I love the color and clarity of biblical language. It's no wonder to me that the Bible has been an inspiration for so many great works of literature. And besides what's already been woven into the literary community, there are a lot of powerful biblical stories and phrases that are still more or less "unknown" and untapped. I discovered another one this morning, while reading the 24th chapter of Joshua:

Send the hornet. In recapping the conquest of Canaan, Joshua (the great leader and military commander) speaks as an oracle of the LORD, reminding the assembled masses of Israel of the fact that their military victories had been supernaturally set up ahead of time: "I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you -- also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow" (Joshua 24:12). It's an interesting turn of phrase, isn't it? Something about it sticks with me, that idea of clearing out a room by releasing a hornet through a crack in the door before making one's entrance. It's a very efficient word picture. I genuinely wonder why it hasn't made it into more popular, colloquial usage. That idea of "sending the hornet" could be used in any situation in which the way has been prepared for another's success. It could speak of any situation involving God's Providence and preparation.

I find myself enriched by these little nuggets of language in the pages of the Bible -- as a writer, as a believer, and as a pastor. Just another reason to appreciate the greatest work of literature of all time...