May 1, 2020 - (Video included below article)
Who or what do we blame for COVID-19? Surprisingly, over the last several weeks, I’ve heard some Christian leaders and some layman assign blame to God for this virus. Usually the blame is assigned in the form of a Christian quip or cliché.
So, before we get too carried away and blame God for this pandemic, we should consider these three alternatives.
First, how about we blame the people actually responsible? Tucker Carlson, and several other news personalities, tell us that we should blame the terrible laboratory practices in that lab in Wuhan. They explain that we should blame the careless doctors who were working in that lab. They tell us to blame China’s lack of containment and blame them for allowing it to spread around the world. Or, maybe we should blame the people who run the unsanitary open markets and sell bats to Chinese people as food. Yuck!
But, blame God? No.
Secondly, before we blame God for COVID-19, we think biblically, and we blame Adam and Eve. More specifically, we blame the fall of man.
Disease exists because we live in a fallen world.
In the book of Genesis, God’s creation was declared to be good but Adam and Eve’s sin brought brokenness, disease, and death. Disease of any type is one of the reverberating effects of what happened in the garden in Genesis 3.
The apostle Paul put it this way, “For we know that the whole creation growneth and travaileth in pain...” (Romans 8:22)
Every heart that’s ever been broken is a result of the fall of man. Every tear that’s ever been shed, or every thorn or thistle that’s ever pierced your hands or your feet is a result of the fall of man. (Genesis 3:18)
Thirdly, before we blame God for this pandemic, why not first consider blaming the Devil? After all, the Bible tells us that he was a “murderer from the beginning.”
The Devil loves sin and death.
The Devil’s focus on disease and death stand in contrast to Jesus’ provision of healing and life. During Christ’s earthly ministry He healed the sick and raised the dead!
So, before we blame God for COVID-19, maybe we should blame the actual people who allowed its spread, or blame the fallenness of man, or maybe even blame the Devil, but don’t blame God.
By way of conclusion, I must acknowledge that there are several times in the Old Testament when God punished rebellious people for their sin. And some Christian leaders will speculate that “God sent COVID-19” to the world as a judgment or punishment for the sins of the generations of people living today.
All of that is speculation and frankly, not helpful. In the Old Testament, prophets like Jeremiah and Isaiah were given unique prophetic revelation to discern those kinds of things. Preachers today are not entrusted with that type of divine revelation.
This pandemic is no more the judgment of God on these generations than any common flu, sickness, or disease which all exist because of the fall of man.
And, remember that IF God did “send COVID-19“ as a judgment to punish sinful generations, we still don’t blame God.
You don’t blame a loving father for justly disciplining a rebellious son. You blame the rebellious son, and ultimately you thank the loving Father.
Ladies and gentlemen, God is good. He is good in His judgments, and He is good in His provision. He is good in times of trial as well as in times of abundance. He is good in His holiness and righteous wrath, and He is also good in His love and long-suffering nature.
So, with all that in mind, let’s not blame God.
This devotion was written by Pastor James C. Johnson. These devotionals are being published throughout this pandemic in an effort to further strengthen the faith of our NorthStone church family. Feel free to comment below to offer your feedback about today's devotion.