The Plagues of Egypt: What does the Bible say about Viruses and Isolation?

When the new coronavirus first emerged from China at the end of 2019 and the whole world went into a global pandemic in March 2020, I first thought of the story of the plagues of Egypt.  A few of the plagues seem to be related to a possible virus.  Although, we may never really know if it's viruses that caused some of the plagues, I do believe in God's Word that these happened by God's will and power.

Many of us may know about the story in the Biblical Book of Exodus regarding the exodus (or fleeing) of the Hebrews from Egypt.  (Exodus 7 through 12.)  The Hebrews have lived in Egypt for hundreds of years and have become slaves to Pharaoh, the Egyptian king.  Moses, the main character of this story, pleaded with Pharaoh to "Let my people go" and he has asked Pharaoh ten different times or else a plague will be cast upon Egypt.  The ten plagues are:

1. River of Blood (Ex. 7:14-24) - The river turned into blood.
2. Frogs (Ex. 7:25-8:15) - Frogs were coming out of everywhere.
3. Gnats (Ex. 8:16-19) - Gnats were coming out of everywhere.
4. Flies (Ex. 8:20-32) - So did the flies.
5. Disease of the Egyptian livestock (Ex. 9:1-7) - Animals were getting sick.  Can we say coronavirus?
6. Boils (Ex. 9:8-12) - Kind of like really bad chickenpox.  Could be smallpox.
7. Hail (Ex. 9:13-35) - Pretty self explanatory.
8. Locust (Ex. 10:1-20) - Like the frogs, gnats and flies.  But locusts can really do major damage to your crops.
9. Darkness (Ex. 10:21-29) - It wasn't just an eclipse, the sky was dark for 3 days.
10. Death of the firstborn (Ex. 11-12:32)

It was this last plague that interested me and in what the people did.  So, I dug in a little deeper to see what the Bible had to say.  First, we need to know a little bit about the last plague which is explained in Chapter 11 of Exodus:

(Moses addresses Pharaoh): So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. (Exodus 11:4-6)

Exodus 12 gave details of what the people did next to prepare.  But it may not be what you might think.  Here were the key things that God wanted the people of Israel to do:

• Regard this as their first month and their first day of their year. (Verse 2)
• On the tenth day of this month, each household is to take a one year old male lamb and take care of it until the 14th day.  Then they are to slaughter it.  (Verses 3-6)
• They need to take the lamb's blood and put some on the doorframe of their homes.  (Verse 7)
• Then that night, they are to roast the lamb and eat it. (Verse 8)
• They are to commemorate and celebrate this as a festival; for seven days, they are to eat unleavened bread (bread without yeast). (Verses 14-15, 17)

Then later, Moses repeated and gave the final instructions, and an explanation what will happened that night:

Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning.  When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. (Exodus 12:21-23) 

I think the key take-away for me this is this: in a time of uncertainty where they could have been in fear and thought, "What if this last plague doesn't work, like the last other plagues?", God instructed the people to celebrate, because God will deliver them from the Egyptians.  Moses did indeed tell the people of Israel to stay inside for an evening.  But however long they stayed indoors, at least Moses knew that God will deliver them from Egypt.

This very story parallels what Jesus did for us on the cross.  The celebration of Passover was not just a celebration of God's spirit passing over them (because of the blood of the slaughtered lamb on the door frame) and the Hebrews' exodus but also to point to the coming sacrifice of Jesus and his blood on the cross, God's protection over us, and Him delivering us from our sins.

"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and all who live in it." ~Psalm 24:1.  It's crazy to think that the coronavirus is also a part of this earth.  Although it is not certain when this pandemic will be over, I think God is instructing us to hang in their, isolate as much as possible but celebrate (safely) because there will be a time when this is passover.

Government and the Bible Part 2

The United States is said to be a democracy, but it's really a republic.  On the local level up to the State level, we vote by popular vote, but when it comes to voting for the president and vice president, it becomes more like a republic voting system called the electoral college.  Even some say, our nation is becoming more like a social democracy.  And between the two political parties, the Democrats and Republicans, there is much talk about politics, and how we should run the nation.  I think I care enough to vote for the candidate that best represents my thoughts and beliefs in government but at the end of the day, sometimes I don't really care.  :) 

Let's look at Jesus.  Jesus was born of the time of the Roman Empire and he was born a Jew.  The Roman government was very harsh towards the Jews at the time, and the Jews wanted a new ruler, someone that can take down the current Roman government.  (And this has been the story of the Jews for a while even to this day.  They left Egypt, then they have a nation in Canaan, they have some kings, they get captured by the Assyrians, then exiled by the Babylonians, then returned to Israel, and then a few hundred years later, Romans were over this part of land until the time of Jesus, and beyond.)  Jesus was born into a hostile environment, so much that he and his family had to escape to Egypt to hide for a while before they came back. (On a side note, this will lead to the topic on immigration.)  In his later life, he went around Israel, teaching folks about God and His salvation.  In his short time, he encouraged the minds and hearts of those who followed him until his death and resurrection.  Most importantly, he is salvation for those who believe in him (John 3:16-17, Ephesians 2:8).  For most of his life and ministry, we don't really know much about what Jesus thought about the Roman government.  But what we do know is how he interacted with the people around him and the hope that he has given them.  

In the Bible, the first part of Romans 13 does have this passage regarding government:

¹ Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ² Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ³ For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. ⁴ For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. ⁵ Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.
⁶ This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. ⁷ Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

The Apostle Paul wrote this during this time of the Romans, after Jesus's resurrection.  Paul knew of the persecution that the early Christian had to go through with the Romans and endured this persecution himself.  So, it's kind of a hard passage to take in, and I would image, even for Paul, since he was the one who got jailed by the Romans.  And what we're experiencing here in the U.S. pales in comparison of what Paul had to go through.

What does that really mean, even if we do not agree with the government we are under, or for those who are Christians in other nations who may be under a different form of government? 

First, we definitely need to pray for our authorities, the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Even in this passage in  1 Timothy 2:1-6, prayer for our authorities is "good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." Going back to Romans 13, I believe this is really saying to stay out of trouble and obey the laws that make sense and are in line with God's law of grace and love. 

Second, respect for the government and all those around us.  God has allowed and gave us government for a lot of reason (order, rules, military protection, etc).  We may not understand everything God is doing through government, and we may not agree with everything the government is doing, but God does want us to respect it.  (1 Peter 2:11-17). 

Thirdly, prayer for our nation.  I know we do not always agree with everyone around us.  But I believe if those who proclaim to be Christians, we must unite to pray for our nation. (2 Chronicles 7:14)  

Jesus never wanted a physical earthly kingdom of his own but he knows God is building a heavenly kingdom for those who follow him.  In due time, the United States may not be here anymore, no matter what you believe in prophecy.  Sometimes I feel people hold too much hope on government, when government is merely a thing of human invention.  Same with the Constitution.  Although, I have all respect for the founding fathers of the United States and the Constitution they have written, it is not the ultimate law.  Rather we should hold God's grace much higher than these laws (Galatians).

Government and the Bible Part 1

Ever wonder where government came from?  How government was developed?  Many of us learned in social studies that people were once hunters and gatherers.  After discovering agriculture, (namely farming of grains like wheat in Europe or rice in Asia) the people pretty much settled and began bartering or trading their goods.  "I don't have enough barley, I'll give you 6 chickens for a measure of barley."  The people also raised livestocks to eat or use its byproducts to make food (like milk to yogurt, or cheese).  Then seashells or rocks were used as currency and somewhere along the way, people started to make coins and paper money.  In all of this, civilizations started to form, cities started to form, and there was a need for order in the towns and cities, thus government happened.

Imagine this: what if God didn't want us to have governments?  That's a novel thought.

A key passage in the Bible is found in 1 Samuel 8, verses 4-9:

So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” But they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

The next chapter then sees Saul anointed as king of Israel.

Don't get me wrong.  God wanted Israel to have a nation of its own after He lead them out of Egypt.  In between the Exodus to the time of Samuel, the Israelites were ruled by priests, judges and elders.  God probably wanted the Israelites to be an exception, unlike the other surrounding nations which had kings.  However, back in Deuteronomy 17, we do see how God instructed the Israelites about kings, as if God knew that someday Israel will have one.  Not because God wanted them to have a king, but because of what 1 Samuel 8 says of the Israelites that they were continuing to sin and reject God as their King.  Israel eventually had a king, the split nations of Israel and Judah/Benjamin, and many many kings to come.  Some were good, most were bad.

Today, we have a lot of different types of governments and leaders.  There are democracies, republics, socialists, communism, dictatorships, and various ones in between.  We still have kings (although, they are more like figureheads and have little involvement with government), presidents, premiers, prime ministers, etc.  Then there are political parties and groups in countries that have these parties.  So, throughout history, the forms and leadership of government have become complex and varies from country to country.  And like Israel and Judah, there were some good leaders and some bad ones.

The next blog, I will talk about my personal opinions about government, and what I truly believe what God wants us to do in any government and county we live under. 

The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics and the Meaning of LIfe

I volunteer for a local middle school's Science Olympiad team.

What is Science Olympiad?  Check it out from this site!

I coach Thermodynamics, which is a real event.  Yes, that thermodynamics that many mechanical and chemical engineers take during their studies.  It's one of those subjects where if you are going to design race cars, be a rocket scientist, or solve the meaning of life through thermo, this is what you need.

Speaking about the meaning of life, one of my students pointed out an article that the 2nd law of thermodynamics could be responsible for the life on this planet.  If you read through the article, in summary, a force (such as sun energy) cooked the chemicals on earth to the point where the atoms and molecules start to bond until there are organisms on earth.

It's a good theory but reading on into the article, this theory of the origins of life doesn't explain how one day, animals began to reason about their environment around them and how humans began to communicate thoughts and ideas through drawing things on walls and making noises.

It's one of those things I have to think about.  As a Christian, learning the Creation story in the Bible and meshing science into this is tricky.  Many cite scripture in two spots that "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day."  (2 Peter 3:8, Psalm 90:4)  Although some argue that these verses points that the Bible does state that God's days might be really a thousand years, one has to be careful not to take these verses out of context.  These verses, like many verses in the Bible, sometimes show simile or stress a point using time references to show our perception versus God's perception.  It just seems a long time to wait on the long but the Lord is quick to show compassion.

Anyways, it's a good point to ponder. 

Life with No Facebook

You read that right.  Life with no Facebook.

How I managed to do that, I don't know. 

Don't get me wrong, Facebook has its place in social media.  I just got tired of a lot of things on Facebook.

So I deactivated my Facebook account.  It's still "out there" but just in dormancy.

How do I feel about it?   

Fantastic!!!

I am using Instagram and Twitter.  Although they have their own issues, it's issues I can handle for now.  I don't have much friends on Twitter, so it's OK.  And Instagram is all about pictures, and I like pictures.

But the real reason is that, I am at an age where I am embracing my introvertism (is that a word?).  What I mean by that is that, I don't mind being an introvert and I rather not be around so many people.  I do love you guys, but I don't want to always be around 100 people at one time.  I think I've always been an introvert but some of us are good at pretending to be an extrovert.  I can do that well and only if I really have to (aka work conferences).  That's probably all I can take.

So, I figure if you really like me, if we are best buds or family, you have my phone number and email address.  Or Facebook Messenger (I still use that).

The end.  😁