The people who are a threat to the rest of society are the people who do not take the recommended precautionary measures to prevent the spread the COVID-19 virus. To not take the measures and live in the presumption or the hope that you will not get the virus is your business, but when your business affects my life, then it becomes my business. You might take the 11,000 deaths in our nation lightly (at this writing), and you can be a continued possible carrier of the disease. Any one of us can be a carrier even with all the measures taken. If I respect my fellow man, I will take all the necessary precautions for his sake. If I don’t care about my own life that is my business, but I am to do all I can to not jeopardize my neighbor.
We live in two realms – the spiritual realm and the physical realm. This is a Goliath that is to be confronted in both the spiritual and physical realms. When David confronted Goliath he faced off to him with faith in his heart that just as God had been faithful to him in the past to deliver him from evil, he would deliver him from this threatening giant also. He addressed the spiritual realm with faith in God and by speaking to the giant the way it was going to be. Then David addressed the physical realm by putting his hand to five smooth stones for his sling and sending one straight to the forehead. Once he brought him down, he took the giants own sword and removed his head, turning the tide of the battle and gaining a victory for the nation of Israel and for the world (1 Samuel 17). God is bigger than this Goliath, but he works through people to bring the giant down. This is a time for repentance from sin and commitment to God and to his word and his way so the channel of faith can be clear. It is time to put his word on our lips through the name of Jesus Christ and speak the promises of the word of God into the situation. Psalms 91 is a good place to start. It is time to take all the recommended measures to prevent the spread of the disease – social distancing, mask, gloves, hand washing, etc. – if not for yourself, then do it in respect to your neighbor. We are in this fight together. It is a fight of faith and of doing what we need to do to stop the aggressor. It is easy to sit by and make inexperienced armchair comments on the whole situation – until you can’t breathe. Then it becomes personally serious, and possibly too late. Maybe the hope will be true that it will be over with next week. That would be great! But until then, let’s exercise our faith and take the common sense measures now to ride it out for the long haul. Stay safe! Stay healthy!