Throughout the Bible, we find numerous references to diseases, sickness, and plagues. God sometimes uses disease to discipline or punish sin, but disease ultimately stems from the fallenness of creation. The Bible offers comfort and hope to those suffering from illness, and points to future freedom from sickness in eternity. Here are some key Bible passages about diseases:
Old Testament Verses
In the Old Testament, we see examples of God using disease and plagues to judge sin and rebellion:
- The Ten Plagues on Egypt (Exodus 7-12) – God sent 10 plagues, including boils, to humble Pharaoh and deliver the Israelites from slavery.
- Plague after the idolatry of Peor (Numbers 25:1-9) – A plague came upon the Israelites after they worshipped Baal of Peor.
- The Plague that came from David’s census (2 Samuel 24:10-17) – When David took a census of Israel in pride, God disciplined the nation with a pestilence that killed 70,000 people.
- Naaman’s leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-14) – Naaman, commander of the Syrian army, had leprosy but was healed after obeying Elisha’s orders to wash in the Jordan River 7 times.
We also find verses speaking more generally about diseases as a consequence of human sinfulness:
- “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments…I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins.” (Leviticus 26:18)
- “The LORD will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew.” (Deuteronomy 28:22)
However, the Old Testament also reveals God’s compassion on those suffering from illness. For example, God hears King Hezekiah’s prayer and heals him from a terminal illness (2 Kings 20:1-11).
New Testament Verses
In the New Testament, Jesus has compassion on the sick and heals many diseases through His miracles:
- Cleansing a leper (Matthew 8:1-4)
- Healing Peter’s mother-in-law of fever (Matthew 8:14-15)
- Healing the paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8)
- Healing the woman with a discharge of blood (Mark 5:25-34)
- Healing blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52)
- Healing the high priest’s servant’s severed ear (Luke 22:50-51)
Jesus saw sickness as an opportunity to display God’s glory and mercy:
- “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.” (Matthew 9:12)
- “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” (John 11:4)
The New Testament reminds us that in eternity with Christ, there will be no more sickness, pain, or disease:
- “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
As we live with illness now, we can have hope in God’s healing, either on earth or fully in heaven.
Verses on God’s Power Over Diseases
The Bible affirms that God has ultimate power over all diseases and health issues:
- “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4)
- “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases.” (Psalm 103:2-3)
- “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.'” (Matthew 28:18)
- “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
We can find comfort knowing that the God who created our bodies has power over all illness, and faithfully cares for His children.
Verses on Finding Meaning in Suffering
For the believer, times of sickness can serve a redemptive purpose. God sometimes allows illness to refine us, grow our faith, make us long for heaven, and glorify Him:
- “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.” (Psalm 119:67)
- “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
- “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17)
- “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith – more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)
God is always working through the pain to sanctify us and make us more like Christ.
Verses on God’s Healing Power
Along with physical healing, we ultimately look to Christ for spiritual healing from sin. But Scripture also testifies to God’s ability to physically heal and restore us:
- “Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you.” (Exodus 23:25)
- “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.” (Jeremiah 17:14)
- “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)
- “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” (James 5:14-15)
We can ask God boldly for healing while trusting His perfect will above our own.
Verses on God’s Sovereignty Over Suffering
Ultimately, God allows illness for His sovereign purposes, which may remain mysterious to us:
- “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.” (Ecclesiastes 7:14)
- “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” (Ephesians 1:11)
- “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18)
- “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
We trust God’s goodness and His grand plan, even when we cannot understand all the details.
Verses on the Hope of Heaven
For the Christian, suffering from disease reminds us that this world is not our home. We can look ahead to the day when Christ will return to destroy death forever:
- “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
(Revelation 21:4) - “Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
- “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21)
Our sickness will give way to exuberant joy and health in Christ’s kingdom.
Verses on Prayer for Healing
We should regularly intercede both for our own health issues and for others who are sick:
- “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.” (James 5:13)
- “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16)
- “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)
- “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” (Psalm 55:22)
God invites us to persistently bring our illnesses and diseases before Him, trusting in His compassion.
Verses on Community Support
The Body of Christ surrounds those who are sick with prayer, encouragement, and practical help:
- “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)
- “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” (James 5:14)
- “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:11)
God designed His Church to provide spiritual, emotional, and physical support during illness.
Verses on Stewarding Our Bodies
Since our bodies belong to God, we should care for them as best as we are able:
- “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
- “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1)
- “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Living wisely and caring for our physical health allows us to fully honor God with our lives.
Verses on God’s Protection
We can claim God’s promises of protection from disease as we trust in Him:
- “You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.” (Exodus 23:25)
- “No evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:10-11)
- “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)
While we may still experience illness in a fallen world, we can rely on God’s spiritual protection as we submit to His will.
Conclusion
Sickness and disease are the unfortunate result of living in a fallen creation corrupted by sin. Yet in the midst of suffering, the Bible points us to the hope of God’s healing, comfort, and eternal refuge from all pain and illness. We can trust God’s goodness and sovereign will, even when we don’t understand all of His ways. His grace is sufficient for us in our weakest moments.