Objection: If Proverbs 18:21 Meant What Faith Preachers Say It Does, Old Testament People Could Have Gone Around Speaking Health to the Sick and Death to Cancer and Other Diseases Before Jesus Came
The Old Testament people did not have authority to speak to sicknesses and sick bodies in the name of Jesus. We do.
But even before that authority was granted, WORDS could still be the source of hurt or health to others:
Proverbs 18:12:
There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.
If you doubt that your words could kill you or save your life in the Old Covenant, consider the ten spies who returned with an evil report of the Promised Land! They DIED within a week of their return because of what they SAID (Numbers 14:36-37)! Meanwhile, Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter the Promised Land because of what they SAID!
In the Old Testament, ANGELS listened to the voice of God’s Word (Psalm 103:20). So you could still speak God’s Word out of your mouth and put the angels to work even under that covenant.
Even under the Old Covenant, God’s word was health to all your flesh (Proverbs 4:20-22), so it was wise to speak it.
It is too bad that modern believers aren’t aware of the power of their words, given that even under the Old Covenant (Proverbs 18:21, the verse in question), death and life were in the power of your tongue.
It IS a true statement that Old Testament believers could not speak directly to diseases. That authority was only given when Jesus came. This is a different way to apply Proverbs 18:21 for us today. This new way is echoed by James, who said that our mouths can control our bodies but also set on fire the course of nature (James 3:2-6). Jesus also amplified Proverbs 18:21 when He said that our words would either justify or condemn us (Matthew 12:37). So this verse does have a broader application today. However, the 12 spies could attest to the fact that death and life resulted from WORDS even under the Old Covenant.
Jesus showed a privilege that being in the Kingdom of God would provide when He spoke death to a fig tree (Mark 11:13-14).