Noisome Pestilence? A New Perspective Series

The noisome pestilence

For this study we will look at Psalm 91:3, “Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.” (KJV)

The word of God assures us that He is able to save us from any kind of deadly disease. The thought that comes foremost to our mind when we hear the word pestilence, is an epidemic that results in death. The word ‘noisome’ can also be interpreted as words that are spoken. Recently, we might have noticed that the most discussed topic by everybody worldwide, is the outbreak of this pandemic that is caused by an unseen virus. The reason this has become such a central part of our conversation is because, we are constantly listening to information that is being shared through various sources. Our newspapers, news channels on television, social- media apps all of them are discussing the effects of this pandemic, and about the overhanging threat to our lives. What is so strange is that the entire world’s focus, and conversations are all about the same issue.

There are many people who have recovered totally from this deadly disease. However, if we observe the news, these numbers are downplayed, and the death rates are projected. The consequence is that a sense of fear has gripped the hearts of people. If we as God’s children wish to overcome these fears and anxieties, it is vital that we pay attention to the kind of messages we give heed to. The fact is that what we spend time listening to most, will adversely affect our mental state and our emotional being as well. The one emotion that has predominantly seized most people is that of fear. When the news of the pandemic was confined to China many of us were not concerned. It did not even bother us when it spread in North India, but now that is has come close to home, the majority of us are gripped with a fearful dread and worry.

Let me highlight some incidents from the bible that will help us realize how what we hear affects our life and behavior.

The reports that the people of Jericho heard

We read in Joshua 2:10, “We have heard how the LORD dried up the Red Sea in front of you when you were leaving Egypt. We have also heard how you killed Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan” (GNB)

Jericho was a fortified city in which Rahab lived. The above mentioned words are those of Rahab. She mentioned two things that the people of Jericho had heard about God and the people of Israel. They had firstly, received accounts of how God parted the Red Sea to make a way for the people of Israel to cross over when they fled from the Egyptian bondage. They also had heard the news that though the Israelites wandered in the wilderness like nomads, the Lord had helped them to defeat the two Amorite kings Sihon and Og. Even though the modes of sharing information were different in those days and probably slower, this news had anyhow reached the people of Jericho.

We read in Joshua 2:11 a, “We were afraid as soon as we heard about it; we have all lost our courage because of you.” (GNB)

In Joshua 2:11 b, “The LORD your God is God in heaven above and here on earth.” (GNB)

When the reports of God’s dealings on behalf of the Israelites reached the people of Jericho, their hearts melted with fear and all of them lost courage. However, Rahab who also lived in Jericho had faith instead of fear, for she started to think about the God of Israel as God whom she could trust. In the second part of this verse Rahab acknowledged the fact that if the Lord can part the Red Sea, He is indeed God of heaven above for this was something no human on earth could do. So also, if the Lord had helped the wandering Israelites to defeat the kings of the earth, He was indeed the Lord of the earth as well. No wonder then that when God gave Israelites the victory and the walls of came crumbling down, Rahab and her family, whose house was on that very same wall were safe and secure.

This incident reinforces to us that everything we hear will most certainly have its effects on our mental and emotional state. A majority of people allow themselves to be bombarded with dreadful news all through the day, unaware of its adverse influence on them. All of us may have been familiar with score boards for games, but sadly today we have a score board on the number of people who are affected by the virus, and the number of deaths that happen daily. Like Rahab if we place our trust in the Lord, He is most certainly able to keep us safe and secure in the midst of all the calamities that surround us.