Quarantine Can’t Stop It!
The Word of God has amazing prototypes that can help us guide our way if we pay attention. For example, Numbers the 21st chapter shows use group of complaining people. They were not satisfied with their daily lot of manna, they were dissatisfied with Moses’ leadership, and finally they were angry at God:
7 And the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." Numbers 21:7-8 (ESV)
Now you may never have uttered a word against leadership, always grateful for what you have, and thankful for whatever your daily bread is; but I bet you know somebody or somebodies who fit that description. What the children of Israel had forgotten was that they were ranting against the only One who could help them. What happened next was they aroused the anger of the Lord and He sent serpents to bite them and their poison killed them. Finally realizing that their hands were too short to box with God, they repented. God being as merciful as He is directed Moses to fashion a serpent of brass and put it on a pole. Whoever looked UP to that serpent would live after they had been bitten.
Although the serpent used as a symbol for the medical profession today is not said to come from this biblical account, it is said to stem from the Greek god of healing, Asclepius, who is mentioned in the ILLIAD by Homer. Yet we know much of ancient mythologies stem from biblical accounts. Whatever the case, much of our medical profession has forgotten that the purpose of their profession is to help people to live, no matter who they are. Just like our medical profession, far too many of us have become self-centered in our thinking and have made our way of thinking the only way. While this is not a personal indictment against any ONE person, it is an indictment against our collective society. Where this situation comes to bear upon the church is the directive of our Lord not only to pray for repentance for our sins, but also to pray for the sins of the nation!
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34 (ESV)
We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.1 John3:14 (KJV)
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our le ives for the brethren. 1 John 3:16 (KJV)
Have I located you yet? Although we may not feel we are our brothers’ keeper, the coronavirus showed us things can come upon all of us, with no regard to age or station of life. We may not be the one who got the virus, but just being in proximity of the one puts us in danger. So too, with sin. We as a church may be doing all we know how to live this life for God, but we can no longer continue ignoring the rest of the world who isn’t. We can no longer live in quarantine.
Maria