October 25: LOCUSTS! (part 1)
And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. Revelation 9:3
We cannot know of all the degradation that God perceives, for He sees into every heart. But we can be sure that His plans to step in are already in place. If I stay in an intimate relationship with Him, He will put His finger directly on my shortcomings, one after another, in order to lead me out of them and into truth. This is real love. There is no such thing as a knee-jerk reaction with the LORD. He desires for all people to come to Him in repentance, leaving their godless ways behind. In every circumstance—without exception—He has something incomparably better!
The smoke that was generated from the bottomless pit was in itself a judgement from God. His judgements along the way are calls to repentance. However, a lack of response to any judgement is an invitation to a more severe one. Too often, His efforts to gain our attention with gentleness are ignored.
In the days of ancient Israel, God brought judgements upon His people as corrections, due to their apostasy. The locusts that He had sent in the past represented judgements. What the gnawing locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; And what the swarming locust has left, the creeping locust has eaten; And what the creeping locust has left, the stripping locust has eaten. (Joel 1:4 NAS) Joel, a spokesman for God during the reign of Joash (835-796BC), took this opportunity to warn the kingdom of Judah about the seriousness of their apostasy in God’s eyes. Even though these locusts did a great deal of damage, this would pale in comparison to future judgements from God: For a nation has invaded my land, Mighty and without number; Its teeth are the teeth of a lion, And it has the fangs of a lioness. (v.6) Historically, this describes the nation of Babylon. This was a prophecy of Nebuchadnezzar, the lion of Daniel 7:4. In Revelation 9, John the Revelator borrowed the symbols of locusts and lions’ teeth, citing God’s judgements against another apostate religion: the Roman church. Joel’s prophecy went on to specify that such judgements are from God: Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty (Joel 1:15).
Looking back to the time when God sent the nation of Babylon to take His people into captivity, God made it clear that He was the cause (Jeremiah 29:4) of this judgement. With many tears, Jeremiah had warned Judah of the judgement decreed by God; a drastic measure taken for the correction of His wayward people. Strong encouragement was given by the faithful prophet to submit to this judgement and trust God (see Jeremiah 29:11), but instead the Jews threw Jeremiah into a dungeon, shredded his writings, and burned them. When the Babylonians finally came, they rescued Jeremiah and set him free.
Beloved, God is in total control, and He knows how to deal with all the wickedness taking place in our world. We are called to trust and obey Him, to study His word, and to stay connected with Him. Thus, we will be guided into the position we are to occupy in our witness for Christ.
For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11