“Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’ So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.’” Genesis 22:1-5
I am looking at a BinaxNOW box that contains two self-tests for Covid. Most of us are, unfortunately, familiar with these tests, and we know the steps: 1) Open the test card and apply six drops to the top hole only. 2) Give both nostrils a shallow swab for about 15 seconds on each side. Big circles – no spinning! 3) Stick the swab through the bottom hole into the top hole. Turn the swab to the right clockwise 3x. Fold the card. 4) Wait 15 minutes to see your reliable COVID-19 results. (Now we hold our breath and pray!)
It seems to me that Covid has presented a different kind of test for all of us. It is much like the test that the Lord gave to Abraham…”it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham.” He was told to take a three-day journey to a mountain and offer his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. This seems like a strange command for the Lord to give to Abraham, maybe even bordering on an abomination. However the writer of Hebrews gives us an insight into Abraham’s thinking on this command: “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called,’ concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense” (Heb. 11:17-19). Abraham had waited many years for this promised son. Isaac was most precious to him. He did not hesitate to obey God, and not even his precious son Isaac could stand between Abraham and God’s requests of him.
The Covid pandemic severely tested our world. During the siege, many things changed for us, and some have never recovered from the fear and disruption it caused in our lives. There were radical changes in our habits and behaviors. We were afraid to go anywhere, even to church. When churches who had suspended their services resumed them, a lot of people did not return to the pews. We had learned some new livestream techniques during the pandemic to which some people became habituated. They rather enjoyed doing church from home in their pajamas. We even learned some new shopping habits that we decided to continue. We could call or order our groceries online and park and let someone load them into our car for us. Easy-peasy!
Has Covid become a test for our faith? Did the pandemic create new behaviors and habits in our lives which we now find difficult to lay aside? Live streaming church may be convenient, and even necessary for some with severe diseases. However, watching church on a computer or phone is a poor substitute for assembling with the saints. Listening to faith-based broadcasts and music can certainly enrich our lives, but it cannot take the place of fellowship and community that attending church services provides. We need to return to the practice of the early church: “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer” (Acts 2:42 NLT).
L Scott Gage