Month: April 2020

Psalm 2:1-5

Why do the ^[a]nations ^[b]rage,
And the people plot a ^[c]vain thing?
² The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed,^[d] saying,
³ “Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”

⁴ He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
⁵ Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure

On the 4th of April, 2020, some precious brothers and sisters from different churches had a conference call as we had started doing since the partial lockdown in Ghana to discuss a few biblical topics and to encourage one another. On this particular day, I had been tasked to lead a bible discussion on the Coronavirus (a name everybody and their grandmother knows by now), specifically how Christians ought to view and respond to it.

During my preparation, my mind immediately leapt to Psalm 2 as it so mirrored the ongoing rebellion of man against the Lord without realizing the futility of it all. Without digressing too much, I decided to break down the discussion into 3 parts, namely Cause, Symptoms (Effects) and Treatment all from a biblical standpoint which I hope to share with you below:

Historical Context:

Before this, I think it is instructive to share a few historical facts about pandemics or widespread diseases which should provide some context within which to approach COVID-19 and not give in to too much panic or hysteria.

Needless to say, this is not the first nor necessarily the most serious plague of its kind to befall this planet. It has been well-noted that about 50 million people died in the 14th century in Europe (50% of population) in what was called the Black Death. As recently as a 100 years ago, the Spanish Flu infected 500 million people globally and killed anywhere from 17-50 million people including over 100,000 people in Ghana (The Gold Coast) in less than 6 months. (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-african-history/article/influenza-epidemic-of-191819-in-the-gold-coast1/93EFCA1CDC9FC2735A289728934E628C

While we do not know how this current plague will end up, it should at least give us some pause while reacting even whilst following all the recommended guidelines.

Cause:

It is now well-known that this disease is caused by a virus from the biological lens but the purpose of this article is to look even deeper from the biblical and spiritual lens (the truest). I have heard many famous ‘pastors/prophets’ make various pronouncements about this disease even going so far as to ‘bind’ it, command it to disappear by certain dates or even sell cures for it. All these just underscore how biblically illiterate many have become even though there is a proliferation of churches. For our answer, we will turn to the trusted words of Scripture to see if we can make sense of all this and its source.

1. Man’s Sinfulness:- Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned”

This really is the root cause of the Coronavirus but not just. It is also the root cause behind cancer and headaches and blindness and corruption and immorality and all manner of sorrows and heartaches and depression and ultimately death. The clear testimony of the word of God is that in Adam’s disobedience all sinned and death entered the world. God’s perfect earth He created was subjected to decay and ever since then the story of man has been one of tragedy intermingled with God’s grace where we still know moments of joy and peace. This is not to say that anyone being afflicted with this current disease has committed a specific kind of sin which is why they have fallen sick but rather that we all have sinned as we were in Adam when he sinned.

2. God’s Wrath:- Isaiah 45:9-10

That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
That there is none besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
I form the light and create darkness,
I make peace and create calamity;
I, the Lord, do all these things.’

Amos 3:6 – If a ^[c]trumpet is blown in a city, will not the people be afraid?
If there is calamity in a city, will not the Lord have done it?

While I know many Christians shrink away from the very thought that such things could come from the hand of God, we ought not to be ignorant or try to defend God. He is just, righteous and even merciful when he does this and it is always for a purpose which we shall look at further down the line. However, one cannot read the Scriptures for any length of time and find the unmistakable hand of God behind every calamity or pestilence that ravaged the various lands.

Symptoms (Effect):

I believe the effects of the disease are clear for all to see but I will try and summarize them briefly:

• A Disturbed World – Until a few weeks ago, the world economy was growing, people were going about their normal routine as always. We had become settled in our ways with no thought as to God or whether we had the right priorities. Now, a microscopic organism has brought the world to its knees with widespread lockdown, business closures, shortage of food and critical materials. The status quo is no more.
• Vanities Laid Bare – With issues of life and death confronting many, we notice a lack of spending on frivolities and even giving attention to the vain things of this world. Celebrity culture seems to be at an all time low and there are videos of some of them depressed as they have been used to commanding the spotlight for so long.
• Fear of Death and the Future – Due to the general sense of helplessness, many people are for the first time thinking about their own mortality and dare I say, eternity and rightly so for these are the really important things.
• Exposing of Charlatans in the Body of Christ – If anybody had any reason to wonder if the self-professed miracle workers/healers and prophets were really hearing from God, this should put all doubt to rest. Not a single one has volunteered to go to a treatment facility to heal the sick and dying. Not a single one during all the 31st Dec watch-night services prophesied about such a year. They continued prophesying ‘feel-good’ words of breakthrough and prosperity as they always have. Read Jeremiah 23:16 and onward to see more of what God has to say as I may save this for another article.

Treatment (Our Response):

How are we as believers to respond to these things?

• A Renewed Passion for the Gospel of Christ – Now that many people have been shaken out of their false sense of security, there may be some who may be more sensitive to hear the good news of the gospel preached. By the mercies of God, some may have become more sensitive to the fact that they have wronged a holy God and that they do not know what the future holds after all. In love, just as we have heard and believed the good news, let us heed the words of Christ “the fields are white for harvest” (John 4:35) and proclaim the truth with renewed zeal and courage.
• A Sense of Hope – Christians have a real hope come what may. The reason for this is that from the moment one puts their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, we understand that we are translated from death to life (eternal) and so while we may not necessarily look forward to the pain associated with death, we also understand that death is a defeated foe. Even if COVID-19 should take me or any believer, we have a firm hope and assurance that we will enjoy eternity with the Lord. This is a blessed and living hope (1 Peter 1:3-8)
• Love One Another – John 13:35 – “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Dear friends, it is especially in times like this that we must indeed be like our Saviour and show love to all people and especially those of the faith. Let us look for opportunities to serve people by way of all manner of support, financial or otherwise. We can adopt another family in these times or simply share some of what we have with others if we are in the position to do so. Identify people in your family or church who may need a leg up and let us do good to all men.
• Gratitude – 1 Thessalonians 5:18 – “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” We are often a complaining people. At times like this, can we indeed look back at how the world was just a few months ago and realize how ungrateful we have been to God all this while? Even now, we are to give Him thanks because it is still not as bad as it could possibly be as He is still showing much mercy.
• Understand God’s Sovereignty – Romans 9:15 – “For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” God is under no obligation to show anyone mercy and He chooses whom to dispense it to according to His will. I think this calls for a separate post as there is much to cover under this and it seems a lot of both Christian and non-Christians suffer with this though the Bible is clear.
• Prayer – We are to pray about all things according to the will of God. It is not a commanding prayer as if we could even begin to command God. Neither is it to bind demons as we have already established that this can only be from the hand of God. It is rather a prayer of repentance and a plea to the Lord to spare us the worst of it. It is a prayer for our leaders and for one another. It is a prayer of grief over our corporate sin and for the Lord to quicken the work of salvation in the hearts of men.

Conclusion:

To conclude, I believe it would be of great help and encouragement to those of like faith to know exactly how this all ends. The beautiful thing about the Bible is that we can skip ahead to the end and avoid all the suspense and the drama. We conclude with Revelation 21:1-5

1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. ² Then I, ^[a]John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

⁵ Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said ^[b]to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

I always say that these verses are my favourite in all the Bible. There is coming a time when there will no longer be even the possibility of death and God will restore all things to a glorious state and I encourage any fearful saint of the Lord to memorize these words and hide them in your heart. They will serve you well!

Unfortunately, the chapter does not end there. From verse 8 it reads:

⁸ But the cowardly, ^[e]unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

If you are reading this and have not put your trust in the Lord, please do not wait until it is too late. Whether your end comes through this disease or another means or simply at the Lord’s imminent return.

Christ stands ready to receive you. No matter how bad your sin may be or what you have done or are doing now. I end with Christ’s own words:

³⁷ All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will ^[f]by no means cast out. (John 6:37)

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matt 11:28)