In the Bible, the term "physician" is often used figuratively to convey spiritual truths and principles. While the literal role of a physician is to heal physical ailments, the figurative use of the term extends to spiritual healing and restoration, reflecting God's redemptive work in the lives of His people.

1. God as the Ultimate Healer: The Bible frequently portrays God as the ultimate physician who heals not only physical diseases but also spiritual maladies. In Exodus 15:26, God declares, "For I am the LORD who heals you." This statement underscores the belief that God is the source of all healing, both physical and spiritual. The figurative use of "physician" here emphasizes God's role in restoring the brokenness caused by sin.

2. Jesus as the Great Physician: In the New Testament, Jesus is often referred to as the "Great Physician," a title that highlights His ministry of healing and His power to forgive sins. In Mark 2:17, Jesus says, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." This metaphor illustrates Jesus' mission to heal the spiritually sick and to bring salvation to those who recognize their need for His grace.

3. False Physicians: The Bible also warns against false physicians—those who offer superficial or deceptive remedies for spiritual problems. In Jeremiah 8:22, the prophet laments, "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?" This rhetorical question highlights the inadequacy of false prophets and leaders who fail to address the true spiritual needs of the people.

4. Believers as Instruments of Healing: While God is the ultimate healer, believers are called to be instruments of His healing power. In James 5:14-16, the church is instructed to pray for the sick, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. This passage reflects the communal aspect of spiritual healing, where believers act as conduits of God's grace and mercy.

5. Healing of the Nations: The figurative use of "physician" extends to the eschatological vision of healing for all nations. Revelation 22:2 describes the leaves of the tree of life as being "for the healing of the nations." This imagery points to the ultimate restoration and healing that God will bring to the world, fulfilling His promise of redemption and peace.

In summary, the figurative use of "physician" in the Bible serves as a powerful metaphor for God's redemptive work, the ministry of Jesus Christ, and the role of believers in bringing spiritual healing to a broken world. Through these images, Scripture communicates the profound truth that true healing comes from God alone, who is both the source and sustainer of life.Job 13:4
But you are forgers of lies, you are all physicians of no value.
Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 8:22
Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
Nave's Topical Index

Luke 5:31
And Jesus answering said to them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
Nave's Topical Index

Whether Every Lie is a Sin?
... lesser evil in order to avoid the greater: even so a physician cuts off ... be untruthful,
we must understand such statements to have been figurative and prophetic ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether every lie is a.htm

Messiah's Easy Yoke
... The skill of a physician may be acknowledged, in general terms, by many; but he
is applied to ... From hence the yoke is a figurative expression to denote servitude ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 1/sermon xv messiahs easy yoke.htm

Certain Amorous Speeches of the Soul to Herself in Prayer:
... hast sinned and art wounded, behold thy God, behold thy Physician is ready ... 6. Hail,
sweet Mary, whom, foreshadowed in sundry figurative speeches, and promised ...
/.../certain amorous speeches of the.htm

John 7:37-38. "Let any Man Come. "
... We must come to the Physician. ... But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe
on Him should receive." Figurative, undoubtedly, are these words ...
/.../chapter vii john 7 37-38 let.htm

Translated from Latin of Rufinus.
... by those who prayed for mercy, is to be taken in a figurative, moral acceptation ...
know beforehand of his weakness or his sickness, cannot seek a physician; or at ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/translated from latin of rufinus.htm

Jairus' Daughter and the Invalid Woman.
... The physician of Galilee in that age did not differ very widely from the
medicine-man of the North American Indians. ... [Jesus used this figurative language ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/lviii jairus daughter and the.htm

John Chapter iii. 21-Jun
... they may have everlasting life." Now there is this difference between the figurative
image and ... may be saved." So far, then, as it lies in the physician, He is ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate xii john chapter iii.htm

Translators' Preface.
... healed the sick," he merely prescribed for them, as a kind physician, with skill ...
These expressions, part of which, at least, were purely figurative, came to be ...
/.../the life of jesus christ in its historical connexion/translators preface.htm

Psalm LI.
... Now, to assail thy fever, ye are two, thou and the Physician. ... Those sacrifices
were figurative, foretelling the One Saving Sacrifice. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm li.htm

'Physicians of no Value'
... As Hosea puts it in figurative fashion, Ephraim's discovery of his 'sickness' sent ...
of forgiving love but an imperfect prophecy of the great Physician, from the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/physicians of no value.htm

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