FBC Seminole – April 28, 2019 | First Baptist Church Seminole

Healing in His Wings

1. Two things to get started:
  1. Don’t try to teach what is new, just try to teach what is true.
  2. There are details in the Bible that sometimes we miss, but that are significant.
    1. You are not going to hear something today about Jesus that you have never heard before. Rather, examining some of the details in Scripture might let us see something we already know in a way that is new, and remind us.

Numbers 15:38-39

1. 1. Blue dye as exotic/rare form of dye in the ancient world
    1. Lapis Lazuli (LAP-is LAZ-oo-lee) as crushed powder. Used for Pharaohs
      1. Only found in a mine in the mountains of Afghanistan
    2. Jews used Murex Trunculus snails to dye their cords blue
      1. Only live in the Mediterranean
      2. Took tens of thousands of snails to dye a garment blue
      3. Most elusive color in the ancient world (thus the association with royalty.. They were the only ones that could afford it!)
      4. Why use this to represent The Law?
        
        God’s Law in the minds of His people needed to be the most valuable thing they could get their hands on. It would cost everything and was worth sacrificing anything.
      5. Recite Psalm 19, Ezekiel 3:1-3

Numbers 15:38-39

1. 1. Tallit – “Little Tent” – Prayer closet. When jesus says to not pray standing on the street corner but instead go into your closet, He’s talking about this
  2. Kanaph – the corner/boarder of a garment.
    1. This is where the cords of blue should be attached

1 Sam. 15:27

1. 1. When Saul tears the border of Samuel’s garment, he’s tearing the tzitzit from the kanaph
    1. The idea is that Saul has ripped the law of God, and in so doing has forced God to rip the kingdom from Saul.
    2. This is a serious statement the author is making
  2. Kanaph is also the same Hebrew word for wings

Exodus 19:4

1. 1. First time this word is used in this way in the Bible. God delivered Israel out of Egypt as if on Eagles’ wings (kanaph)

Psalm 17:8

1. 1. God’s wings become a symbol of protection and deliverance for the people of Israel.
    1. The wings of God are a place of power where evil is defeated
    2. The wings of God are a place of protection where the evil of the world cannot touch them
    3. The wings of God are a place of healing, where those that have been harmed by the consequences of evil can be sheltered
    4. The wings of God are a place of covenant, because God “brought you to myself” on his wings. A place of love and relationship.

Malachi 4:2

1. 1. The end of the Jewish Bible (sort of) is this prophecy
    1. After this text, the Word of God will go silent for some 400 years (again, sort of)
    2. This is a promise of a Messiah that will restore the covenant of the Jews to their God. It hasn’t been the same since they’ve left Babylon and they long for the Messiah to make everything right again.
    3. Just as God delivered the Jews from Egypt on eagles’ wings, so the coming Messiah would bring healing, deliverance, and protection.
    4. The Jews had a past picture to look forward to in the Messiah.

Matthew 9:20-22

1. If only I touch the edge of his cloak.
  1. She believes He is the one that was sent. He is the sun of righteousness
  2. The edge of his cloak is the kanaph, his wings. In them, if you take the prophecy literally, there is healing.
    1. This woman was not grasping for some last ditch effort to get well
    2. This woman was not hopeful that she would get lucky
  3. This woman made an intentional and direct beline for Jesus because she believed that He was the one the Prophets were talking about.
2. By grabbing the edge of Jesus’ robe, the woman is expressing her belief that Jesus is God.
  1. “As the wings of Yahweh delivered our people from Egypt, as David prayed that he could be covered by the wings of Yahweh, so I seek refuge in the wings of this man Jesus.”
    1. That is blasphemy if He is not God!
      1. This is just one of the many subtle ways that Matthew hints at Jesus’ divine nature
3. The sick woman reached out and grabbed Jesus on purpose. And she grabbed the edge of his robe on purpose. It is a statement of faith to do that.
How many of us are reaching out to grab the Messiah on purpose?
1. How many of us are here because you are hoping for some good luck or a lucky break?
2. How many of us are here, walking close to Jesus in proximity, but totally oblivious to what is really going on?
3. How many of us acknowledge the need for protection, deliverance, shelter, and healing in the shadow of God’s wings?
4. How many people here today are reaching out for Jesus on purpose? Do you want to?