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Misplaced trust?
And yet the danger is that if we put our trust in
anything other than God, then we will surely
be let down. Although the PM may have told
us, ‘we know we are going to succeed in beating Photo Credit: istockphoto.com/duncan1890
coronavirus’, only God knows if the vaccines
will be both safe and efficacious, how long
they will continue to protect us, and whether
any future strains, variants or mutations might
prove resistant.
Such talk is not only dangerous but robs
God of His glory! And what if God, who is
omnipotent, all-powerful, and could easily have
stopped or prevented the coronavirus, not only
allowed it but sent it?
Now I admit it’s not a particularly comfortable
thought, and am sorry about that, but what if
this is God’s punishment on a corrupt and sinful
world? His chastising of a generation that has
sought to turn from his ways and his Word, calls bad, good, and Revelation 22:18, ‘I warn everyone who hears the
and wrong, right? words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds
What if God’s patience and forbearance eventually runs anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues
out (or is running out), and society finally reaps what it has described in this scroll.’
sown? (Though I admit that, at the time of writing, things These, and many others, all tend to indicate that God
1
do appear to be looking up.) is the instigator of the plagues mentioned in the Bible.
No one can say with any certainty what God’s will or
plan is in situations such as these. We do not live in an age First and foremost
of Old Testament prophets. But surely we cannot – dare not So, if God can send plagues – and through his great love
– rule out the possibility that perhaps God may have sent avert them – then how much better would it have been if,
the virus currently plaguing the world? as in 2019, the Prime Minister had referred to Christmas
The fact is, that although some terrible things can be as, ‘first and foremost, a celebration of the birth of Jesus
attributed to Satan, a study of the 100-plus references to Christ... a day of inestimable importance to billions of
plague and pestilence in the Bible reveals one thing: that in Christians the world over’?
nearly every case, the plagues that punished the people of Instead, in 2020 he said, ‘Because there really is a
God and the nations that sought to oppress God’s people star in the sky and it is glowing brighter and brighter
appear to have been sent by God. and you know what it is, it’s… a vaccine’ – at which
The verses that aren’t about God sending plague point I couldn’t help wondering if this was tempting
generally involve him promising to protect his people from fate or testing God, and that the much-anticipated
it, such as Exodus 30:11-12, Numbers 8:19, Psalm 91:3-6, light at the end of the tunnel might equally well be an
or Ezekiel 12:15-16. oncoming train.
So, although Satan afflicts Job, incites David to take a Indeed, as a comedic commentator put it during the
fatal census (1 Chronicles 21:1), tempts Jesus (Matthew 4:1- Cold War when fear of nuclear destruction was at its
11), snatches God’s word from people’s hearts (Luke 8:12), height, ‘But there is light at the end of the tunnel. It will
binds ‘a daughter of Abraham’ for ‘eighteen long years’ probably continue glowing for some considerable time...’
(Luke 13:16), enters Judas (Luke 22:3), sifts the disciples Humour aside, it is all too easy to miss the main point,
like wheat (Luke 22:31-32), takes people captive to do his which is not to look for that long-anticipated light at
will (2 Timothy 2:26), prowls around like a roaring lion (1 the end of the tunnel – whether it’s ‘growing brighter
Peter 5:8), puts God’s people in prison (Revelation 2:10) and brighter’ or not – but to look to Jesus, the light of
and leads the world astray (Revelation 12:9), the Bible the world, who is with us and in us and has the power to
doesn’t appear to show the devil sending plagues. illuminate the dark tunnels in which we find ourselves,
It does however contain many references to God doing whatever the eventual outcome.
so – whether we like it or not.
I’m not just talking about the plagues God visited on 1 Leviticus 26:25, Numbers 14:12 & 16:46, Deuteronomy 28:21-22, 28:59-60
the Egyptians in Exodus or the plagues mentioned in & 32:24, 2 Samuel 24:11-16, Psalm 78:50 & 106:29, Isaiah 19:22, Jeremiah
Revelation, I’m thinking of verses like Exodus 32:35: ‘And 14:12, 21:6-9, 24:10, 29:17-18, 42:17-22 and 44:13, Ezekiel 5:11-17, 6:11-12,
14:21, 28:23, Zechariah 14:12.
the LORD struck the people with a plague because of what
they did with the calf Aaron had made’, or Numbers 11:33, About the author: Gary Clayton is married to Julie and the
‘the anger of the LORD burned against the people, and he father of Christopher (17) and Emma (14). He is Copywriter
struck them with a severe plague.’ and Editor at Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). To learn
We see the same in Amos 4:10, ‘I sent plagues among how MAF’s pilots and personnel share God’s love in Africa
you as I did to Egypt… yet you have not returned to me’ and the Asia-Pacific region, visit www.maf-uk-org

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