COVID-19: Wash your hands, wash your heart

By Tope Banso
“Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites” (James 4:7 New Living Translation).
The LORD told the Israelites that He would take away from them all sickness, and would afflict them with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt, which they had known, but would lay them on all those who hated them (Deuteronomy 7:15-16). As spiritual Israelites, Christians can claim this promise of God.
However, for the Israelites to enjoy the fulfillment of this promise, the LORD gave them His commandments to obey. Obedience was the key to staying healthy and being exempted from the plagues He visited upon Egypt.
The LORD told them, “If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD, then the LORD will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues — great and prolonged plagues — and serious and prolonged sicknesses.
“Moreover He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law, will the LORD bring upon you until you are destroyed. You shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven in multitude, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 28:58-62 New King James Version).
Part of the Word of God the Israelites must obey in order to stay healthy were the laws of hygiene, diet, and disease control that He gave them. Leviticus 3:7; 5:2-3; 7:23-27; Leviticus 11; 13-15; 14:8-9; 15:4-27;
19:28; Numbers 19:16; and Deuteronomy 23;9-14 are some of the scriptures dealing with this. For instance, King Uzziah of Judah was isolated or quarantined when he was inflicted with leprosy. They didn’t keep him on the throne because he was the king. He knew what the law said.
2 Chronicles 26:21 says, “King Uzziah was a leper until the day of his death. He dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the LORD. Then Jotham his son was over the king’s house, judging the people of the land” (New King James Version).
King Uzziah was afflicted with leprosy or infectious skin disease, because he became proud and intruded into the office of a priest; he wanted to burn an incense to the LORD, an assignment meant for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who were consecrated for that duty (verse 18).
While all the laws of hygiene, diet, disease control and the like in the Bible may not be applicable in modern times, there are similar laws that human beings must obey to keep diseases away, such as isolating or quarantining people infected with some contagious diseases. This is very important. Prayer won’t be a substitute to obeying these laws.
One of the measures that experts have recommended to guide against infection with Covid-19 is regular washing of hands with soap under running water. This is not limited to this particular virus. It is wise to comply and protect yourself against infection.
Mark 7:3-4 says, “For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches” (New King James Version). Please take note of that phrase: wash their hands in a special way.
In Matthew 15, the issue of washing of hands was raised by the scribes and Pharisees. They accused the disciples of Jesus of eating without washing their hands (verse 2). They were not talking about the normal washing of hands one does before eating, but the ceremonial washing of hands to remove defilement! They seemed to be saying that eating with unwashed hands had defiled Jesus’ disciples. The scribes and Pharisees were not concerned about hygiene.
But Jesus said, “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man” (Matthew 15:11 New King James Version). In other words, what you eat or eating without the ceremonial washing of your hands won’t make you unclean or defile you. “Eating with unwashed hands could never defile you and make you unacceptable to God!” (Matthew 15:20 New Living Translation).
Nobody should use what Jesus said as an excuse not to wash his hands either before eating or regularly. Jesus didn’t condemn the washing of hands, cups and so on. He only condemned the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who elevated their tradition (the tradition of the elders Mark 7:3) above the Ten Commandments and violated the commandments of God. They made their tradition higher than the laws of Moses.
Experts say many diseases can be prevented by washing your hands regularly with soap under running water not only when you want to eat. But the washing of hands the scribes and Pharisees referred to here was a special one – ceremonial washing to remove defilement.
Therefore, wash your hands. However, don’t wash only your hands; wash also your heart. Jesus said the things that would make a man unclean come from his heart out of his mouth – the words he speaks.
“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man” (Matthew 15:18-20 New King James Version). Mark 7:21-23 says a similar thing.
Proverbs 4:23 says you should keep or guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life – it determines the course of your life. “Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil” (verses 24-27 New King James Version).
Wash not only your hands; wash also your heart. Get rid from your heart what will defile you or make you unacceptable to God. Proverbs 6:14 says of the worthless and wicked people that their perverted hearts plot evil; they stir up trouble constantly.
The heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). Jesus Christ. “But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts?’ (Matthew 9:4 New King James Version).
Peter told Simon the sorcerer, “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity” (Acts 8:22-23 New King James Version). What are the thoughts of your heart?
God knows what is in your heart. Man may not know, but He knows. “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5 New King James Version). The LORD searches the heart and tests the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings (Jeremiah17:10). “Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites” (James 4:7 New Living Translation).
Wash your hands for the purpose of hygiene; wash your heart for the purpose of eternity.
If you’re not born again, repent of your sins today and accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Whoever comes to Him, He will by no means cast out.
PRAYER POINT: Father, I repent of everything in my heart that will make me unacceptable to you.
This is wisdom for living, and it’s worth sharing. Please share.
(For over 260 in-depth and insightful messages by T. O. Banso, visit: www.cedarministry.org).
▪ Banso, a pastor, heads Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria
cedarministryintl@yahoo.com, cedarministryng@gmail.com
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