The book of Judges records the fall of the Israelite nation as they entered the land God promised to them and forgot Him altogether. Their fall is twofold: spiritual resulting in physical. God had warned them of this trap before they entered (Deut. 6:10-12), yet into it they fell anyway. As they departed from God spiritually, God sent oppressive armies to dominate them physically, turning their promised land into a wasteland (cf. Judges 6:1-6). Some may wonder if God is using the coronavirus as a tool to punish the world for its collective departure from Him. Judges does not provide a finger pointing to the source of our present troubles, but considering chapters 6 and7 will remind us of an unchanging truth about the Almighty.
Judges 6 begins by identifying why God allowed Midian to dominate His people and their promised land, saying, “Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord gave them into the hands of Midian seven years.” Life became miserable for the Israelites. They lived in caves during this time, and when they cried out to God, He answered through a prophet, who was sent to remind them of God’s care for them and their disobedience to His commands (Judges 6:8-10). Finally, God sends Gideon and an army of men to drive out their enemies. By human standards, Gideon’s army was heavily outnumbered from the start. He had 32,000 men to stand against an innumerable hoard (Judges 7:3, 12). Even then, however, God declared them too many. He proceeded to diminish Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300. In this way, God guaranteed the people could not claim they had delivered themselves (Judges 7:2). God then deftly defeated the enemies of Israel as only He could (cf. Judges 7:19-23).
During modern times, we have greater difficulty identifying the precise activities of God. Rather than trying to pin down God’s work in every situation, let us remember this: In everything, God desires that we remember Him and honor Him as King over all. He always wants to be honored, worshipped, and praised. God saved Israel mightily so they would remember Him and give Him their days, as they ought.
Rather than wondering if God is the source of the present pandemic, ask whether you have been honoring Him with your days. Is your life is glorifying Him? Is your family is closer to God because of their interaction with you? God always desires and deserves our worshipful attention. If a pandemic is the spiritual wakeup call you needed to give God the throne of your life, then praise God that it has come! Give God your days and worship Him as He deserves.