The Power of Social-Distancing
To many of us, social-distancing sounds like a punishment, however, with the seemingly rapid spread of Covid-19 / coronavirus; governments and infectious disease experts are recommending social-distancing as a necessary way to slow the spread of the virus. Interestingly, social-distancing, to stop the proliferation of a disease, is explicitly mentioned in the Bible.
Leviticus chapter 13 addresses leprosy, an infectious skin disease. If a person was diagnosed with leprosy after being examined by a priest, he/she was required to separate from everyone else, living outside the camp (Leviticus 13:45-46). Even worse, if the leper had to be around other people, he/she had to shout out “Unclean, unclean” to warn everyone. Beyond what Leviticus 13 required, Israelite culture imposed even stronger “social distancing.” People with leprosy were despised and shunned. It was assumed that the only way a person would be infected by such a horrible disease was if he/she had displeased God.
So, the idea of quarantining sick people is not foreign to the Bible. It is a proven method to slow, or even stop, the spread of an infectious disease. It is strange to think, that approximately 3400 years after Leviticus 13 was written, humanity’s answer to the spread of a pandemic disease has not changed much.
Unlike leprosy, which usually produces indisputable evidence of an infection, the most dangerous aspect of Covid-19 is that a person can be infected, and infectious, and yet have no symptoms. That is why the coronavirus is so dangerous. People who feel completely fine and have no symptoms could be unknowingly spreading the disease to the people around them.
If we take a moment to look at this disease from a spiritual perspective, we would find again the benefits of Social Distancing. This separation forces us to come to terms with our relationship with God. How much time are we spending with the Father. It allows us to evaluate our worship and prayer life. It will expose if we were just mere infectious church attendees or true believers.
If we find ourselves feeling absent from God because we are missing church, it is possible that we simply had Church-Corona a form of godliness but was denying the power, and that our relationship was nothing more than an act of infectious religion. The church is full of asymptomatic people who are infectious, contaminating people with gossip, jealousy, backbiting, and hatred. Coming together weekly spreading a perpetual cycle of feel-good but can’t do good - false worship. Social-Distancing removes the victims from the contamination of such persons and prevents a possible communal spreading.
“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”
It is possible that God’s purpose for this separation is two-fold. On one hand to stop the spread of the Church-Corona the religious virus, and on the other to expose those who were infected, allowing them time in quarantine with Him. God is an amazing epidemiologist, he knows how to destroy Church-Corona, the religious virus, and gather his people from every infectious disease.
Alone time with God
All relationships take time, and a relationship with God is no different. The Bible is filled with comparisons to help us conceptualize our relationship with God. For example, Christ is depicted as the bridegroom, and the Church is depicted as the bride. Marriage is two joining their lives as one (Genesis 2:24). Such intimacy involves time spent alone with one another.
God desires “alone time” with us. He wants a personal relationship with us. He created us as individuals, “knitting” us in the womb (Psalm 139:13) God knows the intimate details of our lives, such as the number of hairs on our heads (Luke 12:7). He knows the sparrows individually, and “you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29,31). He invites us to come to Him and know Him (Isaiah 1:18) When we desire to know God intimately, we will seek Him early (Psalm 63:1) and spend time with Him. We will be like Mary, sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to His voice (Luke 10:39). We will hunger and thirst for righteousness, and we will be filled (Matthew 5:6).
I encourage you to take full advantage of this time to secure your relationship with the Father, for the day of the Lord is at hand.