How Do Locusts Function as a Symbol in the Bible?
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come upon the land of Egypt and eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left." So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts. The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again. They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt.
Key Facts
Term Name
Locusts
Primary Meaning
Symbolize divine judgment and spiritual urgency for redemption.
Old Testament Reference
Exodus 10:12-15, where locusts strip Egypt as a plague of judgment.
New Testament Fulfillment
Jesus' harvest metaphor in Luke 10:1-2, reorienting locust imagery toward evangelism and salvation.
Key Takeaways
- Locusts symbolize divine judgment and God's sovereignty over nature.
- Jesus reinterprets locust imagery as a call to spiritual urgency and evangelism.
- Locusts challenge believers to balance awareness of judgment with hope in redemption.
Locusts in the Old Testament
In Exodus 10:12-15, locusts emerge as a vivid symbol of divine judgment, marking the eighth plague sent to Egypt.
God’s command, “Go into the heart of Egypt,” unleashed a swarm so vast it covered the land, devouring every plant and leaving the Egyptians in despair (Exodus 10:12-14). This plague underscored God’s sovereignty over nature and His ability to disrupt human efforts to resist His will. The locusts’ destruction of Egypt’s agricultural resources amplified the severity of God’s judgment, contrasting with Israel’s divine protection.
This event shaped Israel’s understanding of God as a just and powerful ruler, whose judgments were both precise and inescapable. The memory of the locust plague likely reinforced the Israelites’ reliance on God’s covenantal faithfulness amid future trials.
Locusts and Jesus' Ministry
Jesus reinterprets locust-like imagery in the New Testament to emphasize spiritual urgency over physical destruction.
In Luke 10:1-2, Jesus sends out seventy disciples and likens the world’s need for salvation to a harvest ripe for gathering, declaring, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” This metaphor echoes the locusts’ devouring swarms from Exodus but transforms their symbolic meaning: where OT locusts represented divine judgment, Jesus reframes them as a call to action for spiritual redemption. The ‘harvest’ imagery suggests both abundance and impermanence, urging disciples to prioritize spreading the gospel before opportunity ‘passes away.’ This shift underscores Jesus’ mission to offer salvation rather than judgment, redefining the locust’s role in divine narrative.
Jesus’ reimagining reveals his focus on redemption over retribution. By associating locust-like urgency with evangelism, he positions his followers as instruments of God’s mercy, not wrath. This contrasts sharply with the OT’s portrayal of locusts as agents of punishment, highlighting Jesus’ role as a reconciler rather than a destroyer.
This NT reorientation of locust symbolism aligns with broader themes of grace and inclusion in Jesus’ ministry. The imagery invites reflection on how divine power operates through service rather than devastation, setting the stage for further exploration of apocalyptic and eschatological uses in later texts.
Locusts and Our Spiritual Lives
In modern Christian living, locusts challenge believers to balance awareness of divine judgment with trust in God’s redemptive purposes.
The biblical imagery of locusts as instruments of judgment (Exodus 10:12-15) warns against spiritual complacency, urging vigilance in our walk with Christ. The Egyptians faced consequences for rejecting God’s call. Believers today must also guard against apathy in faith and neglect of spiritual growth. Yet Scripture also teaches that God’s judgment is a summons to repentance and restoration. This is evident in Jesus’ call to prioritize the harvest of souls (Luke 10:1-2). This duality invites us to heed warnings while embracing hope in God’s mercy and transformative power.
Responding to God’s judgment requires humility and action. When locusts stripped Egypt bare, they exposed the futility of human self-reliance - reminding us to turn from sin and depend on divine grace. Similarly, Jesus’ metaphor of a ripe harvest (Luke 10:1-2) compels believers to engage actively in spreading the gospel, recognizing both the urgency of spiritual need and the opportunity for redemption. God’s character remains consistent: His judgments aim not to destroy but to awaken, His hope not to condemn but to renew.
The locust symbol reveals a God who is both just and merciful. While Exodus 10:12-15 portrays His power to disrupt, it also underscores His sovereignty over creation and covenantal faithfulness. In Jesus, this same God reorients locust-like urgency toward salvation, as seen in Luke 10:1-2, where the harvest’s abundance mirrors His relentless pursuit of humanity’s restoration. This balance of warning and hope equips believers to navigate spiritual trials with courage, trusting that God’s judgments are always rooted in His desire to draw us closer to Himself.
As we reflect on locusts’ symbolic role, we are reminded that spiritual vigilance and proactive faith are inseparable. The lessons of judgment and hope embedded in this imagery prepare us to engage with Scripture’s broader themes of God’s active presence in human history, a subject we will explore further in the next section.
Exploring Further
To deepen your understanding of locusts as symbols, consider studying Joel 1 - 2 and Revelation 9, which expand their role in divine judgment and eschatology.
In Joel, locusts represent God’s wrath against Israel’s enemies (Joel 1:4, 2:25), while Revelation 9 depicts them as apocalyptic forces with terrifying power (Revelation 9:7-10), illustrating their evolving symbolic significance.
Further Reading
Key Scripture Mentions
Exodus 10:12-15
God sends locusts as the eighth plague to demonstrate His authority over Egypt.
Luke 10:1-2
Jesus uses harvest imagery to emphasize the urgency of spiritual labor.
Joel 1:4
Locusts represent God's wrath against Israel's enemies and call for repentance.
Revelation 9:7-10
Apocalyptic locusts symbolize divine judgment with terrifying power in end times.
Related Concepts
Divine Judgment (Theological Concepts)
The biblical theme of God's righteous punishment for sin and rebellion.
Harvest (Symbols)
Represents spiritual readiness and the urgency of salvation in Jesus' teachings.
Repentance (Theological Concepts)
The call to turn from sin and embrace God's mercy, central to locust symbolism.