Connect Exodus 23:28 with other instances of God using nature for His purposes. A Promise with a Sting: Understanding Exodus 23:28 “I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites from before you.” • Spoken at Sinai, this pledge is part of God’s covenant terms. • The “hornet” is literal—an aggressive swarm deployed by the Creator Himself. • Israel’s conquest is framed as the Lord’s work; human swords follow divine stingers. God’s Familiar Strategy: Nature as His Instrument • He designed creation; He directs it at will (Psalm 135:6). • Natural forces, insects, animals, weather, and celestial bodies become tools in His hand. • Exodus 23:28 is one scene in a much larger biblical panorama. Echoes of the Hornet: Immediate Parallels • Deuteronomy 7:20 – “Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet among them…” • Joshua 24:12 – “It was not your sword or bow that did this.” The same swarming tactic finishes the conquest narrative. Plagues and Deliverance: Earlier Lessons in Exodus • Frogs, gnats, flies, locusts, hail, darkness (Exodus 8–10). • Red Sea parted by an all-night east wind (Exodus 14:21). • Quail driven into the camp by wind (Exodus 16:13). God repeatedly turns ordinary creatures and climate into extraordinary agents. Conquest Miracles Beyond the Hornet • Hailstones that out-killed Israel’s army (Joshua 10:11). • Sun and moon commanded to stand still (Joshua 10:12-13). • Jordan River halted at flood stage (Joshua 3:14-17). Each event underscores the same theme: nature obeys its Maker. Prophetic Illustrations of Divine Control • A drought spoken into existence, then ended by rain (1 Kings 17:1; 18:45). • Ravens delivering bread and meat to Elijah (1 Kings 17:4-6). • A fish prepared for Jonah, then a plant, a worm, and a scorching wind (Jonah 1:17; 4:6-8). • A lion that slays the disobedient prophet yet guards the corpse (1 Kings 13:24-28). Poetic Confirmation • “He makes winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants” (Psalm 104:4). • “The LORD has His way in the whirlwind and the storm” (Nahum 1:3). New Testament Spotlights • A star guides Magi to Bethlehem (Matthew 2:2, 9-10). • Jesus rebukes wind and waves; immediate calm follows (Mark 4:39). • A fish carries the temple-tax coin (Matthew 17:27). • A fig tree withers at a word (Mark 11:20-21). • Earthquakes announce both crucifixion and resurrection (Matthew 27:51; 28:2). Living Implications: Confidence in the One Who Commands Creation • God’s sovereignty is not abstract; it is seen in buzzing hornets and parted seas. • He acts for His covenant people’s good and His own glory. • Obstacles succumb when He mobilizes even the smallest creatures. • Our call is simple: trust His power, obey His voice, and watch Him work. The God Who Sends Hornets Still Reigns From swarms that scatter nations to storms stilled by a single sentence, Scripture presents a consistent portrait: nature itself is enlisted in fulfilling God’s purposes. The same Lord who once drove out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites remains perfectly capable of guiding, protecting, and accomplishing His will today. |
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