Exodus 23:28 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee. Was it God's plan to drive the people out of the promise land using hornets? Until the 12 spies came back and put fear and doubt in the peoples heart.
Hornets
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Exodus 23 v 30, 31
30By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.
31And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
To me this speaks of God driving out the enemies of His people, the hornets were meant for them.
30By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.
31And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.
To me this speaks of God driving out the enemies of His people, the hornets were meant for them.
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Exodus 23:23-28
23 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. 24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. 25 And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. 26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil. 27 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. 28 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
Nelson's Commentary
Hornets: The Hebrew is in the singular, “the hornet,” although the word may be translated in the plural, as here. Send: This is the third use of the verb meaning “to send” in this passage (vv. 20, 27) with Yahweh as the subject. The scheme seems to be as follows:It is possible that the first in the scheme, the Angel, is a direct reference to the pre-incarnate Savior (v. 20), but that the second and third terms are simply more general and abstract ideas. The structure of the passage, however, leads one to explore the idea that both Wrath and Hornet are words that also express ways in which the Angel will operate on behalf of the people of God. That is, He who is comfort and protection to the people of Israel (My Angel), is also an expression of the wrath of God (My Fear) against the wickedness of the peoples of the land of Canaan, whose iniquities are now complete (compare Gen. 15:16) and who are now about to feel His sting (the Hornet). It was the promise of Yahweh that it would be He who would judge these wicked people (Gen. 15:14). Is it not possible that the Wrath in v. 27 is a personification of God's righteous indignation against the wicked? If so, is it also possible that this is a hitherto unrecognized prophetic picture of the Christ? We know that one day the Savior will come as the avenging Judge (Rev. 19:11–21; compare Pss. 2; 110). Here, as the Wrath of God, He is presented as about to bring judgment on the peoples of Canaan.
Similarly, it is possible that He is also the Hornet. Since there is no record of God using any insects whatsoever in the conquest of the land of Canaan, as He had used insects and other natural phenomena in the plagues against Egypt (chs. 7—10), we conclude that the term the Hornet may be used here as a metaphor of God's power (Deut. 7:20; Josh. 24:12). Moreover, it is possible that both this word and Wrath in v. 27 are used in a similar manner to My Angel in v. 20 to speak of a preincarnation appearance of the living Savior Jesus. As a hornet has a frightful sting, so the Lord Himself would fight on behalf of His people, bringing a terrifying sting to the enemies of Israel.
This proposed use of the terms Wrath and Hornet as descriptive words for the work of Christ before His incarnation is similar to the suggestion in Ex. 12:23, that the Destroyer is also a term describing the Savior in acts of divine judgment.
23 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. 24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images. 25 And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. 26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil. 27 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee. 28 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
Nelson's Commentary
Hornets: The Hebrew is in the singular, “the hornet,” although the word may be translated in the plural, as here. Send: This is the third use of the verb meaning “to send” in this passage (vv. 20, 27) with Yahweh as the subject. The scheme seems to be as follows:It is possible that the first in the scheme, the Angel, is a direct reference to the pre-incarnate Savior (v. 20), but that the second and third terms are simply more general and abstract ideas. The structure of the passage, however, leads one to explore the idea that both Wrath and Hornet are words that also express ways in which the Angel will operate on behalf of the people of God. That is, He who is comfort and protection to the people of Israel (My Angel), is also an expression of the wrath of God (My Fear) against the wickedness of the peoples of the land of Canaan, whose iniquities are now complete (compare Gen. 15:16) and who are now about to feel His sting (the Hornet). It was the promise of Yahweh that it would be He who would judge these wicked people (Gen. 15:14). Is it not possible that the Wrath in v. 27 is a personification of God's righteous indignation against the wicked? If so, is it also possible that this is a hitherto unrecognized prophetic picture of the Christ? We know that one day the Savior will come as the avenging Judge (Rev. 19:11–21; compare Pss. 2; 110). Here, as the Wrath of God, He is presented as about to bring judgment on the peoples of Canaan.
Similarly, it is possible that He is also the Hornet. Since there is no record of God using any insects whatsoever in the conquest of the land of Canaan, as He had used insects and other natural phenomena in the plagues against Egypt (chs. 7—10), we conclude that the term the Hornet may be used here as a metaphor of God's power (Deut. 7:20; Josh. 24:12). Moreover, it is possible that both this word and Wrath in v. 27 are used in a similar manner to My Angel in v. 20 to speak of a preincarnation appearance of the living Savior Jesus. As a hornet has a frightful sting, so the Lord Himself would fight on behalf of His people, bringing a terrifying sting to the enemies of Israel.
This proposed use of the terms Wrath and Hornet as descriptive words for the work of Christ before His incarnation is similar to the suggestion in Ex. 12:23, that the Destroyer is also a term describing the Savior in acts of divine judgment.
Why not? would be my question. We are talking about God Almighty here. The one who "gave his only begotten son.....to save us" Jn 3:16
His people (thats us) down through the ages have known of his care and his concern for them.
Isnt it absolutely wonderful to know that "He cares for Us" Yes even you and I brother.
Rejoice with me in this today that God is for us. Amen
"If God be for us.......who can be against us"
God Bless You.....May you know his miraculous leading in your life....as you keep your eyes on JESUS Amen
Praise His name, for caring the way He does.
And with hornets, only God could do such a thing.
