Plagues are pretty common throughout the Bible Chapter 3
Here is a serious, weighty, question regarding Covid-19… Did God send this pandemic? Sometimes in the Bible, plagues are described as being directly sent by God specifically as punishment; Gen. 12 for example.
Genesis 12:17-20 (NKJV)
17 But the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What is this you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’? I might have taken her as my wife. Now therefore, here is your wife; take her and go your way.” 20 So Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him; and they sent him away, with his wife and all that he had.
Whereas, other times they just come as part of a world where there are difficult times, where even death may play a part; Gen. 41 for example.
Genesis 41:28-31 (NLT2)
28 “This will happen just as I have described it, for God has revealed to Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do. 29 The next seven years will be a period of great prosperity throughout the land of Egypt. 30 But afterward there will be seven years of famine so great that all the prosperity will be forgotten in Egypt. Famine will destroy the land. 31 This famine will be so severe that even the memory of the good years will be erased.
Here are a few other instances where God intervened with plagues:
Exodus 11:1 (NKJV)
1 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will bring yet one more PLAGUE on Pharaoh and on Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out of here altogether.
Numbers 16:47-49 (NLT2)
47Aaron did as Moses told him and ran out among the people. The PLAGUE had already begun to strike down the people, but Aaron burned the incense and purified the people. 48 He stood between the dead and the living, and the plague stopped. 49 But 14,700 people died in that PLAGUE, in addition to those who had died in the affair involving Korah.
Psalm 106:29 (NIV)
29 they provoked the LORD to anger by their wicked deeds, and a PLAGUE broke out among them.
Mark 5:29 (MSG)
29The moment she did it, the flow of blood dried up. She could feel the change and knew her PLAGUE was over and done with.
Revelation 16:21 (NIV)
21 From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the PLAGUE was so terrible.
I could go on and on listing times where God got directly involved. However, I believe we all get the idea that it is not unusual for God to get involved by using plagues! The question remains, “are we experiencing one of those times right now”? We’ll talk more about that later, I promise! In the meantime, what can we be doing to have an effect on what is unseen and unknown in this time of plague? Let’s turn to the Bible for the answer to that question…
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)
14 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.