The Gospel in a Time of Pandemic - E-book - ePub

The plagues do not come just like that, regardless of the cause that has provoked them, according to the scientific knowledge that explains it, the plagues obey a spiritual Law clearly defined in the Scriptures. As often as the word "plague" appears in the Bible, the word is associated with God's intervention. Plagues come from God, God sends them. The purpose of the presence of a plague on the region, or on the whole world, is to manifest to the people of the region the folly of their decisions and actions; the plagues are intended to be reliable witnesses to God's calls on the inhabitants of the region, or on all of humanity.
The best known plagues of the Bible are the plagues of God on Egypt, from which we learn that the plagues are aimed at confronting the arrogance of people who walk in open opposition to God, The plagues bring out what is inside the heart of man. In the case of God's plagues on Egypt, again and again, after each plague we read almost as a conclusion: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them.
What this means is that the plagues show man himself that his strength is not in seeking God's help, but in confronting him with his ranting about not wanting God in his news. Modern man figures his trust in science, and unfortunately many men and women who confess themselves as disciples of Jesus trust in what man develops based on his knowledge, rather than in what God can do among them. The plagues are intended to establish judgment on the gods of the people; the plagues bring to light the kind of gods that the people have raised up, and in whom they have placed their trust.