The hornet is mentioned a few times in the Bible, primarily in relation to the conquest of the Promised Land. Here is an overview of the biblical references to hornets and what they signify:
Hornets as Instruments of Judgment
One of the most well-known mentions of hornets in the Bible is in Exodus 23:28, where God promises to send hornets ahead of the Israelites as they enter Canaan: “I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you.” This suggests that hornets would be part of God’s plan to remove the inhabitants of Canaan and facilitate Israel’s conquest of the land.
A similar reference occurs in Deuteronomy 7:20: “Moreover, the LORD your God will send the hornet among them until those who are left, who hide themselves from you, are destroyed.” Again, hornets are portrayed as instruments of judgment to terrify and drive out Israel’s enemies.
Joshua 24:12 also notes that God sent hornets ahead of the Israelites, confirming the fulfillment of what was promised in Exodus and Deuteronomy:
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.
Thus, hornets were part of God’s plan to size the Promised Land and were used to panic and dislocate the Canaanites and other occupying groups in advance of Israel’s invasion.
Hornets as Instruments of Discipline
In addition to their use against Israel’s enemies, hornets are also portrayed as a means of disciplining the Israelites when they rebel against God. Deuteronomy 28:38 warns that disobedience would result in punishments, including:
You shall carry much seed into the field and shall gather in little, for the locust shall consume it. You shall plant vineyards and dress them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worm shall eat them. You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives shall drop off.
Similarly, Deuteronomy 28:42 states that disobedience would allow enemies to conquer part of Israel’s land:
The cricket shall possess all your trees and the fruit of your ground.
The mention of insects like locusts, worms, and crickets here symbolizes the breakdown of creation because of Israel’s covenant unfaithfulness. Hornets are grouped with these other creatures that would devour Israel’s crops and agriculture if they turned away from God.
The Power and Fierceness of Hornets
The biblical writers assumed their audience had firsthand knowledge of hornets and their powerful sting. Several verses use hornets as a point of comparison to illustrate the fierceness of other things:
- Isaiah 7:18 refers to the “fly that is in the outermost parts of the rivers of Egypt, and the bee that is in the land of Assyria” as metaphors for the forces that God would whistle to attack Judah if they rejected him.
- In Deuteronomy 1:44, when the Amorites attacked the Israelites at Hormah, they are described as fierce as “bees.”
- Isaiah 33:4 says that Gathered spoil is as hungry “as the rushing of a swarm of hornets.” This conveys how quickly and greedily spoils of war would be collected.
These analogies rely on the common experience of hornets as relentless and vicious when disturbed. The imagery adds vividness to the texts’ warnings of impending judgment.
Lessons from Biblical Hornets
Though brief, the scriptural mentions of hornets impart several valuable lessons:
- God faithfully keeps His word – What He promises comes to pass, whether blessings for obedience or curses for disobedience.
- God is sovereign over all creation and can use anything – even small insects – to enact His purposes.
- Sin has real consequences, disrupting our relationship with God and His creation.
- God is patient toward sinners but unrelenting toward the unrepentant.
- God’s people must walk in holiness and faithfulness toward Him.
In summary, the hornet serves as a vivid object lesson of God’s authority, reminding His people to honor their covenant obligations. He is more than capable of using humble means to hold His people accountable and bring about their promised blessings or discipline.
The next time you see a hornet, reflect on how even these small creatures testify to their Creator and serve His aims for humankind!
Further Biblical Significance
In addition to their appearances in Exodus, Deuteronomy, and Joshua, a deeper study also surfaces other significant ways hornets feature in Scripture:
1. Hornets Represent God’s Protection of His People
In Exodus 23:28, God does not promise that He will use hornets to attack Israel, but rather to protect them by driving out their enemies. This demonstrates God’s care and provision for His chosen people.
2. The Severity of Israel’s Sin
That such a small creature could be used to punish a nation conveys the depth of Israel’s covenant betrayal. Their sin warranted the same destruction as if they were swarmed by a terrifying army.
3. God’s Sovereignty Over Creation
That hornets obeyed God’s decree to clear the Promised Land highlights that all creation is under divine command. God can use any means to accomplish His will.
4. Judgment on Spiritual Enemies
Just as hornets attacked physical enemies like the Canaanites, Satan and demons can be seen as spiritual “hornets” who attack God’s people. Trusting in divine protection is needed against these spiritual powers.
5. Christ Bore God’s Judgment
Jesus’ willingness to suffer God’s judgment – depicted so vividly by hornets – means believers are spared punishment and separation from God.
6. Judgment Yet to Come
The hornet’s sting foreshadows eternal judgment for the unrepentant. Those who continually reject God may face a similar “sting” of punishment.
7. God’s Mercy in Judgment
That God warned the Canaanites before attacking displays His patience and mercy. The hornets did not swarm without cause – the people had opportunity to repent.
In these ways, the Scripture’s relatively few mentions of hornets have significance far beyond their small size. They vividly communicate God’s dealings with mankind and nature itself.
Hornets and the Life of the Church
For Christians today, what might hornets represent in the life and health of Christ’s church? Here are some potential parallels:
1. Persecution and Heresy
Hornets can picture persecution, deception, and other attacks against the Body of Christ seeking to undermine its witness.
2. Chastisement for Sin
When a congregation falls into moral compromise, hornets could symbolize God’s call to repentance and purification to restore holiness.
3. Taking Action Against Evil
Hornets remind us that Christians cannot be passive about injustice and sin, but must oppose it even if it brings suffering.
4. Moving Out of Complacency
Hornets stir up their victims and spur them to flee complacency. They motivate Christians to actively pursue their calling in Christ.
5. Creatures Under God’s Command
As God controls hornets, He equips even the weakest Christian when obediently serving Him to accomplish great purposes.
While persecution, deception, and other “hornets” may arise against today’s church, believers take courage knowing God promises to build His church and declares that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). Trusting in Christ’s sovereignty and protection gives endurance in the face of any spiritual attack.
Hornets in Prophecy and Eschatology
Some commentators have analyzed hornets in Scripture from an eschatological perspective as well. Here are some of the proposed connections between biblical hornets and prophecy:
1. Swarming Insects and Revelation
The hornet passages evoke the locust swarms in Revelation 9 that torment the unrepentant. Both point to divine judgment on the wicked.
2. Judgment on Christ Rejecters
As hornets afflicted Canaan for rejecting God’s law, Menschen who reject Christ face eschatological hornets – ie, eternal separation from God.
3. Great Tribulation
As God used hornets to press the Israelites toward Canaan, the Great Tribulation will spur Israel to fully embrace their Messiah, Jesus.
4. God’s Sovereignty Over the Wicked
As hornets were under God’s decree, so antiChrist’s power is only by God’s permission until the time appointed for Christ’s return.
While scholars differ on the meaning of biblical prophecies, the hornet remains a vivid picture of the Lord’s authority over all things, including rebellious mankind. Its hidden lessons will be fully revealed when God makes all things new.
Hornets in Christian Art and Literature
Despite their small presence in Scripture, hornets and other stinging insects have inspired many Christian artists and writers. Here are some of the ways hornets have been portrayed in biblical literature and artistic interpretations:
Stings of Death in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress
In Part II of Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan depicts hornets and wasps living outside the Wicket Gate who threaten to sting visitors to death. This illustrates the threatening danger of judgement unbelievers face.
William Blake Paintings
English poet and artist William Blake often used vivid and menacing insect imagery in his biblical paintings and illustrations. His detailed hornets conveyed divine judgement and spiritual threat.
Hornets in Paradise Lost and Regained
In Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, John Milton uses hornets to vividly depict the consequence of the Fall. To him, human sin unleashes demonic forces and misery into the world.
St. Francis’ Sermon to the Hornets
An apocryphal legend records St. Francis preaching to hornets that had disturbed a monastery. His grace transformed these pests into productive creatures that supplied honey but ceased stinging the monks.
Like these examples, the biblical theme of hornets has inspired many creative works warning of sin’s danger and illustrating God’s just and merciful dealings with mankind.
Hornets in the Ancient Near East
To fully appreciate the hornet’s role in Scripture, it helps to understand how they were viewed in the ancient Near Eastern context:
1. Hornets as Protective Symbols
In Egypt and other societies, hornets were seen as providing protection. Mummified hornets warded off evil spirits.
2. Links Between Hornet Deities and Kings
Hornet gods like Ahurani in the Near East at times were associated with royalty and linked to the king’s earthly power.
3. Agricultural Pests
Hornets’ destructive tendencies toward agriculture were familiar in agrarian societies like Israel’s.
4. Threat to Life and Livelihood
With no modern treatments, hornet stings could be deadly. Hornet swarms could also decimate a season’s crops.
Seen against this cultural backdrop, Scripture’s hornet references would strongly resonate with contemporary readers in implying both protection for God’s people and judgement on rebels and sin.
Practical Lessons on Hornets for Believers
What timeless lessons can everyday Christians draw from the Bible’s teaching on hornets?
1. God’s Word Never Fails
If hornets truly helped secure Canaan, Christians can trust God’s whole Word. His promises are sure.
2. Obey God Wholeheartedly
Israel faced discipline via hornets for disobedience. Believers must follow the Lord with our entire beings.
3. God Loves His People
God sent hornets to protect Israel, not punish them. He still preserves and blesses His people today.
4. Respect God’s Creation
Hornets, though small, served God’s purposes. Christians should treat all life as precious and purposeful.
5. Beware the Sting of Sin
Sin ruins our relationship with the Lord as hornet stings injure the body. Its pleasures are fleeting.
By taking time to learn biblical principles behind even brief passages, Christians gain much wisdom for following the Lord in an often “stinging” world.
Conclusion
The biblical references to hornets may seem puzzling or obscure initially. However, properly understood, the passages provide illuminating glimpses into God’s dealings with His people, His authority over creation, and His intolerance of sin. Though brief, the hornet remains an evocative instrument in conveying spiritual lessons about God’s judgement, mercy, protection, and sovereignty.
In the hornet passages, we see that God cares deeply for His people’s well-being, but cannot abide covenant unfaithfulness. He graciously warns sinners of the consequences of rebellion, even using humble creatures to enact His retribution if needed. Yet God’s discipline always aims for restoration and redemption. Ultimately, Christ bore the sting of judgement on the cross so that repentant Menschen might have eternal life in Him.
For the spiritually attentive, then, even this seemingly innocuous insect testifies profoundly to God’s glory and His yearning after the souls of Menschen. The lowly hornet continues to preach – for those with ears to hear.