Introduction, Part 1

The news says that 3 billion out of 7.8 billion people are in quarantine lockdown around the globe. Many are practicing “self-quarantine” while others are disregarding the guidance from the Federal Government and the Centers for Disease Control. There are two fears. Getting sick and getting someone else sick even though they have no symptoms. The governments of the world are quarantining healthy people. What should we think about this? When and why should we self-quarantine?

The Word of God is a wonderful guide. It speaks clearly in general principles about quarantine. The medical community roughly follows them today. Some historians contend that procedures of cleanliness and quarantine first appeared in the Bible. Let’s survey the Biblical principles of quarantine.

Love your neighbor

Loving our neighbors and the preservation of life is the heart of the biblical quarantine laws. The applications are rooted in Lev 19:18, “love your neighbor as yourself, I am the Lord,” and the sixth commandment, “thou shalt not kill.” The Westminster Shorter Catechism question 69 explains,

Q: What is forbidden in the sixth commandment?

A: The sixth commandment forbiddeth the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbor unjustly, or whatsoever tendeth thereunto.”

Every law of God is a law of love, including the quarantine laws. There are a variety of plagues and mitigation procedures addressed in these laws. (See Lev.13-15, Num. 5:1-4, Num. 31:11-20, 19-20, Num. 5:2-3, Deut. 23:10-14, 2 Kings 7:3-4, 2 Chron. 26:16-21, 2 Kings 15:5). I interpret these laws using the threefold division of the law (there are three types of law in the Old Testament: moral, ceremonial and judicial) inferring that the judicial and ceremonial laws, while abrogated, are of use in their “general equity.” In other words, their moral content is applicable while the exact Old Testament situation may not be. There is a general principle of the righteousness of God in every law. This is the case of the quarantine laws. They contain general principles, but we are not obligated to follow every judicial or ceremonial detail of the laws of Israel. However, they are moral in nature, and their “general equity,” or principle is applicable today.

Quarantining is all the rage, but what does the Bible teach about quarantine? This video is a very brief introduction. I'm just gonna call it part one. The news says today that over 3 billion people out of 7.8 billion are in quarantine lockdown around the globe. And many are practicing self quarantine.

And other people are just disregarding the guidance from the federal government and the Centers for Disease Control. And People seem to have two fears. Number one, getting sick, and secondly, getting others sick, even though you're not displaying any symptoms. I think it should take our breath away that the governments of the world are quarantining healthy people. So what are we supposed to think about this?

How do we think biblically about it? Well the Word of God is a wonderful guide even in matters of quarantine and it speaks clearly in general principles about quarantine. And the medical community roughly follows the principles today And some historians contend that procedures of cleanliness and quarantine first appeared in the Bible and don't appear in other ancient literature. The first principle is this, love your neighbor as yourself. Loving your neighbors and the preservation of life is really at the heart of the biblical quarantine laws and the applications are rooted in Leviticus 19 verse 18.

Love your neighbor as yourself I am the Lord and the sixth commandment thou shalt not kill. Now the Westminster shorter catechism question 69 also addresses it here's the question what is forbidden in the sixth commandment answer the sixth commandment forbid of the taking away of our own life or the life of our neighbor unjustly or whatsoever tendeth thereunto. These are laws of love. Every law of God is a law of love, including the quarantine laws. Now, In the quarantine laws, there are a variety of plagues and mitigation procedures that are addressed.

See the scripture references in the article below. Leviticus 13 through 15 is critical. I interpret these laws using the three-fold division of the law, that there are three types of law in the Old Testament. Moral law, ceremonial law, and judicial. And the ceremonial and the judicial infer a particular principle.

It's called the general equity of the law. So we should ask what's the moral content applicable in Old Testament law? Now, the Old Testament situation may not be the same, but there's a spiritual principle of righteousness of God in every law. They contain general principles. We're not obligated to follow every judicial or ceremonial details of the laws of Israel made for Israel.

However, they are moral in nature and their general equity is applicable today. Here's my point. God has given us the quarantine and the hygiene laws in order to teach us principles about matters of quarantine. In the Bible, you don't quarantine people who are healthy, you quarantine people who are sick.