THE EIGHTH PLAGUE — LOCUSTS
The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and rested on the entire territory of Egypt. So dense—there was nothing like it before them, nor will there ever be again. 15 For they covered the face of the whole earth so that the land was darkened, and they ate every plant in the land and all the fruit from the trees that the hail had left. No green thing remained, not a tree or a plant of the field throughout all the land of Egypt.
Exodus 10:14-15, TLV
Locusts are not very big. Well maybe for insects they are on the large size, but they are not very big compared to most creatures. As critters go they don’t actually seem particularly bad. They don’t bite, they don’t sting, they don’t carry diseases. A single locust, or even one or two, really isn’t anything to be concerned about. But this plague is not about “A” locust, though, is it. It is about what happens when these small harmless things get together and there is enough of them to darken the sky and eat everything that is left.
Swarms of Locusts can wipe out entire crops. They literally eat everything in their path that has any green life to it. I daresay for most of us, it seems as if there are seasons in our life where the locusts have devoured everything. It probably started with a harmless little thing or two, easily coped with, but sometimes the locusts come in a storm as they did upon the people of Egypt. Sometimes we ignore things in our lives that seem small and harmless. But those things are the things that tend to multiply and before we know it, we are swarmed and fighting battles we don’t seem to be able to win.
The Scriptures speak of locusts in many places, mostly associated with famine and need, as consequences for being unfaithful to the Almighty. However, in the book of Joel, HaShem has a promise for his Children concerning the locusts if they respond to Him in repentance.
“I shall restore to you the years that the locust, …, have eaten”
Joel 2:25, TLV
The grace and mercy of the Father is such that his promise is not only forgiveness, but also restoration. And that is even if the locusts have stolen years!
Questions to Ponder: Are there small, harmless-seeming things you have ignored in your life that are locusts and you need to deal with them? Things or actions that suck the life out of you? Are there areas of your life that are barren because they have been eaten by the locusts? Dreams that no longer have life in them? Are you believing the Lord for his promise to restore what the locusts have eaten?