The locusts have no king, Yet all of them go out in ranks; Proverbs 30:27
Locusts are interesting insects. They do not have a leader - and yet as they come up over the earth and destroy everything in their path, they march in ranks - each staying to a path that seems as if determined from a central planner. Because of this aspect of cooperation with one another, they can cause untold destruction to crops and trees. We do not have the kind of locust infestations that the Middle East does so in some ways we cannot imagine the destruction these cooperating, yet unled insects can cause.
What is the lesson for us in their "exceedingly wise" behavior? It is the lesson of cooperation with one another. There is so much that we can accomplish if we simply take the attitude of fulfilling our role and cooperating with others around us. Some of the greatest problems we face is when there are too many chiefs and not enough indians. That is a southernism for having too many who want to lead - and hardly anyone who wants to follow or cooperate. I've watched churches and other organizations implode because of this kind of "everyone wants to be king" attitude. We should learn from the locust and his great wisdom and know that by simply having a cooperative attitude and heart we will get so much more done and will accomplish great things.
There is one other thing that the locust can teach us. He does what he does because he is ultimately responding to his Creator and the instincts that God has given him. Much can be accomplished in our lives by following that example. Once we learn what the Word of God tells us we should be doing - we should go about doing it. The unseen Holy Spirit will empower us to accomplish that task - as He will anyone else in the body of Christ. Would it not be a glorious thing to see God's people cooperating as they share the gospel, disciple new converts, and encourage them to do the same as they live their lives. What a mighty army the church would be if they would only cooperate under the unseen hand of God and His Word working in their hearts. Whereas the locust our teacher uses such instincts for destruction, the body of Christ could use this lesson for the advancement of God's kingdom all over the world.
Locusts are interesting insects. They do not have a leader - and yet as they come up over the earth and destroy everything in their path, they march in ranks - each staying to a path that seems as if determined from a central planner. Because of this aspect of cooperation with one another, they can cause untold destruction to crops and trees. We do not have the kind of locust infestations that the Middle East does so in some ways we cannot imagine the destruction these cooperating, yet unled insects can cause.
What is the lesson for us in their "exceedingly wise" behavior? It is the lesson of cooperation with one another. There is so much that we can accomplish if we simply take the attitude of fulfilling our role and cooperating with others around us. Some of the greatest problems we face is when there are too many chiefs and not enough indians. That is a southernism for having too many who want to lead - and hardly anyone who wants to follow or cooperate. I've watched churches and other organizations implode because of this kind of "everyone wants to be king" attitude. We should learn from the locust and his great wisdom and know that by simply having a cooperative attitude and heart we will get so much more done and will accomplish great things.
There is one other thing that the locust can teach us. He does what he does because he is ultimately responding to his Creator and the instincts that God has given him. Much can be accomplished in our lives by following that example. Once we learn what the Word of God tells us we should be doing - we should go about doing it. The unseen Holy Spirit will empower us to accomplish that task - as He will anyone else in the body of Christ. Would it not be a glorious thing to see God's people cooperating as they share the gospel, disciple new converts, and encourage them to do the same as they live their lives. What a mighty army the church would be if they would only cooperate under the unseen hand of God and His Word working in their hearts. Whereas the locust our teacher uses such instincts for destruction, the body of Christ could use this lesson for the advancement of God's kingdom all over the world.
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