Submitted by: Steve Radford(873) Steve Radford Log in to become a member of Steve Radford's Fan Club!
Reading through a chapter in the Old Testament book of Joshua, I ran across an odd verse that caught my attention. In chapter 24, Joshua was addressing all the tribes of Israel . He was recounting God's goodness and provision through several generations in an effort to convince them to stop worshipping other gods.
He starts with Abraham and recounts how he became the father of a nation after he was very old. He mentions the land God provided for Isaac and his sons Jacob and Esau. Next he reminds them of Moses and the deliverance from Egypt , the plagues and the parting of the Red Sea . All familiar stories to people who ever attended church, even occasionally.
The next part of Joshua's speech covered some less familiar working of God on behalf of the Israelites. First he reminds them about how God empowered them to defeat the King of Moab. Then there was the time God sent the hornet to drive out seven tribes of people that occupied the Promised Land. It was a strong admonition to worship the God of Israel and no one else.
Wait a minute. What was that about a hornet? The exact quote was in verse 12: "I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you-also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow."
I had no idea what Joshua was talking about, so with a little help from the search feature in Biblegateway.com, I located the part of the Bible that had all the other stories Joshua was retelling. There it was in Exodus chapter 23, verse 28. "I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way." That must have been one annoying hornet. Or swarm of hornets. Either way, it seems like a funny way to conquer your enemies.
The great thing about this particular Bible oddity is that it comes with an explanation. Verse 29 and 30 explain: "But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land."
I don't know how you feel about that explanation but it helps me a lot. Sometimes I wonder why an all-powerful God doesn't move in bigger, quicker ways. Parting the Red Sea ! Now that's making a way for His people. But sending the hornet so that our enemies get irritated enough, over the course of several years, to move out? That takes more patience than I have.
That may be why He gave us an explanation this one time. It's because He's working on us as much as He's working on our enemies. Maybe we aren't as ready as we think we are. Maybe He's preparing us so that when character is required, we have some. When grace is needed, we are filled with it.
There is probably a lot more wrapped up in those verses. But this week I needed the reminder to trust God's timing and methods. We want the pain to go away now. We want our enemies brought to justice now. But thankfully, for our own good, sometimes God sends the hornet.
» left by Avis Ward(8,285) Avis Ward (86 days 23 hours ago.)
Steve, I needed this Bible study. And you know, He knew I did and you gave it to me. Thank you. I agree, we want a microwave-fast God. I like the lesson in this. Sometimes, we need the hornet for spiritual growth and development and all the other reasons you mentioned. Great message!
» left by Steve Radford(873) Steve Radford (86 days 7 hours ago.)
Thanks Avis. The thought of almighty God commissioning the hornet struck me funny but the reasoning hit home. I'm glad you found it useful too. Steve
» left by Susan Thom(8,078) Susan Thom (86 days 22 hours ago.)
hi steve,
i like your new picture.
this was a well written article. your words are smooth and flow easily.
thanks for sharing,
best regards,
sue thom Respond to this comment
» left by Steve Radford(873) Steve Radford (86 days 7 hours ago.)
Susan, What a nice comment! Thanks for taking time to read. Steve
» left by Laura Trahan(32,804) Laura Trahan (85 days 3 hours ago.)
Steve-I had never noticed that either! Thanks so much for sharing the story! I love it! What a great reminder that I needed exactly at that moment! Awesome writing! Thanks!
» left by Steve Radford(873) Steve Radford (84 days 20 hours ago.)
Thanks Laura. I'm glad you got something from it. It's interesting to me that we can read the same scripture over and over and still get something new each time. Steve
Hi Steve, thanks for the reminder. This very lesson came my way awhile back. My husband and I were going through some difficult times financially because of the construction industry taking a plunge. I was leaving for the weekend to teach at a retreat and I literally left my husband with -0- money in the bank and our power was going to be turned off on Monday for non-payment. SO there I was flying to CA to teach on the subject of "recovering from doubt and restoring joy" I used the story of the Exodus as the basis for the lesson. This passage that you mentioned, jumped out at me in a big way, I had never seen it before either. And I realized that God always has a better plan! The Israelites never expected it to take so long for deliverance from Egypt, but they had so much to learn about humilty and trust. And you know what else jumped out at me? What God said right after the 8th plague and that was that he worked as he did to show the enemy that he makes a distinction between his children and the enemy and to show that He is God and there is no other. WOW!!! You mean God works and it's not just about me? Amazing!! Great find and thanks for sharing. I needed this reminder as we are going through our move and I will be sharing the latest snag here shortly. Thanks again. It's always refreshing to hear the word of God presented in a new way by a fellow believer. God Bless you always.
And just in case you are wondering what happened with our power? While sitting at the airport waiting to come home, one of the gals on the ministry team wrote me a personal check; not only to cover the power bill but to cover the cost of some material that Art needed to purchase to finish a job. Now that's grace. We serve him in faith no matter what the circumstance. Even if my power would have been turned off, I would still praise Him because he did great things at that retreat.
Our God is good, keep trusting and remember He always has a better plan--perhaps a non-believer is watching your life and your response to how things are will be what causes their heart to turn.
» left by Steve Radford(873) Steve Radford (83 days 19 hours ago.)
Thanks for sharing that incident Teresa. Those kinds of memories get us through the tough times when we don't "feel" God close.
Steve " as I understand from the study of multiple versions "hornets " was a term used in ancient times for various afflictions. Others translate this as leprosy. In other words to weaken the enemy slowly until they could be easily defeated. That is why the years. Best wishes
» left by Sandra E. Graham(1,490) Sandra E. Graham from Paragould, Arkansas, USA (84 days 6 hours ago.)
Great article, Steve. We all need to read the Bible more often and do a little research to help us understand just what we are reading. The Bible doesn't always 'spell' things out for us, it gives us a reason to 'think' and ponder just what wonders God can and does perform.
» left by Steve Radford(873) Steve Radford (83 days 19 hours ago.)
Sandra, Thanks for that comment. I guess the Bible isn't exactly light reading is it. It seems to have come to life for me lately though. Steve
» left by April Lorier(5,991) April Lorier (84 days ago.)
This wasn't good, Steve... it was super duper excellent!!! Our impatience is a human trait and God doesn't think any less of us for it. I doubt if HE's affected at all, but boy, we sure do suffer for it, don't we? Maybe we're getting a hint of what Heaven will be like -- the place where time, as we know it, does not exist! I'm looking forward to it, I can tell you. Excellent, again!! Respond to this comment
» left by Steve Radford(873) Steve Radford (83 days 19 hours ago.)
Hey April! I prayed for you this morning. I hope you had a good day. Thanks for those very gracious comments. Aren't you glad that God doesn't always do things our way with our timing. It would be a disaster. Steve
Great article and excellent ending!!! "We want our enemies brought to justice now. But thankfully, for our own good, sometimes God sends the hornet." Reminds me of an inspirational sign I saw in town at a church. "PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE...THAT CARRIES A LOT OF WAIT.
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