NATURAL CURES FOR THE HEALING OF A NATION

Ezekiel 47:12 says:

"Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.” NKJ

Rev. 22:1-2 "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of YAHWEH and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations." NIV

I have always loved those verses. I can remember vividly as a child listening to the fiery sermons down at First Baptist Mt. Olive in Memphis. Pastor Crawford would usually wrap up his sermons squalling about how the earth rocked and reeled like a drunk man as the Savior was being crucified for "your sins and mine". And then toward the end of the sermon he would always work in that verse in Ezekiel and Revelation. You know the one about this tree whose leaves were good for the healing of the Nations. I wasn't exactly sure what that meant at the time but I sure loved the imagery. I could just see a nation of people lining up to be soothed with a balm made from the leaves of this tall tree with broad, green leaves. And no matter what their hurt, whether it be physical, mental, or emotional, those leaves would bring relief.

Well, that was a long time ago. A time when I along with those in that congregation were looking through a glass darkly. Yes sir, we were all Hebrew Israelites unaware back then. Today I am not exactly sure how much of that verse in Ezekiel and in the Revelation is literal or figurative. But what I do know is that the Word speaks volumes on the healing power of herbs.

And to that extent and purpose is the reason for this blog. YAH willing, I and the COFAH network will try to bring to YAHWEH's people, a message of hope and healing through the use of natural medicines that YAH has given us. I hope that this blog will become a community where we can interact peaceably and help one another. I have spent considerable time studying and researching natural cures, but that by no means says that I know it all. Fact is, I don't. But what I do know, I will share with you. And I pray that you will do the same. We can learn from one another.

As I mentioned before, the use of herbs permeates the Word. I read somewhere that herbs are mentioned no less than 3,000 times in the Bible. If you don't believe that, consider these verses as an example:

Genesis 1:29 "And YAH said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat".

Notice in this verse how YAH distinguishes herbs from other vegetation. In fact, if you read Genesis 1:11-12 and Genesis 1:29-30 you will quickly begin to see that herbs are specifically mentioned repeatedly. And wherever YAH mentions something more than once we should be wise enough to ponder why.

Here are some other verses that mention specific herbs:

Exodus 16:31 "Now the house of Israel called its name manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey."

Numbers 11:5 "We remember the fish we ate in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic."

Numbers 24:6 "Like valleys that stretch afar, like gardens beside a river, like aloes that YAH has planted, like cedar trees beside the waters."

Psalms 51:7 "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."

Isaiah 35:1 "The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the rose". Yes brothers and sisters, the rose can be used medicinally.

Jeremiah 23:15 "Therefore thus says YAHWEH concerning the prophets: "Behold, I will feed them with
, and give them poisoned water to drink; for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone forth into all the land."

Matthew 13:31 "the least of all seeds (mustard): but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof."

Matthew 23:23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others."

Luke 11:42 "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of YAH; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others."

There are many more references to herbs in the Bible. I won't list them all here but I will cover as many specific herbs that are mentioned as possible. One verse that I do want to briefly touch on today and examine is gall. Do you remember when Yahshua was being crucified and the centurions tried to give him wine mixed with gall?

Matthew 27:34 "They gave him wine to drink, mingled with gall; and after tasting it, he was not willing to drink." Gall is an herb. In Hebrew the word gall means bitterness. Gall is a bitter herb, but more importantly it comes from a plant of the opium family. It is a narcotic and is used to relieve pain. It was mixed with wine to help criminals endure the pain of crucifixion. But remember Yahshua refused to drink it after he tasted it. For he knew that he had to endure the pain of crucifixion without being anesthetized.

I believe in the power of herbs and that YAH has given them to us for the specific purpose of healing. Fact is, most of the conventional medicines that we take came from herbs. Modern medicine merely synthesizes and isolates the active ingredients in these herbs and patents them so that they can be sold in a more potent and dangerous form.

For example, did you know that aspirin came from white willow bark? And digitalis (used to treat congestive heart failure and certain heart arrhythmias heart) came from the foxglove plant? The flower, lily of the valley is also used as a heart medicine. Neither of these two herbs is something that you would want to experiment with unless you are under the care of a licensed naturopathic doctor.

But there are many other herbs that are much safer and can be administered by anyone. I will cover many of those herbs in the next installment of this blog, YAH willing. Until then may YAWEH’s peace rest upon you.