Pandemic Thoughts

2020-07-16

Here are some thoughts concerning laws, guidelines, and etiquette concerning the pandemic.

The Mask or Face Covering

The mask has been a source of contention in some places. This is due to anything from discomfort to losing freedom to being an occultist sign . I am going to draw from some imperfect parallels in the Bible and come to some conclusions, and you can consider if there is anything here worth applying.

And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. (30) And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him. (31) And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and Moses talked with them. (32) And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. (33) And till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. (34) But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel that which he was commanded. (35) And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him. (Exodus 34:29-35)

Here, we see that Moses delivered commandments to the people. However, because “they were afraid to come nigh him” (Exodus 34:30), “he put a vail on his face” (Exodus 34:33, 35). In the same way, people have concerns about the virus. Moses could have said, “They should be more spiritual. I am glowing because of God’s presence. What is wrong with these people? And my freedom! These people have some serious nerve!” However, we do not see that. Instead, he puts on the uncomfortable veil because he cares about the people and needs to impart God’s commandments to them. Also, if it were truly a universal occultist symbol, I doubt Moses would have put it on.

Other examples of face coverings include Rebekah upon meeting Isaac (Genesis 24:65). Presumably, Leah did the same thing as Jacob married the wrong woman (Genesis 29:23-25). This was some sort of cultural wedding tradition perhaps, but there is no sign of occultist ritual here. The seraphim covered their faces with wings. If it were evil, they would not be standing in the presence of the LORD.

To me, it makes sense that wearing a mask must help to some degree. Note: I am not a doctor and cannot give medical advice! However, it seems right that any germs in saliva and breath will be restrained somewhat by wearing a mask, and that you would be protected also from germs coming from another person.

But what if the whole thing is a farce? People out there believe they help. To love those other people best, we should wear the mask. I do not believe the mask can make you more susceptible to sickness. You just endure discomfort for the sake of others.

There are a lot of opinions. I might be wrong. Look to the Lord and decide what is right.

Washing Hands

And whomsoever he toucheth that hath the issue, and hath not rinsed his hands in water, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. And the vessel of earth, that he toucheth which hath the issue, shall be broken: and every vessel of wood shall be rinsed in water. And when he that hath an issue is cleansed of his issue; then he shall number to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean. (Leviticus 15:11-13)

We see that when a person had some manner of “running issue out of his flesh” (Leviticus 15:2), we see that everything he touches is unclean (read the entire chapter for context). Part of the process of cleansing oneself is bathing in running water. Modern science tells us that this is not Bronze Age superstition. This is how we wash off germs. There is nothing from the occult here; this has been the teaching of God’s people for nearly 3,500 years.

One could make the case that the Pharisees condemned Jesus for not washing His hands, and Jesus rebuked them for their ritual (Matthew 15:1-9). However, this is because the Pharisees were making a law that is about personal hygiene and making it spiritual and a means to become acceptable to God, which is far from the truth.

Social Distancing and Quarantines

People who had a highly contagious disease were required to let other people know and to keep away from other people:

And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. (Leviticus 13:45)

We see the leper was to have a certain appearance in his clothes, head, and upper lip, and cry out that he was unclean. The word “cry” is to yell!

Quarantines for highly contagious sick people is also Biblical (Leviticus 13:4-5, 21, 26, 31, 33). If one is sick, they need to stay away from other people. There is no Biblical mandate for making well people quarantine.

Freedom in Christ

The bottom line is that doing some simple things to protect yourself and others is a good thing. Doing some of these tasks is putting others before ourselves. The Scriptures tell us,

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not. (1 Corinthians 10:23)

The Role of Government

Nonetheless, there is no doubt that the governments of the world are capitalizing on this hysteria to advance an agenda. The end times are characterized by turmoil because of war, death, famine, and pestilence (Revelation 6:1-8) from which the Antichrist rises. The Antichrist’s reign is a totalitarian government like the world has never seen (Daniel 7:23). Maybe this is part of the setup for these events. We do not know. There is little doubt that lies are being told to get people afraid and panicked. The news media is making plenty of money on clickbait news articles. Social media is filled with trolls to disrupt society even more than it would be otherwise.

Conclusion

In the end, you must do what is right. I may be wrong in part or in whole by what I have written. Look to the Lord. How can we protect ourselves and others from getting sick? How can we care about others the best? You must look to the Lord for the answer. We also must remember that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Rock. Whatever happens with this disease, we cannot trust in the world for solutions.