Published 30 June 2021
Basseterre
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
Census Brings Pestilence
By Dr. Lincoln Carty
This morning during my devotion the Almighty Yahweh granted me insight into an issue which has bothered some in St. Kitts and Nevis over the past week. I will speak to that issue in a bit but here is what Yahweh showed me.
I was directed randomly to 1 Chronicles 21 and was immediately intrigued by the caption โCensus Brings Pestilenceโ. So I proceeded to read with an open mind for whatever message would be revealed. The first thing I noted was that King David made the decision, after being provoked by Satan, to count the people of Israel. Why should he have known better than to let Satan entice him? Here are two reasons: 1. In Genesis 22:17 Yahweh says to Abraham, โIn blessing I will bless the, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore.โ 2. In Jeremiah 33:22 the Prophet declares, โAs the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so I will multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me.โ
So I understand why Joab warned David in 1 Chronicles 22:3 that if he conducted the census he would be bringing sin to Israel since Yahwehโs intention to make Israel numberless was clear. David proceeded with the census to the displeasure of Yahweh and the attending consequence which was punishment. I found it very interesting that Yahweh allowed David to choose the punishment from three options. I gather that the first two options would have been brought about by man and the last by Yahweh Himself. In verse 13 we see David choosing the third option and his reason is that he would prefer to fall into the hand of Yahweh than into the hand of man because great are Yahwehโs mercies.
The next verse tells us that Yahweh sent pestilence also meaning a plague upon Israel and 70,000 men died. Yahwehโs mercy is surely demonstrated in verse 15 as He commanded the destroying angel to stay his hand. David witnesses what is happening and he decides to do the right thing. In verse 17 he takes ownership of his wrong doing and asks Yahweh to punish him and his fatherโs house and to spare Israel from the plague. As the chapter progressed I saw David going up to Ornan, building an alter unto Yahweh, and offering both burnt and peace offerings. To my surprise although I have read this text before, this morning was the first time I realized that Elijah was not the only one on whose sacrifice Yahweh sent down fire. Verse 26 tells us that he did it for David as well. Finally, verse 27 tells us that Yahweh commanded the angel to halt the destruction and he put his sword back into his sheath thus ending the plague.
That brings me to the issue at hand. Recently the Prime Minister of our country, Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris observed extremely long lines as people shopped in the context of an impending shut down. In commenting on the situation and looking at the difficulty people had getting into the supermarkets he suggested that an alternative may be to go home, fast and pray. Many individuals took to social media suggesting that the Prime Minister was being insensitive and that he was actually telling people to stay hungry. Is that really what our Prime Minister was doing? Listening to him at the time he made the suggestion and observing the passion with which he responded on Monday in the emergency sitting of Parliament after that accusation was leveled at him, I believe I have an excellent idea of what was in his heart.
This is the insight which Yahweh revealed to me this morning. As the Prime Minister spoke to the Nation he did just what David did in part. I say in part because while David was the cause of the plague, our Prime Minister is not the cause of the pandemic. So what exactly did the Prime minister do? First, he recognized that we are in a serious situation. We are caught up in a global pandemic which is adversely impacting our health. Second, he recognized that peopleโs main focus was mainly on meeting physical and material needs. Therefore in the same way David utilized sacrifice and prayer in imploring Yahwehโs forgiveness and healing for the land, the Prime Minister implored people to sacrifice and pray. We do not offer burnt offerings today so our sacrifice is in the form of fasting.
It would seem to me that the Prime Ministerโs mind was on 2 Chronicles 7:14 where we hear Yahweh saying, โIf my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.โ So you see, the Prime Ministerโs call was a call for us as a Country to recognize that while we are in a global pandemic of manโs making, we also have a merciful heavenly Father, Yahweh Ropheka, our healer. So his call was for us to deny ourselves for a little bit and engage in prayer and fasting for the forgiveness of our sins and the healing of our Nation.
I applaud the Christian Counsel and the Evangelical Association for moving to plan a period of prayer and fasting for the Country. I also ask that each individual reading this post will make a commitment to engage in your own period of prayer and fasting. You may fast one, two or three meals, or maybe a few days. Thatโs your choice. Remember that fasting does not only mean giving up food but it can also mean giving up quality time you spend doing things you particularly like. You may want to spend that time reading the Bible instead.
I therefore take this opportunity to call on all of us to put Country Above Self and do what we can to arrest the pandemic within our borders. Whether it is with pharmaceutical or non-pharmaceutical means let us do everything that is necessary to be safe. Please remember that prayer and fasting work wonders when we yield to Yahwehโs will. Have a blessed day.
