What? Locusts Aren’t Just Bugs? By Lisa Burkhardt Worley

You are never too old to learn something new. I’ve always had an image of John the Baptist in the Judean desert eating wild honey and locusts, wings and all. Isn’t that what the Bible says? “John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey” (Matthew 3:4).

In my mind, eating bugs made John ultra-eccentric and a little weird, even though locusts are supposed to be full of protein. If interested in trying a locust appetizer, I found them online here: https://blessedbuyisrael.com/products/israeli-locusts?variant=31708216754249

But on our tour of Israel, our guide informed us there is a Carob or Locust Tree and its seeds taste a lot like chocolate. Could it be? John the Baptist ate chocolate and honey, not bugs and honey? Now that is a more tolerable diet and it changes the way I view him. I might have considered joining him for a quick lunch by the Jordan River.

It goes to show you that the Lord has a lighter side. He wants to reveal new truths to us; we just have to be willing to listen. Proverbs 1:5 says, “Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance..”

Before I traveled to Israel, I asked God to speak to me in the Land, even though I had been there before. He was faithful, and obviously provided some light-hearted information along the way. The Holy Spirit is always teaching.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).