Message summary: May the Lord empower us today to stand firm as John did no matter the consequences! As the apostle Paul wrote, "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain".

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"Of them you may eat: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind" (Leviticus 11:22). "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).

More than any other time I identify late summer with a certain sound, particularly at night. Stepping out on my porch at dusk I hear the "chatter" of many locusts. That sound takes me back to my years growing up in Missouri, to the years Brooksyne and I lived in upstate Pennsylvania and even our years in New England, it rose above the city noise.  Now, living out in the country I don't have to listen for it, their singing comes through loud and clear.

As the days get shorter and nights get cooler the sounds are fading compared to the volume heard in August and now we hear mostly the crickets. Sometimes they get in the house! Their sound is commonly referred to as chirping; the scientific name is stridulation. For the record only the male crickets chirp. There is actually a field of science devoted to these sounds known as bioacoustics.

We had some friends over and I picked up a locust and asked Eli James if he would like to eat it. I followed up by a mini Bible quiz based on the daily text, asking him who in the Bible ate locusts? He knew the correct answer, John the Baptist.

Regarding our second text probably what we find most interesting is that John the Baptist ate locusts. After all, we still wear clothing made with animal hair and leather belts. In fact when purchasing belts I always look for genuine leather since I want to follow John's example! Also, for me, anyway, they last longer than the fake stuff.

Most of us also enjoy the sweet taste of honey (which is essentially bee spit). I spread honey last night on some buttered corn muffins right out of the oven that Brooksyne made. Oh my, was it good!

But most, in our culture anyway, draw the line at eating locusts. "Entomophagy" is the scientific name for insect eating. There are more than 1,450-recorded species of edible insects, many of which are lower in fat, higher in protein, and have a better feed to meat ratio than beef, lamb, pork, or chicken. So locusts were actually a good diet choice for an active prophet! And notice in our rather obscure first text they were allowed in the Mosaic dietary law. Does the photo of locusts above whet your appetite?

John the Baptist is one of the most interesting characters in the Bible. His start in life was unusual and his death gruesome. He was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, a godly infertile couple, who were both "well along in years" or as the KJV colorfully puts it "well stricken in years".

Zechariah was a priest who had a mighty encounter with an angel of the Lord informing him that he would have a son. I've wondered what in the world Elizabeth thought when her speechless husband, arriving home after his priestly duties, had that twinkle in his eyes! Anyway, she became pregnant and they received a blessing they surely hadn't planned for.

John's mission was very clear and he fulfilled it well in his brief lifetime. His purpose statement was summed up in the words, "Prepare the way for the Lord".

And yet in the providence of God, John would lose his freedom and soon thereafter his life after rebuking Herod for his sinful behavior (Matthew 14:10). He was beheaded and later Jesus commended John with these words, "Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist".

John's story provides perspective to the whys each of us ask when things don't make sense or when the painful matters in our lives seem more than we can bear. They are surely the same kind of inquiries people in the Bible thought or asked when John's life was taken, similar to when Stephen was taken so early.

On this day, as we live out our lives and seek to please God in a world filled with many Herods, let us recall the faithfulness of John the Baptist. Note particularly his bold declaration to Herod, renouncing his sin. He was not interested in being liked or living on the politically safe and non-offensive side but rather in speaking out God's truth. God's truth will be offensive to those living in disobedience and rebellion. And for that he literally lost his head.

May the Lord empower us today to stand firmly on our faith in Jesus and His Word as John did no matter the consequence! As the apostle Paul said, "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13.

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber