And There Was No Healing in the Land
In the former days, long before the knowledge of physicians waxed strong and the art of healing was refined, there came upon the nations plagues and pestilences — grievous afflictions that swept through cities and fields, leaving sorrow in their wake. From the dust of Egypt to the hills of Jerusalem, men beheld the hand of judgment or the mystery of nature, as sickness moved unseen.
When the Lord Sent the Pestilence
In the Holy Scriptures, plagues are not only recorded but often interpreted as divine signs — whether of wrath, warning, or the need for repentance.
“And the Lord sent pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people... seventy thousand men.” (2 Samuel 24:15)
In this, the people mourned and turned again to the Lord. David, the king, built an altar and offered burnt offerings, crying out for mercy.
Such was the ancient understanding — that pestilence, when it came, was not merely a natural affliction but a spiritual reckoning.
The Plagues of Egypt
In the land of Egypt, the Lord sent ten plagues to loosen the grip of Pharaoh. Among them was disease that struck man and beast alike:
“Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle... a very grievous murrain.” (Exodus 9:3)
And again, “boils breaking forth with blains” upon man and beast (Exodus 9:10).
These plagues, recorded not only in the Hebrew Scriptures but remembered in the traditions of Egypt and beyond, marked a time when the boundaries between the physical and the divine seemed torn open.
Plagues in the Ancient World
Beyond Israel, ancient civilizations — Babylon, Assyria, Greece, and Rome — recorded seasons of pestilence that shook their foundations. The Plague of Athens (430 BC) during the Peloponnesian War struck the mighty city, as described by the historian Thucydides. The symptoms were fierce, and the cause unknown. Men despaired, gods were questioned, and custom gave way to chaos.
In Rome, during the Antonine Plague (circa 165 AD), the empire groaned under disease that may have been smallpox. Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-emperor, led not only armies but prayers for deliverance.
Response and Repentance
In times of plague, the people turned to both healer and priest. Offerings were made. Ashes were worn. In Israel, the trumpet was blown:
“If there be pestilence... what prayer and supplication soever be made of any man... then hear thou in heaven.” (1 Kings 8:37–39)
The people knew that in affliction, whether sent from above or born of the earth, the heart must turn to God.
Though the knowledge of microbes was hidden, the wisdom of humility was known. In every age, the ancients perceived that health and life were not theirs to hold tightly, but gifts — fragile and fleeting. And whether the pestilence passed quickly or lingered, it left behind not only sorrow but a sharpened reverence.
“He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.” (Psalm 91:3)