Does God Make People Sick?

The topic of divine healing stirs up more confusion, doubt, and conflicting beliefs than almost any other subject in Christianity. Millions of believers wrestle with questions that shake the foundations of their faith: Does God cause sickness? Does He allow it? Why do some people get healed while others don't? And what about those troubling Old Testament passages where God appears to strike people down with disease?
These aren't trivial questions. They're the kind that keep people awake at night, especially when facing their own health crisis or watching a loved one suffer. The answers we believe or don't believe can literally determine whether we receive healing or remain captive to sickness.
The Problem of Twisted Scripture
The Bible clearly states in 2 Peter 3:16 that some things in Scripture are "difficult to understand, which the ignorant and the unstable twist and misconstrue to their own utter destruction." This isn't an insult, it's a warning. Well-meaning people, even educated ministers, sometimes misinterpret Scripture, taking verses out of context and making them say things God never intended.
This happens constantly with healing scriptures. People know more about Job's boils and Paul's thorn than they do about Jesus' stripes. They can recite every medication they're taking but can't quote a single healing promise from the Bible.
The result? Millions of Christians believe God could heal but question whether He wants to. They approach the Great Physician with less confidence than they'd approach a natural doctor. They wonder if their sickness might be God's mysterious will, a divine punishment, or a tool for spiritual growth.
What the Bible Actually Says
Here's where it gets uncomfortable: The Bible does say that God made people sick.
Deuteronomy 28:27 declares, "The Lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with tumors, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed." Verse 61 adds, "Also every sickness and every plague which is not written in the book of the law, them will the Lord bring upon thee until thou be destroyed."
Micah 6:13 says, "Therefore also I will make thee sick, and smiting thee, and making thee desolate because of thy sins."
In 2 Samuel 12:15, "The Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bare unto David, and it was very sick."
These passages can't be ignored or swept under the rug. If the Bible is truly the inspired, error-free Word of God, then these verses must somehow harmonize with passages like Exodus 15:26 where God declares, "I am the Lord that healeth thee," and John 10:10 where Jesus identifies the thief—the devil—as the one who steals, kills, and destroys.
So which is it? Does God heal or does God harm?
The Key to Understanding: Who Gets What?
The answer lies in understanding a fundamental principle of God's justice: He doesn't treat everyone the same. He distinguishes between His obedient children and His enemies.
Isaiah 66:14 makes this crystal clear: "The hand of the Lord shall be known towards his servants, and his indignation towards his enemies."
When we read Deuteronomy 28, we can't ignore how it begins: "If you will hearken unto my commandments..." The blessings and curses aren't distributed randomly. There are conditions. Obedience brings blessing. Rebellion brings consequences.
Think about Sodom and Gomorrah. When God announced His intention to destroy those cities, Abraham questioned Him: "Would You destroy the righteous with the wicked?" God's answer was emphatic—if even ten righteous people could be found, He would spare the entire city. That's how committed God is to protecting His own.
The same principle applies to the Passover. God declared He would strike down the firstborn throughout Egypt, but Exodus 12:13 promises, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you." Not everyone received the same judgment. Those covered by the blood were protected.
The Destroyer vs. The Deliverer
Here's the crucial insight that unlocks these difficult passages: God passes judgment, but He is not the destroyer who carries it out.
Look carefully at Exodus 12:23: "The Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come into your houses to smite you."
Notice the language shift. There are two players here: the Lord and the destroyer. God passes judgment, but it's the destroyer—identified in the New Testament as the devil (Apollyon and Abaddon both mean "destroyer")—who actually inflicts the harm.
It's like a courtroom. A judge may pass down a death sentence for a terrible crime, but we don't say the judge killed the person. The judge allowed the executioner to carry out the sentence based on the criminal's actions. If the person hadn't committed the crime, they would never have access to the executioner.
When the Israelites complained against God in the wilderness, Numbers 21 tells us fiery serpents came and killed many. Did God send the serpents? The text says He did, but what really happened was that their sin—their rebellion—opened the door for the destroyer to attack. God's judgment allowed it because of their disobedience.
The Good News: Mercy and Cleansing
But here's the beautiful truth: even if you've been disobedient, even if you've opened doors through sin, there's a way out.
1 John 1:8-9 promises, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Notice it's not just forgiveness—it's cleansing. You're not just forgiven and left to suffer the consequences. The effects are washed away.
And when Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive a brother who sinned against him—seven times?—Jesus answered, "Not seven times, but seventy times seven." If Jesus commands us to forgive that generously, how much more does our heavenly Father offer mercy?
Covered by the Blood
If you've accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you are covered by His blood. You were bought with a price—not silver and gold, but the precious blood of the Lamb. When death and destruction come seeking whom they may devour, they see the blood and must pass over.
Galatians 3:13 declares, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having been made a curse for us." The curse is not for you. The blessing of Abraham is your inheritance.
Romans 8:32 asks the ultimate question: "He that did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things?" God went right to the top; He gave His very best. If He was willing to have His Son beaten, crucified, and killed for you, do you really think He's withholding healing?
You were worth dying for. God literally loves you to death.
Changing Your Perspective
The enemy wants you to see God through the lens of accusation, harsh, judgmental, looking for reasons to punish you. But John 3:17 sets the record straight: "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
God is not looking for ways to make you guilty. He's looking for ways to get you out of guilt.
Your Father is good. What comes from Him is light and love. In Him there is no darkness at all. He is not a destroyer. Jesus came to destroy the works of the destroyer.
The truth really does set you free. Not partial truth. Not twisted truth. But the whole counsel of God's Word, rightly divided and properly understood.
So ask yourself: Is Psalm 91 describing the God you serve? A God who protects, delivers, and satisfies with long life? That's your Father. That's the One who calls you, His child.
Don't let misunderstood scriptures or twisted doctrines rob you of what Christ purchased with His blood. The curse is not for you. The blessing is yours. Healing is yours.
And that truth can withstand any question, any scrutiny, any pressure, because it's the truth.