2 Samuel 24:16-18 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite. And David spake unto the Lord when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house. And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
The passage is about King David who sought to fulfil the lust of his flesh, numbered the children of Israel, which was considered not pleasing to God.
Lord then spread out a huge pandemic situation which caused thousands and thousands to die. King David then had to repent in order for God to stop the pandemic and uplift the plague.
This is not a coincidence with what is happening in our world today. Nothing can happen without the permission of God.
God Tests our Will and Punishes us through the Devil
It is not difficult for us to credit Satan or the party that unleashes the virus, but God has to allow that.
1 Chronicles 21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
The evil beings are the ones that opened up the temptation and moved David to sin. Job 1 and Job 2 have clearly stated that God allows certain boundary lines for Satan to do his work. No doubt Satan will yield us to sin through various means of temptation, but we have to take in mind that through the temptations, we are given the free choice or will to sin or not to sin.
If we choose to sin, it gives Satan more power and privileges to send evil upon the world, and God has to allow that because he is a balanced God.
2 Samuel 24:1 And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.
Israel has always forsaken Lord. So the Lord decided to judge the nation, so he used David against the nation, and cast his judgment upon them.
Through all the historical accounts in the Old Testament, which included what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah. We can see there is a consistent pattern, where the saints, believers will have to witness to the unbelievers in the city. If we fail in our part to bring light to these people, and if they also fail to repent, God would send pandemics and judgment upon the wicked nation.
Besides, when God sends judgment upon the nation, he will also test his child simultaneously. However, we should not confuse that with God trying to tempt us to sin, for God is not the author of Temptation, but Satan is. In King David’s case, God was testing him if he would number the Israelites. If he did not number them, then Lord would send his judgment through a different means.
One analogy to this is, when we are given tests or exams at school, it should not be perceived as a temptation for us to cheat during the exam, but strictly a method to test our knowledge of the school subjects.
Our God is a God of brilliance, when he judges a nation, he always has a double or triple purpose for it.
As Christians, we are allowed to enjoy what God has created for us on earth, nevertheless, we need to avoid getting too comfortable and accommodated with our flesh and worldly possessions. If we do, then God will gradually remove these things from us, to expose our fleshy sides. Do not let what worldly temptations fulfil the lust of our flesh, for God is also testing us through this means.
A lot of Sins that stem from our fleshy nature usually will come through idleness. The idleness then leads to daydreaming and vain imagination, followed by what’s off the chart walls pop up even more often. Subsequently, it affects our body where lust grows and we would try to gratify that lust. For instance, homosexuality and sexual fluidity happened in Sodom and Gomorrah.
The Cure to Covid-19
1. We need to recognize that we have sinned against God, and do not deflect the blame on any nation, but take responsibility for ourselves. Repent and spend more time worshipping God.
2. The Lord gave different commands to different people according to dispensationalism. Noah was commanded to build an ark to prove his faith and perfected by his work. For us, we are commanded to have faith in Christ and repent of our sins. We need to just follow his instructions and his words. However, people just have the tendency to despise God’s words and turn their ears away from his instructions. God will not give us a burden more than what we can bear.
3. We need to understand that fulfilling God’s words or command requires us to go against our flesh. Hebrews 12 states that God wants to chasten and purify us because we are the child of God. Satan will try to provide us with fleshy or easier alternatives, but we need to constantly deliver ourselves from the easy but wrong ways! Servicing God requires sacrifice and costs, not convenience.
4. Always be ready to sacrifice for God. We need to serve the Lord sacrificially.