The Lion and The Honey

Lesson on Judges 14; Samson, the Lion, and Honey. Sometimes we find God's messages of love and redemption where and when we least expect it. Yet, it is there for those who will eat at the table the Lord provides. ..... even the table in the wilderness where we had found ourselves in dangers and in struggles.

The Bible verses:

Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.

And the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father and mother what he had done.

And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.

and after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.

And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told them not that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion

Finding Wisdom in the Oddest Places

Within this section of scripture I found one of God's recurring themes: His role of Redeemer, and the reassurance of good from affliction.

As Samson is following a path the Lord has instrumented, he meets with a lion. Sometimes a lion represents the devil (as in I Peter 5:8), but at any time it would represent trouble. Powerful, life-threatening, merciless trouble.

The spirit of the Lord "comes mightily upon him", and Samson dispatches his adversary without even a weapon. At almost any point in our lives, trouble can attack: laying in wait, without provocation, looking for us to be unprepared and vulnerable.

With God's power we can overcome such obstacles, going forward, sometimes not even aware of what God is manifesting in our life.

Likewise, Samson goes on about his business, and, after some time has elapsed, he revisits the scene of his victory. Within the lion's carcass is honey, and honey is almost always associated with enlightenment and learning.

Now, a lion's dead body is not the normal place to find honeycomb, but when God is directing your life, even the worst circumstances can yield something good for you, and to share with others. That is why He is called a "Redeemer", because he restores the damaged, robbed, hurt places of our lives. That is not enough for His nature of love, though. He insists on making something of value for us to share, and from which to gain understanding.

This theme of redemption, which culminates in His Son's death on a cross, is also found in Joseph's life, Genesis 37-50. Joseph testifies " You thought evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as at this day, to save much people alive."

Another interesting observation here is to look at the elements of the lion's dead body and the honey. The honey is sweet, it's good. The lion's carcass, on the other hand, is a thing of repugnance-a stinking, decaying thing. I think it bears pointing out that although understanding, and the ability to help others is good- the evil circumstance is not desirable, and has nothing good about it. That we will have troubles is unavoidable, but there is nothing good in the evil circumstances of the world. Let us use the good we find to eradicate them.