Four Exceeding Wise Little Things. No. 3. The Locusts.

From: Messages of God's Love: 1920

• 1 min. read • grade level: 7

THE locusts are mentioned several times in the Bible.

In the first place they were used by God to plague Pharaoh, when he would not let the children of Israel depart out of Egypt. (Exod. 10:12-15¹²And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left. ¹³And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. ¹⁴And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. ¹⁵For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt. (Exodus 10:12‑15)).

Then they are one of the things which God said may be eaten (Leviticus 11:22²²Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. (Leviticus 11:22)) and so we have an instance in the New Testament where they were used for food, for it is stated of John the Baptist, “He did eat locusts and wild honey” (Mark 1:6⁶And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey; (Mark 1:6)).

Solomon says of these insects, “The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by hands.” (Proverbs 30:27²⁷The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; (Proverbs 30:27)). When they go forth it is usually in countless numbers. They mostly seek pasture land, and eat up every green thing which comes in their way, leaving the place behind them quite desolate, as if a great fire had passed that way.

Now I think the lesson they teach is specially suitable for those of our readers who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Although the locusts have no king, they must all be of one mind, and banded together: otherwise they could not so thoroughly carry out, as they do their work of destruction.

So, if we wish to carry on any work of love or mercy in company with others, we must be of one mind, for we have no visible head to guide us. But we have One in heaven who will lead and instruct and guide us, if we appeal to Him in every detail of our lives.

ML-10/24/1920

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