Exceptions and Rules in a Crisis and Beyond

As I am writing, the whole world is in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic. In nations all around the world, governments have claimed special powers and forbidden activities that, under normal circumstances cannot be regulated by the government. The danger of this illness has also caused churches to modify their activities. Some churches are not meeting at all. Some are meeting electronically via Zoom, Facebook, or some other medium. In the midst of this crisis a lot of things have changed.

Many people are asking, “Will things ever return to normal?” Some are asking, “Should things ever return to normal?” A few are not asking questions but are making statements such as, “Our old normal was not working very well, and we should not ever go back to it.”

I believe that the Bible speaks to this situation in a couple of ways. It has words of wisdom that we ought to consider at this time, and that we should remember once the crisis has passed.

Some changes should be kept

1 Samuel 30 contains the account of an event that led David to the conclusion that a new rule was needed in his army and that it should become a permanent rule. Ziklag, the city where David was living at the time, had been sacked and all the people carried off. This happened because David and his men were out of town. When they returned to Ziklag and found their wives and children carried off as captives, they pursued the invaders.

1 Samuel 30:1-2, 7-10, 18-21
Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire 2 and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way.
7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.” 9 So David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men. Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.
18 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all. 20 David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him, and said, “This is David’s spoil.” 21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people he greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart.” 23 But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us. 24 Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.” 25 And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.

So we see that, in this case, a decision made in relation to a particular case became a standing rule to be followed. That is sometimes the right thing to do. If we see that a practice adopted in a given crisis works well, does not contradict a principle of justice or a command of God, then we may do well to adopt it as an ongoing practice.

In the case of the current crisis I believe that we will find some new practices that should be continued.
For example, our congregation has developed a greater presence on Facebook and has made greater use of other technologies to stay in touch with one another and to reach out to the unchurched. I believe that this will and should continue.

Changes we should not keep
But there are other practices that I pray will not remain once the virus is under control. I am sure that you agree.

None of us wants the barber shops to stay closed forever. Hopefully, none of us believes that our state governors have a right to rule by decree. Essentially, our civil rights have been temporarily suspended. A needless continuation of that situation would be very dangerous for our nation. In fact, it would spell the end of our nation as it has existed for the last 200 years.

Currently, none of our church elders is making visits to the homes of our members. None of the elders are inviting members into their own homes. I trust that this will not continue once the virus is under control. Church elders are supposed to be known for their hospitality (1 Tim 3:2). Currently we can claim the virus as an excuse for suspending that, but if we keep it up beyond the virus, that would indicate a serious problem.

Currently, because most of our members should not assemble with us, they are listening in to our worship via phone or computer. That should not continue indefinitely.

Currently, because health experts have warned that singing has a tendency to spread the virus, we are making considerable use of recorded music. But that change should not be maintained once the virus has passed. Professional singers sound better than we do, no doubt. But sounding better is not the point. There is a simple principle at stake here. Just as we cannot offer someone else’s money as our offering to God, we cannot offer someone else’s singing as our praise to God (2 Sam 24:22-24).

Consider this passage from the Mosaic law.
Numbers 9:1-13
And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “Let the people of Israel keep the Passover at its appointed time. 3 On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall keep it at its appointed time; according to all its statutes and all its rules you shall keep it.” 4 So Moses told the people of Israel that they should keep the Passover. 5 And they kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so the people of Israel did. 6 And there were certain men who were unclean through touching a dead body, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day, and they came before Moses and Aaron on that day. 7 And those men said to him, “We are unclean through touching a dead body. Why are we kept from bringing the LORD’s offering at its appointed time among the people of Israel?” 8 And Moses said to them, “Wait, that I may hear what the LORD will command concerning you.” 9 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If any one of you or of your descendants is unclean through touching a dead body, or is on a long journey, he shall still keep the Passover to the LORD. 11 In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight they shall keep it. They shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. 12 They shall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any of its bones; according to all the statute for the Passover they shall keep it. 13 But if anyone who is clean and is not on a journey fails to keep the Passover, that person shall be cut off from his people because he did not bring the LORD’s offering at its appointed time; that man shall bear his sin.

Yes, God is willing to make an exception for the one that needs an exception made. But the exception is NOT to become an excuse to neglect to do what could have been done! A case is noted in the time of Hezekiah. The whole nation missed the date of the Passover, and some partook while ritually unclean. The Levites assisted in tasks that normally should have been done only by the priests. The Lord allowed these things on this occasion, but the exceptional case was not allowed to continue.

2 Chronicles 30:13-22
And many people came together in Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the second month, a very great assembly. 14 They set to work and removed the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for burning incense they took away and threw into the brook Kidron. 15 And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the second month. And the priests and the Levites were ashamed, so that they consecrated themselves and brought burnt offerings into the house of the LORD. 16 They took their accustomed posts according to the Law of Moses the man of God. The priests threw the blood that they received from the hand of the Levites. 17 For there were many in the assembly who had not consecrated themselves. Therefore the Levites had to slaughter the Passover lamb for everyone who was not clean, to consecrate it to the LORD. 18 For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good LORD pardon everyone 19 who sets his heart to seek God, the LORD, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary’s rules of cleanness.” 20 And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people. 21 And the people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing with all their might to the LORD. 22 And Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good skill in the service of the LORD. So they ate the food of the festival for seven days, sacrificing peace offerings and giving thanks to the LORD, the God of their fathers.

The elders of this congregation, and all congregations that I know of, have allowed public meetings of the church to be suspended for a time. That should not continue a single day beyond the necessary time. Many congregations have made use of recorded music, because we are not in a position to sing together as usual. That also should not be continued beyond the necessary time. Children’s Bible classes have been suspended and will remain suspended for quite some time. But they are likely to resume at some point.

Please do not assume that it is right to continue an exception that is introduced on a special occasion. It may not be. Some exceptions are exceptions only to our usual practice – they do not involve changes to what God has commanded. Those can be continued. If they are found to honor God, they should be continued. But others, if they were continued beyond the current crisis, would indicate disrespect for what God has commanded. Exceptions of that nature will be ended as soon as is practical.