Providence and Pestilence

. . . Have we missed the point of COVID 19?

It seems no leader can escape criticism for the way he or she has responded to COVID 19. Politicians, business leaders and religious leaders are all receiving their share of scrutiny. Oddly, the One Who bears most responsibility has largely flown under the radar: God.

If God is all powerful, it is hard to deny that He allowed this plague (and has permitted all plagues) on humanity. Despite all the secondary causes the buck stops with God. Theologians, knowing this, often ponder “Why would He allow such a scenario to unfold? And, if He is all loving, why unleash an inhumane contagion in our midst? Does He seek something from us that times of ease and health cannot or will not provide?”

When God is Sorry

Such questions are deeply mysterious and sometimes beyond our grasp, for, as the Apostle well asks, “Who has known the mind of the Lord?” (1 Cor. 2:16) The Bible, though, presents several possibilities, none of which should sit well with us. These include 1) limiting the spread of evil in the world, 2) preparation for a major event in human history and 3) a call for God’s people to return to Him. 

It is that first possibility I want to focus on here. The most devastating example of God unleashing a deadly calamity on the world was Noah’s flood recorded in Genesis 6-8. God states the reason why he allowed that catastrophe, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” (Gen. 6:5-6)

A similar example, more localized, is the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18. Why did the Lord see fit to annihilate the Sodomites?  His makes His reason clear: “And the Lord said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.” (Gen. 18:20) The kind of sin and the degree of sin in Sodom had reached the point where its evil needed to be restrained or eliminated.

“Sorry Sodom!”

The rising level of evil in the world at large, I believe, requires God reminding humanity how vulnerable we are. Sin in America, and its outcry before God, has risen to a level that God may have decided to use a plague to restrain evil’s growing influence. As one old preacher said, “If God doesn’t soon judge America, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!”

An even older preacher, St. Augustine, made the case that God uses physical pestilence to forestall moral pestilence, that a plague can be more cure than curse.  Augustine illustrates this in his book The City of God when a barbarian invasion and their sacking of Rome restrained the corruption of sin in his culture. It is hard to miss the parallel with America and it is worth reviewing.

Rome, and its superpower status, gave them security and prosperity, which in turn afforded them luxuries the rest of the world could only envy. As a result, morality eroded as there was no danger to cause them to evaluate their value system. Roman culture became filled with immorality and a love of violent spectacles to which people flocked, feeding the decline.

There were many Christians in the Roman Empire at the time St. Augustine wrote. Christianity, to the delight of many, had become the state religion. They hoped that would change the moral climate. It didn’t. The danger of the raging barbarians at the gates impacted saint and sinner alike though. And God uses diseases like COVID 19 to do the same today.

“God, I’m Sorry!”

What should be our response when we are under such a threat and danger? I have had to do some soul searching and to ask myself: Do I really love God as much as I should, or has the culture infected me with its tolerance of unclean things? Are my motives for serving Him as pure as I thought, or am I doing good deeds for what I get out of it? In what areas of my life have I allowed the world to supplant my love for God? If I had stayed busy, with no threats or dangers that forced me to “shelter in place,” would I have asked myself such questions?

The danger of death appears fearsome. But we will all die, whether from COVID 19, some other disease or by an unforeseen accident. The mode and timing may vary. But the key questions are not when or how we will die, but how we will live until we die and where will we go when we die? The answer to those questions forces us to face the One whose providence allowed the pestilence. 

Please note: God’s cleansing power is available to sinner and saint alike. If sheltering in place has caused you to sense that other concerns have pushed Jesus out of the center of your life, He is ready to forgive as you re-enthrone Him as Lord. “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your heart” (1 Peter 3:15; 1 Jn. 1:9).

If you are uncertain about where you will go when you die, I hope you’ll respond to Jesus Christ’s offer of eternal life, by asking Him to forgive your sins and placing your faith in Him. Jesus promised, “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me will live even if he dies” (Jn. 11:25).

Mark Barnard is the author of The Path of Revival: Restoring Our Nation – One Church at a Time. He has served with Blessing Point Ministries since 2006. Blessing Point Ministries exists to help churches experience breakthrough moments in ministry, particularly in the area of corporate healing.