It's That Serious

But any prophet who falsely claims to speak in my name or who speaks in the name of another god must die.’ [Deuteronomy 18.20]

I cannot help but recall all those who who declared, "I believe the science!" relative to COVID-19 during the pandemic of that virus on the world. This manifesto had been coming a long time, but COVID-19 officially put it on public display to the world.

The very Bible that declares the Blessings and Curses for obedience or disobedience respectively, found in Deuteronomy 28, clearly identifies sicknesses and plagues as curses for disobedience. In contrast, science declares that sicknesses and plagues are "natural" in their origins and therefore, must be combatted with scientific means.

We might reason that God, Who gave us the Bible, also gave us knowledge and science that the two might coexist without conflict. While this is true, we must also remember that God gave us the sun, moon and the stars but very sternly warned against worshiping them! This is ironically addressed in today's OYCB reading:

“When you begin living in the towns the LORD your God is giving you, a man or woman among you might do evil in the sight of the LORD your God and violate the covenant. For instance, they might serve other gods or worship the sun, the moon, or any of the stars—the forces of heaven—which I have strictly forbidden. When you hear about it, investigate the matter thoroughly. If it is true that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, then the man or woman who has committed such an evil act must be taken to the gates of the town and stoned to death. [Deuteronomy 17.2-5]

When a person declares (in opposition to repentance, prayer and faith for healing and deliverance from sicknesses or plagues), "I believe the science," this is exactly what Deuteronomy 18.20 warns against! When this occurs, the very science given by God as a blessing (just like the sun, moon and stars) has been exalted as a god above God Who gave it. Nowhere is this problem more clearly seen in the Bible than in the case of Nehushtan, the bronze serpent on a pole introduced in the book of Numbers:

Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!” So the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people. Then the LORD told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed! [Numbers 21.4-9]

Just using the passage above alone, one might justify turning to medicine (symbolized today by a snake on a pole) as a gift from God and therefore Biblically justify its role in the earth. However, there is more to the story of this bronze serpent on a pole!

Hezekiah son of Ahaz began to rule over Judah in the third year of King Hoshea’s reign in Israel. He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. He did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done. He removed the pagan shrines, smashed the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke up the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because the people of Israel had been offering sacrifices to it. The bronze serpent was called Nehushtan. [2 Kings 18.1-4]

People today are still unashamedly (albeit ignorantly) offering sacrifices to the serpent on a pole in the ridiculously high costs they admittedly pay (sacrifice) for medicine, medical services and insurance! What's more, people accept and even embrace a medical diagnosis with much more fear and trembling than they do God's Word that promises healing. And, as if this is not bad enough, well-meaning Christian people boldly declare their "faith" to deal with sicknesses and plagues instead of declaring their faith to heal them as Jesus Christ Himself taught and demonstrated!

The homage people are still paying today to medicine (the serpent on a pole) is both literally and symbolically speaking "in the name of another god." This misplaced faith (idolatry) is assigned the death penalty in the subject passage above. It's that serious.

Father, forgive us for our wholesale accolade of medicine over Your Word for our health and healing.