Girrrl! 2020 was indeed a noteworthy year - quite unforgettable! It was a year like none we had ever seen before. I have to admit, I’m a bit of a wordsmith but I had never heard the word ‘pandemic’ prior to 2020. A new word was introduced to me last year as well as a new way of life. We had to quarantine, wear masks and isolate ourselves from others which for many people turned out to be an arduous task. When we would come out with masks on, it was still stressful because you never know who could be among you with the virus as many carriers are asymptomatic. This level of not knowing, uncertainty caused angst for people that eventually led to fear. We were now in a place that we could not even imagine before: not being able to hug loved ones, not seeing our friends, not attending church services, and just being in isolation.
As the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 1:9, “…there’s nothing new under the sun”. When I think of quarantine and isolation my mind goes to the lepers. Lepers were quarantined from society due to the skin disease they possessed - leprosy. Leprosy was a skin disease that caused sores to form on your skin form head to toe. Before the sore developed into a sore it started as a swelling, scab or bright spot (Leviticus 13:2). God instituted a law that he gave to Moses and Aaron that if a leprous sore developed, the person must show himself to Aaron (the priest) to be examined. Once examined and it was determined that the person had leprosy they would be declared unclean. Leviticus 13:45-46 says, “Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare; and he shall cover his mustache, and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean! He shall be unclean. All the days he has the sore he shall be unclean. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp”. Additionally, they had to also social distance and it wasn’t 6 feet! Some sources I read said that the distance had to be 100 paces (equivalent to 300 feet), in another source I read it said 16 feet away but the point is they had to indeed social distance and live their life in isolation.
Ladies, what if we had to live like the lepers? What if we had to announce our “sores” (sins, temptations, addictions) when we entered a room?
‘Gossip! Gossip!’
‘Promiscuous! Promiscuous!’
‘Liar! Liar!’
‘Selfish! Selfish!’
‘Cocaine! Cocaine!’
‘Overeating! Overeating!’
What if we had to announce our sores before people even got a chance to know us? What if?
Thanks be to God that we do not have to announce our sores. God covers us with His love, grace and mercy. Unlike people, God accepts us flaws and all and has the power to heal us - without scars so that we don’t even look like what we’ve been through! I’m so glad that I don’t have to yell out my sores except to God in prayer! Whatever you are dealing with today, God has the power to heal and restore you. With the power of the Holy Spirit, you can push the reset button and start again! God just loves us like that! Now, if people need to know, you can just yell:
‘Covered! Covered!’
Just as the people in Leviticus went to the priest to be examined, we now can go to the High Priest who won’t stop at examination but will bring us to full healing and restoration!
Next week let’s continue this discussion as we take a look at what happens when Jesus heals the leper.
