Bible Questions and Answers

Judges 14: 5 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. 6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. 7 And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. 8 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. 9 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 not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.

God caused Samson to be conceived for a purpose.

Judges 13:5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

That purpose was to begin to deliver Israel out of the oppression of the Philistines.

The lion couldn’t be allowed to nullify Samson’s purpose and he had to kill it with the strength supplied by God. The death of the lion, in process of time, produced sweetness in the form of honey. As well as being sweet to the taste, honey has the quality that it never corrupts.

Peter likens the believer’s adversary to a roaring lion.

1 Peter 5:8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

The devil of course is our own lust, which we need to overcome in our lives.

The writer to the Hebrews likens the ongoing battle against sin to ‘chastening’.

Hebrews 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Success in putting to death our adversary with the strength derived from the word of God, will at the resurrection, bring forth incorruptible sweetness in the form of eternal life.

Now the victory is not ours, because we are not 100% successful.

The victory was won by Jesus Christ who put to death the adversary (roaring lion) in himself.

Hebrews 2:14  Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

His sacrificial death brought forth incorruptible sweetness for those who will believe and obey the gospel.

The riddle ‘out of the eater came forth meat and out of the strong came forth sweetness’ can be applied to Jesus Christ.

Judges 14:14 And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.

Jesus was the ‘eater’ of the word of God.

Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

Psalms 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Out of him came the 'meat' of the gospel.

John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

By his strength came the incorruptible sweetness of eternal life.

I hope you find this helpful.

God bless,
Glenn