"The Hornet"

Feb. 15

Read: Joshua 24:1-13

“The Hornet”

“And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.” (v.12,13)

It is humbling to reap the rewards from something you did not “sow”. We are probably really frustrated by it when it happens for someone else… and probably enjoy it when we are the beneficiaries of it. This is the picture that God paints for his people… the REALITY that God reveals to those who belong to him. It is the LORD who goes before us… who sets the stage… and who leads us into blessings that are not rooted in our efforts or work, but in actuality come through the provision of someone else… namely HIM. This is not to say that effort or planning are not important, but to calibrate our hearts to recognize that ALL that we have is rooted in the LORD… the LORD goes before us and works before we ever get involved.

This is the truth for Israel here at the end of the book of Joshua. Looking back, the Lord reminds them that HE is the one who initiated the work and oversaw the “victory”. It was HIS power and might that made their lives in the promised land possible. And it was the LORD’s plan, power, and provision to bring them to a place where they received “land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.” (v.13) Israel was reaping the rewards of the hard labor of someone else… God had taken from the wicked and given it to his people. Someone else had done the hard work and now Israel was enjoying the fruits of their labor… and God had set it all up that way It challenges our sense of “fairness” and “rightness” in many ways.

What would it look like to trust that the Lord has sent a “secret weapon” before you… going ahead of you into every battle? This is what the Lord says here to Israel: “I sent the hornet before you.” (v.12) My wife saw this the other day and asked me, ‘what in the world is the ‘hornet’?” It is crazy when you think about it. Notice it does not say “the hornets” in plural… but rather in the singular. This was obviously not a massive swarm of hornets that made people abandon their land. Another way we know this is that the people would not be mistaken into thinking they caused the victory through their “swords and bows” if there was some massive swarm of stinging hornets attacking the people! God sent some sort of supernatural - spiritual special forces - warrior-type extension or manifestation of himself ahead of the people of Israel to fight for them and drive these evil people out of the land. God sent “the hornet”. Maybe that is his UFC / Wrestling / Warrior call sign… “The Hornet”. Maybe there is a special arch-angel named “The Hornet”. I don’t know. What I do know is that I don’t want “the smoke” from “the hornet”… that is for sure. The point is - the Lord goes before us in POWERFUL and SUPERNATURAL ways to fight for his people. Always has… it is part of who he is.

Jesus goes before us. (cf. Hebrews 12:1,2) We reap the benefits of the handwork and labor that Christ has done on our behalf. God is going before us as his people to fight for us… we need not be afraid. Next time you are facing a huge battle… maybe ask the Lord to send “the hornet” ahead of you! May the Lord give us hearts that humbly accept his gifts… our inheritance. Lord, give us grateful hearts as we too enjoy the fruits of another’s labor… namely the life and blessing that comes through Christ. Love you guys. Have a great day! - JDP