Chasing Away the Viruses

2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21 recount the same story about a plague coming on all Israel and killing 70,000 men (a lot more including children and women). This viral epidemic came about because of a virus in David's heart that was probably also in the hearts of most of his subjects! God allowed Satan to move King David to number his impressive army, appealing to the pride in his heart and the desire to impress the nations surrounding Israel.

This virus in David's heart would lead to a virus, commanded by an angel with a sword,  that ravaged all of Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba (from North to South) stopping before hitting Jerusalem. At this juncture David had to take decisive steps or the plague would destroy Jerusalem, the heart of Israel.

Today, this sounds all too familiar to us. A viral pandemic is ravaging the world due to the pride and sin of man threatening to destroy the very heart of civilisations. In our own lives we have viruses buried deep down that threaten to destroy a victorious life. We may be ignorant of these viruses or even deny that they are there, but it is a reality that must be dealt with. David's viral pride would have destroyed him had he not taken action.

The answer came in the form of David's prophet Gad.
“And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 2 Samuel 24:18

1. Go Up!

David was to ascend a mountain to where there was a threshing floor owned by Araunah. A threshing floor was a place to separate the essential grain from the chaff by exposing it to the wind. This mountain was actually Moriah, the same mountain Abraham ascended to offer his son Isaac. A place of testing and purifying. 

He was to go up the mountain of the Lord.

The first step in expelling viruses in us is to go up into God's Throne Room. This starts by going up in our thinking. Thinking upon what is heavenly and good. In faith we are to set our minds on things above and not things below. 

During the Circuit Breaker time let us break every low thinking and start meditating on Who He is and who we are in Him! This high thinking is particularly revealed in the Word of God and it is His Word, His light and His truth that leads up up the holy hill (Psalm 43:3). We need to soak in large portions of the Word of God every day.

2. Build Up!

Next, David was to build up an altar to the Lord over the threshing floor. 

He was to take many rocks and pile them in order upon each other to form a altar where he could cry out in repentant worship to God for the Plague to end, both in the land and in his heart.

In the same way, let us use this time to rebuild the Altar of the Lord in our lives. Let us strengthen our Prayer Altars with the rocks of reading the Word, Praising and Worshipping Him, Repenting of our sins and receiving cleansing in flesh and spirit, being filled with the Spirit and interceding the the Spirit  with identificational repentance for the land, declaring His calling and destiny over lives and lands!

“And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 

So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.” 2 Samuel 24:25

3. Offer Up!

As David offered up sacrifices on the Altar his prayer were heeded and the virus was defeated in the land and in his heart! David had refused to offer up sacrifices that cost him nothing. He paid the full price for the site that would later become the place for Solomon's Temple.

Are you willing to pay the price of offering up Your body as a living sacrifice? Are you willing to sacrifice time and tears to ascend the hill of the Lord and build a strong and effective Prayer Altar that will cause the plague in the land and in your heart to cease?

Let's go and chase away some viruses!