“Therefore understand today that the Lord your God is He Who goes over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and bring them down before you; so you shall drive them out and destroy them quickly, as the Lord has said to you. Do not think in your heart, after the Lord your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land’; but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out from before you,” Deuteronomy 9:3-4 (NKJV)
Moses is careful to caution the Israelites against pride in the accomplishments that God has provided; in verse 6 Moses calls them a stiff necked people, and goes on in the next several chapters to outline their own unrighteousness.
When this crisis is over may we be ever so careful not to lay claim to God’s victory by thinking that our righteousness (or intellect, or wealth, or any other human act) is responsible for defeating this enemy that wants to destroy our society. May we be those who; in the light of our helplessness in this tragedy; are made aware of our own unrighteousness and inability, apart from God’s grace, to provide for ourselves even the basic necessities. Once having come to this realization let us be quick to give God the praise and glory for what He has accomplished on our behalf. We should leave off too the human need to ask “why?” it has happened and God is still sovereign and is accomplishing His purposes in the midst of the turmoil; He is neither surprised by nor afraid of the attacks of the enemy. As Christians we must “be strong and of good courage...” (Joshua 1) as we continue to follow our Lord.
(A word of caution for those who would use this situation to their advantage: “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7. If one seeks gain from this “COVID 19” event, whether personal or political, that person becomes as much a problem for society as the virus itself and places his head beneath the heel of God’s judgment. Authority is established by God and those to whom He has granted authority are accountable to Him for how they use it.)
