“You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.” Leviticus 20:26
How are you doing? Most of us have unanticipated extra time for the past month. I believe being “Busy” or not having “Time” is probably the number one excuse universally. Suddenly we have plenty of time to do all the things we wanted to do like catch up on correspondence, reading, spending times with kids, sleep, etc. Most importantly, we have a chance to reflect on our life, our priorities, and our relationships. Many are thinking about God for the first time in their life. Yes, we are in the middle of the crisis and face many challenges, but there are some silver linings to this isolation. How can we take this time of extreme circumstances and use it positively? Let us look at what we can learn from the Bible and apply it to our present situation.
Isolation/Separation is the central theme of the Bible. Throughout the Bible, God has used isolation to manifest His purpose for the world, Nation, and Individuals. Separation can come in the form of punishment or reward. In Genesis, Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden of Eden in a sense separated from all the comfort and fellowship with God because of disobedience. Kane was isolated from his family as a punishment. Noah was protected in isolation as God rendered His judgment on the world. Perhaps there is no better example of God separating people than that of the Tower of Babel. To understand the Bible and what unfolds in later books from the Jewish perspective, it is vital to Understand the “Tower of Babel.” What took place there sets the course of action for God’s people. God said after the flood; He will never destroy the earth again. In a brief period, we see men are gathered together to build a ziggurat to look into Heavens. Simply put, they wanted to be like God. God commanded Noah to scatter and populate the earth. Instead, they were building a tower to gaze at stars. You see, they wanted to look at the stars and moon and prevent or protect themselves from another flood.
The purpose of the lab in Wuhan was to be proactive and work on prevention for a pandemic. In other words, they wanted to control the narrative. Currently, science is doing research and DNA study to prevent many diseases and disorders, but in the back end, that same research will be used to alter many traits of the embryo to create a genetically modified super race. There is no secret; man is trying to play God. The whole gender confusion is at the heart of the issue. Men wanting to survive without God. At the tower, God produced chaos by changing the language and forced people to scatter. Does this sound like the current situation? As much as government officials and doctors like to pretend they are in control, no one seems to know what they are doing. There is confusion and chaos all over the world. And, if you have not noticed, we are all scared of each other. In other words, we are scattered.Right after the Scattering, Abram was separated from his family for a blessing, and he was not truly blessed until he was completely isolated. It is in the wilderness wholly isolated, waiting to die Hagar found God. Jacob, as he is running away from his brother, in the dead of night, meets God. Moses was isolated from his country, his people, and his family for 40 years, and God prepared him during that time to lead a nation. God separated His people for 40 years so they can become a nation. God separated Samson for correction and later used him to destroy Philistines. It was during that time of isolation, Samson realized his sinfulness and turned to God, where God can use him. Job was brought into greater understanding and, in turn, greater blessing through a time of isolation. We can talk about Joseph, Daniel, David, Elijah, and many others who God used for His purpose and prepared them through separation. Paul, after his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, was separated for three years, and that prepared him for his ministry. Our Lord and Savior was in the wilderness for 40 days in complete isolation before starting His earthly ministry.
Throughout the Bible, we see, the time of isolation is a time of growth and maturity in the faith. Seventy people went into Egypt and became a nation away from the promised land. Abram became the father of many nations when he obeyed God and departed from his family. Joseph showed us how to trust in God. Daniel showed us the characteristic of uncompromising Godly man. David became a king by meditating on the words and spending alone time with God away from everything as he tended to sheep. Saul became Paul, and God prepared him to endure the trial and hardship he was going to face.
Let us change our perspective on our current lockdown. Could it be God is preparing you for the challenges ahead? Perhaps God has prepared you to lead in these harsh, dry times like He prepared Moses. For some of you, God has taken away all your strength like Samson because you need correction, and there is a need for repentance. Maybe some of us need to take a stand like Daniel and show the world our unwavering faith in the face of danger. The nation of Israel was taken into captivity because of their disobedience, completely isolated from their way of life. There was no temple, no sacrifice, the way they worshipped everything was taken away, much like it is for us now. But, before the captivity, God said, ” I have a plan for you. Plan to prosper and give you hope and future.” We worship the same God, and today as we deal with this pandemic, He has a plan for His nation. I believe His plan is still the same to prosper us, give us hope and future. He is faithful, and he will never leave us or forsake us. We may feel like we are in captivity as a nation, We may feel like Joseph left to die in prison, but God is still in charge. The question is, are you part of the nation?
The most painful example of isolation came as Jesus hung on the cross. He became sin, who knew no sin so you and I can become part of the nation and enter into eternal rest. That moment on the cross, He separated from father that we can have life. He bore our punishment and defeated satan. Have you been washed in that blood? Soon this pandemic will be over, and we will be back in our routine. While we have this time to reflect and self examine, Let us focus on Jesus and the cross. The storms like Coronavirus will come and go and may even destroy the world, but If you are in the Ark secured by the blood of Christ, Like Noah, you don’t have to worry.
And, if you have accepted Christ, let us spend this time in word and prayer who knows God might be preparing you for ministry. May God guide us and protect us. Amen
only savior jesus 