LightGrams
February 4, 2021
Volume 25, Number 5
Bloodhounds are legendary for staying on the trail of someone authorities are searching for. Give the dog a whiff of the person’s clothing and they’ll usually track them down.
Today other species of dogs are being employed to sniff out COVID-19. In Germany a Belgian Shepherd and a Cocker Spaniel have been trained to detect the novel coronavirus in saliva samples. Researchers report that these dogs are accurate in picking up the scent of the offending virus 94% of the time.
Dogs are also being used to sniff out COVID-19 in people who may not show any symptoms. In Finland dogs are used to check passengers going through Helsinki’s airport. In Santiago, Chile you’ll also find such detector dogs in the airport there. There is talk of using dogs to screen the 22,000 fans who will be in attendance at this year’s Super Bowl.
An article in “The Guardian” (January 29, 2021) explains why dogs are suited for such tasks: ” A dog’s nose has about 300 million scent receptors, which is 50-60 times as many as the average human.” Still, a few infected people may slip by.
In 1893 Francis Thompson published his poem, “The Hound Of Heaven”. It spoke of the Lord’s relentless pursuit of wandering sinners. We would argue that the Lord is far more effective than hounds at sniffing out the truth.
Moses issued a warning to some of the Israelites who asked to settle in an area away from the other tribes. They vowed they would help their brethren settle Canaan before going back to the land they preferred. Moses warned them, “But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sins will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). Your sins will find you out.
Hanani the prophet stated the truth in this way: “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9). Thus, there is a good side to this: God knows those who are His, and He will never fail to stand by their side.
In Revelation 2 and 3 Jesus dictated letters to seven different churches. One phrase is found in each of the letters: “I know your works …” For some of those churches that was good news, but not good for the rest. Hebrews 4:13 declares what we all need to know: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
Bloodhounds are amazingly accurate, but God is unfailingly accurate. He knows.
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2021, Timothy D. Hall. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version (Copyright, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).
“LightGrams” is produced by the Central Church of Christ, 2722 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601, and is written by Tim Hall, minister. It is sent free of charge every Thursday to all who request it. To subscribe or to receive more information, write to “[email protected]” (our E-mail address), to the U.S. mail address above, or call (423) 282-1571.
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