Moment in the Word

Genesis 15:16 and in the fourth generation they shall return hither, for the sins of the Amorites are not yet filled up, even until now. (Greek Septuagint)

This prophecy, given to Abraham, was fulfilled in the days of Moses when the limit of God's mercy for the Canaanites finally ended, "And I will send 'hornets' before thee, and thou shalt cast out the Amorites and the Evites, and the Chananites and the Chettites from thee. I will not cast them out in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the beasts of the field multiply against thee. By little and little I will cast them out from before thee, until thou shalt be increased and inherit the earth (Exodus 23:28-30, Greek Septuagint)."

The subtle process of judgment was slow but complete, much like boiling a frog to death one tiny degree at a time. The tedious ordeal was twofold, allowing an opportunity for the Canaanites to repent of their abominable sins while Israel prepared to conquer them if they didn't. And the lowly agent of God's retribution was the common hornet. However, is there a secret in the text that we don't immediately realize?

In Hebrew, the word "hornet" is "tsir`ah" from the primitive root "tsara`" to be "diseased" like a leper.

Similarly, Jesus and John both mentioned the catalyst of disease at the End of Days, "There will be great earthquakes, famines and 'pestilences' in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven... Then I looked and saw a pale green horse. Its rider's name was Death, and Hades (the grave) followed close behind. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill by sword, by famine, by plague, and by the 'beasts' of the earth (Luke 21:11, Revelation 6:8)."

Pestilence obviously refers to plague, but what about the word "beast?" Are we talking about hornets again? In a way, yes! The Greek word used in the passage is "therion," the diminutive form of "thera," meaning the "little beasts" of the earth... microbes, viruses, bacteria.

Currently, we keenly understand the sinful Canaanites' devious dilemma as a raging pandemic grows progressively worse; igniting violent social unrest among the ignorant rabble, impeding law enforcement, paralyzing governments, swamping global health providers, shuttering schools and businesses, destabilizing finances, grounding transit systems, emptying store shelves, killing millions, etc.

Standing back to see the whole, we understand the overall effect is cumulative... a little sting here and a little sting there, amounting to death by a thousand cuts while God gradually plays the mortal game of Jenga, removing segments of our society, one piece at a time until secular security crumbles leaving only the Almighty as our last recourse. But what then... when we face our angry Creator? Truly, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God! (Hebrews 10:31)

At the end of the Sixth Judgment cycle on the eve of Christ's return, suffering humanity will yet persist in their despicable sins... all the way to the bitter end, "Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their 'sorceries' (Greek: pharmakeia - drug addictions), nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts (Revelation 9:21)."

Much like the Canaanites, we are granted a short space to repent during this current crisis, but failing that, God will cast us into the grave as He has every nation throughout history that ignored His gracious leniency (Psalms 9:17). Repent!