CORONAVIRUS:
WHO, WHAT, WHY?
Ezekiel 14:1-23
Does God control the coronavirus? What
is it? Why was it sent? What should I do personally? If you have not asked these questions or been
asked these questions it is very likely you will. The answers are given in this passage.
Who Sent the Coronavirus?
The
sovereign God of heaven and earth sent this virus, controls it and accomplishes
his purpose with it. God says he sends “the
sword, the famine, the noisome beast and the pestilence [virus, plague]” (v21). The sovereign God of heaven and earth controls
all things in creation greatest to smallest, good or evil (Am 3:6; Isa
40:21-26). Brethren be comforted that everything
in this world, in this land, in his church, in my life and in yours is running
right on track. And be comforted that
God’s sovereignty in creation is a reminder of his sovereignty in salvation.
What is the Coronavirus?
The Coronavirus is God’s judgment upon
sinners, “Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing
grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it,…and will send my four
judgments.” (vv13, 19)
Coronavirus is one of God’s judgments poured
out due to man grievously trespassing against God. This does not
mean that everyone who gets the virus are without Christ. Daniel is mentioned here as a righteous
man. He suffered from the effects of
these four judgments. But Christ bore
the judgment of his people. Therefore, God
only chastens his child while God judges the reprobate.
Before the
coronavirus there was already a pandemic of grievous sin against God. Sinners all over the world have “changed the
truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more the
Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (Rom 1: 25) For this cause God turned sinners over to a
reprobate mind (Rom 1:21-26) Proof of reprobation is women with women, men with
men “burning in their lusts one toward another…being filled with all
unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of
envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God,
despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable,
unmerciful; who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things
are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do
them” (Rom 1: 27-32). The coronavirus is
“the wrath of God revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and
unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom 1: 18) God says it is sinners “receiving in
themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.” (Rom 1: 27). This small judgment called the coronavirus is
but a reminder of the great final judgment coming in the last day.
Why Did God Send the Coronavirus?
Judgment
begins at the house of God. God sends
judgments to cut off, first, the false prophets and their followers, as well other
wicked sinners (Eze 13: 19-23).
Outwardly, they appeared to be true worshippers of God; the elders even
came to hear Ezekiel (vv1-5). But in heart they worshipped idols. Therefore, God declares he sent these judgments
“to cut off man and beast.”(vv13, 15, 17, 19, 21; Is 29: 13-21).
But there was another reason God sent his judgments, “Yet, behold, therein
shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters:
behold, they shall come forth unto you…” (v22).
As surely as God is cutting off the wicked, God is using this virus to
bring his elect remnant under the gospel that they might be brought to faith in
Christ. We may not see it in our
day. But God says, “they shall be brought”
(v22). “The remnant shall return, even the remnant of
Jacob, unto the mighty God” (Is 10:20-21) Who shall gather this remnant and
assemble them with God’s saints? God says, “I will
even gather you from the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye
have been scattered,…” (Eze 11: 17).
How do we get a new heart, repentance and faith? God says, “I
will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will
take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh
(Eze 11: 19). Where do we
find this righteousness? God said “Noah, Daniel and Job” could not even save a
son or daughter. Yet, God said they were
saved for “their righteousness.” But God says, “There is none
righteous, no not one” (Rom 3: 10). Noah was like all others in his day, whose thoughts
were “only evil continually…But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Gen
6: 5,8). Only helpless sinners such as Noah, Daniel and Job are saved by
God’s grace and only God’s grace can save helpless sinners.
Christ alone is the righteousness who was Noah, Daniel and Job’s
righteousness. Christ alone is the Righteousness of every sinner saved by grace
(Rom 5:21). Shall God lose one of his remnant?
God says, “the house of Israel may go no more
astray from me, neither be polluted any more with all their transgressions; but
that they may be my people, and I may be their God, saith the Lord GOD” (v11).
But when
brought to unite with God’s church how does God say these new converts comfort
us?—"ye shall see their way and
their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought
upon Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought upon it. And they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and
their doings: and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I
have done in it, saith the Lord GOD” (vv22, 23). New
converts confess “their way” to be Christ the Way and “their doings”
to all be done by Christ alone (Jn 3:21). Also, the new convert justifies God
that in their flesh “their ways and their doings” are all sin (Eze
36:31). This comforts the church by
reminding us that there was a cause for which God sent the coronavirus.
What Should I Do Personally?
“Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent,
and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your
abominations” (v6).