When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh a
rising, a scab, or bright spot, and it be in the skin of his flesh like the
plague of leprosy; then he shall be brought unto Aaron the priest, or unto one
of his sons the priests: And the priest shall look on the
plague in the skin of the flesh: and when the hair in the plague is turned
white, and the plague in sight be deeper than the skin of his flesh, it is a
plague of leprosy: and the priest shall look on him, and pronounce him unclean. If the bright spot be white in
the skin of his flesh, and in sight be not deeper than the skin, and the hair
thereof be not turned white; then the priest shall shut up him that hath the
plague seven days :And the priest shall look on him the seventh day: and,
behold, if the plague in his sight be at a stay, and the plague spread not in
the skin; then the priest shall shut him up seven days more: And the priest
shall look on him again the seventh day: and, behold, if the plague be somewhat
dark, and the plague spread not in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him
clean: it is but a scab: and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.
Leviticus
13:2-6
Social distancing
is nothing new. The Lord gave the command not only for leprosy but for issues
of open blood flow and the like in the Old Law. While we are not bound to the
Old Covenant, we can appreciate the fact that God gave these commands millennia
before the discovery of the germ. He gave these warnings for the good and
safety of His people. For what kind of God dramatically rescues people from
slavery only to allow them to become infected and die in a wilderness?
We can certainly
learn a lot about this, can we not? Our elders, within their God-given
authority, have made the decision not to cancel our service but rather to move
the location to our own homes. This decision was not made lightly and was made
for the sake of our health, the health of others, and our obedience to the
directions of God's ministers within the government (cf. Romans 13:4). We are all aware of how this disease is community
spread, and the less interaction with one another in public is better. It helps
to increase our chances of meeting together, as we all want that to happen
soon.
God saw fit to
give provisions for His people in the past for their health and well-being. We
must trust God now and heed the words of our overseers in the church and the
higher powers in our local, state, and federal governments. May we always
remember them in our prayers as they make the best decisions with the best
information they have available.
Grace and Peace,
Ryan
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