The coronavirus reminds us of valuable lessons

The coronavirus has greatly impacted China. As of this writing there are more than 73,000 cases with almost 1,900 deaths. In China more than 400 million people are quarantined. In Hong Kong schools are cancelled. Nearly 1,000 cases are outside of China. Millions of lives are affected- even the tech giant Apple is impacted by the virus.

Are there lessons we can learn from this? Recent events remind me of Psalm 90. This is the only psalm written by Moses. Moses wrote after the forty years of wilderness wanderings. He wrote after watching his generation die in the wilderness.

The sin of Kadesh Barnea in Numbers 13 and 14 caused the wilderness wandering. Ten of the spies led the people in rebellion against God. A mass revolt took place. Moses and Aaron almost lost their lives. God’s judgment was death in the desert. Moses watched as his generation- 1,200,000 people died. An average of 87 people died every day for 40 years.

Moses learned three great lessons through his experiences in the wilderness. The first lesson is that God is eternal. Verses 1 and 2 state, “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting, You are God.”

“Dwelling place” means protective shelter. From the days of Abraham God protected the nation of Israel. God is older than the mountains. Before God made the earth, God existed. He is everlasting.

In contrast to God’s eternality is the brevity of people. Verse 3 is sobering. “You turn man back into dust and say, ‘Return, O children of men.’” The word back means “to be pulverized like dust.” Life is short. Only two people have beaten death- Enoch and Elijah. Death is real.

The second lesson reveals the source of the problem- sin. Verses 7 and 8 state the cause. “For we have been consumed by Your anger and by Your wrath we have been dismayed. You have placed our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.” God is good. He is merciful and kind. However, He must punish sin. He is righteous and just. Our sins may be secret before people but God knows them.

Moses summarizes life in verse 10. “As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years. Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away.” Most people live between 70 and 80 years. Some live longer and some live less. Life is not easy. Moses describes life as “labor and sorrow.” Life is soon gone like a bird and flies away. Teenagers think they will live forever. As we get older, we realize life is like a bird and it is quickly gone.

The third lesson is that life is precious. Moses writes, “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” We are not to waste our lives. We must live our lives for God’s glory. Wisdom means “skill in daily living.” The wilderness generation died in the wilderness. They made camp. They waited. They broke camp. Moses says to the next generation, “Do not waste your life. Live for the glory of God.”

How do we gain a heart of wisdom? Moses gives practical advice. The first step is to count our days. We are commanded to number our days. Eighty years is 29,200 days. If you are 40 years old you have 14,600 days left. Calculate how many days you have left- if you make it to 80. Remember that not all of these days will be productive. There may be times of bad health. We need to count our days.

The second key is to pray. In verse 13 and 14 Moses prayed, “Do return, oh Lord, how long will it be? And be sorry for Your servants. O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” Moses prayed for God’s favor. The word sorry means “to change your mind.” He asked for God’s blessing to be upon them. God’s favor is found through His Son Jesus Who died for us.

The third key is to serve. Moses prayed, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us and confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands” (verse 17). It is shocking but God works through people. Twice Moses says, “Confirm the work of our hands.” As we understand and obey God’s Word our God works through us! Even though life is short and death is certain God works through His people and our work is established.

Ethan Hansen is a pastor at Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake.