 Where is then the blessedness ye spake of? for I bear you record, that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.

“Infirmity of the flesh… which was in my flesh” are qualifying phrases which let us know that Paul is not speaking of a spiritual affliction or struggle. He was physically “infirmed”, physically sick.

Now look at what Paul tells Timothy about Timothy’s sickness:

1Ti 5:23 Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.

Not all of Paul’s prayers were answered:

Php 2:25 Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.
Php 2:26 For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick.
Php 2:27 For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

And again…

2Ti 4:20 Erastus abode at Corinth: but Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick.

Do you not suppose that Paul prayed fervently for his own healing and for the healing of these his close associates? Of course, he did. You can rest assured that “Luke the beloved physician” did all that he could to help.

What is of the greatest importance is that we come to realize that any disease and the contrasting good health is to teach us that God is sovereign in all things. Here are His own words regarding this subject:

Isa 19:22 And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them.

This is the lesson that Job had to learn at so great a price. Job had made this fatal statement:

Job 27:5 … Till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.

What does God tell Job as a result of this lack of understanding of His sovereignty?

Job 40:8 Wilt thou [Job] also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me [For the lesson I am teaching you and millions of others], that thou mayest be righteous?

”All things are of God.”

Pro 16:4 The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things [“even the wicked”]: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

1Co 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

1Co 11:12 For as the woman [is] of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God.

As hard as it is for us to comprehend, here is the purpose for all evil that ever has been or ever will be:

Gen 50:20 But as for you [Joseph’s brothers who sold him into slavery], ye thought evil against me; but God meant it [The selling of Joseph into slavery] unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

There, that is the purpose for all the evil and all the contrasting good, that has ever been done.

If you haven’t already, I suggest that you read After The Counsel of His Own Will. There are hundreds of Biblical examples found throughout the scriptures that demonstrate that “all things [are done] after the counsel of His own will.” Here is one example of that Truth:

Joh 9:1 And as [Jesus] passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
Joh 9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
Joh 9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

There are a thousand and one reasons why God strikes people with diseases. It is never accomplished without Him sending “an unclean spirit from the Lord.”

1Sa 16:14  But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.
1Sa 16:15  And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

1Ki 22:19  And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
1Ki 22:20  And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
1Ki 22:21  And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.
1Ki 22:22  And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he [the Lord] said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.

Let us never be guilty, as were Job’s ‘comforters’ and as were the apostles, of assuming that the reason ‘so and so’ is having a trial is because of a lack of faith or because of hidden sin in their lives. Let us rather “judge ourselves that we be not judged” (1Co 11:31-32).

1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

I hope this is all of some help to you. If you need a physician, by all means see one. Do not offer up your health or the well being of your family on the altar of some man’s ego. I will close with these words of our Lord Himself:

Luk 5:31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick [do need a physician].

You also asked about the Greek word ‘pharmakeia’:

“Also, how the Greek word I can’t remember means pharmacia and that [it] is witchcraft. Do you have any understanding of this?”

Here is where this word appears in scripture:

Gal 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20  Idolatry, witchcraft [G5331: ‘pharmakeia’, sorcery, witchcraft] hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal 5:21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Paul says that anyone who practices ‘pharmakeia’, “shall not inherit the kingdom of God”

The book of Revelation repeatedly condemns sorcery, stating that sorcerers will have their part in the lake of fire (the second death) and are excluded from the New Jerusalem.

Rev 9:21  Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries [G5331: ‘pharmakeia’, sorcery, witchcraft], nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Rev 18:23  And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries [G5331: ‘pharmakeia’, sorcery, witchcraft], were all nations deceived.

Rev 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers [G5332: ‘pharmakues’], and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Rev 22:15  For without are dogs, and sorcerers [G5333: ‘pharmakos’], and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

When I first saw this Greek word my spiritual understanding was nonexistent, and I thought I had just discovered that the Bible was telling me that the pharmaceutical companies were altering our thinking away from the Truth. Indeed drugs and pharmaceuticals do just that, but physical drugs are but the physical type of what spiritual ‘pharmakeia’, lying false doctrines, do to our spiritual understanding. It is all the false doctrines and lies of the churches of the great whore which are the ‘pharmakeia’ that has all nations deceived and unable to receive The Truths of the Word of God:

Rev 18:23  And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries [G5331: ‘pharmakeia’] were all nations deceived.

I hope I have answered your questions to your satisfaction.

Your brother in Christ, Mike