Joshua 24:12 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.
One event from my childhood stands out in my distant memory bank. I was too young to really remember the event, but I remember the retelling of it. My older brother upon arriving at our uncle’s summer camp in the mountains of New Hampshire, hopped on the old fire engine parked on the property and began bouncing up and down on the springing seat.
That is when it happened. You see, unknown to anyone, hornets had built a nest in the seat of this old vehicle. So with each bounce, the hornets gained a new target for their survival fight. My father dunked him in a rain barrel and swept off the hornets saving his life. About a hundred stings. Ouch!
If we could harness the power of hornets in battle, we would win! We might be able to block them for a period of time, but we all have to pull our pants down sometime, and the hornets would be there for that moment! And in the age before pesticides and fine netting, there was no way to protect yourself from these attacks.
This is the imagery used by the LORD to speak about the attack that he will bring on the enemies of Israel. It will be so inescapable that Israel will win. Not by their military strength, but by what the LORD will do.
Although I didn’t experience what my brother did with the fire engine seat, I don’t bounce on abandoned vehicle seats! I know the power of such small beings protecting their territory and nest. I give them wide berth.
Are there things in your life that you purposefully avoid at a distance? Maybe a place where you fell, literally or morally, a habit or hangup that caught you in its net, and now you stay far away so as not to get caught again. Maybe it is a “head space” you see coming and take action to avoid, like depression.
When the LORD is capable of sending “the hornet” to attack an enemy, don’t you think He can be with you in His camp? We just need to be sure we are pitching our tent in his park.
The Arnold Journey 