How Should a Believer - Believe During a Pestilence?

Keith A. Hopps
Mar 14, 2023
7 min read

Updated: Mar 17, 2023

Now that emotions have subsided, and the fire of culture has somewhat diminished, let us gaze back to when COVID flooded every area of our discourse, and showed many divisions even in the House of God. Truth be told the time of division is still upon us, and I must tell you the truth, it is here to stay, because the soon-time, before the return of Jesus is at hand. But we are not without comfort or understanding. The Word of God is still here to lead us and guide us in all things… even concerning COVID.

That brings us to today’s study:

How Should a Believer - Believe During the Pestilence?

Some may feel that the better question is:

“How Should a believer behave?” Yet, it is actually how we act that defines if we are indeed true believers. There is a greater chance that a believer in Christ can misunderstand how he or she should believe rather than how he or she is allowed to behave. Just the word behave, in itself causes one to think of self-restraint.

So, how should you, a believer on Christ show your belief during a pandemic?

During COVID many “believers” were ever so dismissive of anyone claiming to know Jesus, if that soul also obeyed the instructions of their governmental leadership. These are the ones who said that real Christians should ignore the warnings, and precautions such as wearing masks. They encouraged being around even the sick from the pandemic, saying that it was God’s will if any fell ill. Even from the pulpit preachers preached that it was a weakness of faith to obey instructions; to wear a mask, wash your hands, face and other means of preventions, disinfections or decontaminations. Even though believers died in many churches, including many preachers; the teaching of their words continued even to today- causing many to still suffer, some to long haul COVID, if not death. Yes, some are still dying from COVID

Are there any instructions in the bible concerning the people of God being faithful during a pandemic? Yes, there is. No, I am not speaking of…

Matthew 4:7

Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Even though that does apply to this. Not taking precautions that are available to you to protect you and those that you love, and purposely putting the responsibility of that lack of action on the Lord is disobedience and is a sin. Yet, for today- more to the point - by The Lord I speak of the book of Leviticus Chapter 13. It deals with God’s instructions to his people and to the monitor and enforcer of those instructions: his priest. The Lord spoke concerning the pandemic of Leprosy that was in the land…

LEVITICUS 13:1-4

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 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: 3 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.

4 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:

Here the Lord gives the signs of infection for the priest and the people, and the command for the sick-unclean one to be quarantined – away from the clean-healthy people of God. What if the condition of the sick changed? How would the other people know? It was the duty of the priest to maintain the health of the congregation. They were to trust his word, as he was the holy servant of God. The book of Leviticus is not just to the Levites. No, to the more, it is the holiness book. It teaches many things on holiness, and By God’s instructions, here the servant of God was to instruct those who were to be quarantined and their time to be released from it.

LEVITICUS 13:32-34

32 And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the plague: and, behold, if the scall spread not, and there be in it no yellow hair, and the scall be not in sight deeper than the skin; 33 He shall be shaven, but the scall shall he not shave; and the priest shall shut up him that hath the scall seven days more: 34 And in the seventh day the priest shall look on the scall: and, behold, if the scall be not spread in the skin, nor be in sight deeper than the skin; then the priest shall pronounce him clean:

and he shall wash his clothes, and be clean.

After the period of quarantine had past, the Priest was to verify the condition of the infected. Depending upon the healing, either more time was given or the patient was freed from quarantine and the disinfection procedures initiated. But if one still infected had to leave the quarantine area and walk among the healthy, social distancing was to occur. Also, mask wearing was mandated. Yep, in the bible during a pandemic of a contagious disease, that was likely to spread through respiratory droplets of cough or sneezing of an infected person- God told them to mask up!

Leviticus 13:44-46

4 He is a leprous man, he is unclean: the priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean; his plague is in his head. 45 And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. 46 All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be.

Can there be a greater policy of social distancing then to be in Costco, Walmart or the subway train- with ripped clothing a shaved head -shouting, “Unclean! Unclean!” For those who can’t imagine this, there was a time that if a sick person had to leave their house for a doctor’s appointment or to get medicine, if someone not noticing their distress was to come close to them, they would say something like “Don’t get too close. I am sick.” If you were in the store, and someone sick by necessity had to go in to get their meds, how did they usually look? Red eyes? Disheveled clothing, or appearance?

We have found in the bible an example of how to show you do believe in God during a pandemic. It is not written anywhere in this instruction on holiness that the sick should be left alone to suffer because they deserve it. Nor is it written that those who think they are sick, should spread it. That is why there was social distancing, quarantining and decontamination procedures listed in the book. To stop it from spreading. And the priest, the pastor is supposed to look out for the sheep.

Why would, let’s say a few priests, tell someone during a pandemic, not to wear a mask? Some actually don’t know the teachings of the whole bible. Some focus mainly on the New Testament. If the teaching of Leviticus – learning how God gave instructions during a pandemic is shown to them, they often say that was the Old Testament laws and now they no longer apply because of Jesus. In the spirt of their understanding they dimmish the purpose and power of the Old Testament by God to us. The answer to this misunderstanding is spoken by Jesus himself…

Matthew 5:17-18

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass,

one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

In the New Testament Jesus also heals someone from the pandemic of leprosy, and fulfilling the law…

Luke 17:11-14

11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests.

And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed

Jesus healed them, then told them to go – shew themselves to the priest. Why?

To fulfil the law.

Leviticus 14:1-2

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing:

He shall be brought unto the priest:

Jesus is the last sacrifice for our sins, not that we are to continue in sin and disrespect the shedding of his blood. No, that would be a false teaching, just as telling someone to purposely tempt the Lord our God during a pandemic, believing that doing so is a sign of one’s belief. Know this -bearing false witness, lying, cheating, being a false weight, being a respecter of persons, manstealing, adultery, fornication and other sins, are they not named as sins by the Old Testament? Are they not still sins in the New Testament? Jesus, is the last sacrifice of God for our sins, not permission from God to sin. Sins named in the Old Testament.