Honey in the Carcase
Today’s Verse:
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. ~Judges 14:8
The harvesting of honey has always been interesting to me. I am amazed at how meticulous and careful beekeepers are in dealing with the beehive and the bees when it is time to extract the honey. I have no reason to question honey I purchase at a store because of the generally accepted and safe process of getting honey to the consumer. However, if you offered me honey from the carcass of a dead animal, I would have serious reservations about eating it. In Judges 14, we have the account of Samson taking honey out of the carcass of a lion and eating it. Let us see lessons from the carcass of a lion.
We see Samson’s demonstration.
“A young lion roared against him.” “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.” A young, hungry, and aggressive lion roared against Samson. Samson was enabled by the Holy Spirit to take on the lion and break it. The Bible said that he rent him as he would rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand. Samson was privileged that God’s power gave him such extraordinary ability. We must never forget that God’s power is a gift and privilege that He bestows on us for His glory. Extraordinary victories are only possible because we have an extraordinary God.
We see Samson’s decisions.
“Then went Samson down… to Timnath…. And he went down…. He returned… and he turned aside.” In spite of the victory over the young lion, Samson did not take into account that God gave him the victory. Samson went down to Timnath. He was on a decline spiritually. He made a series of decisions that were not God’s will for his life. Whenever we do things our way and not God’s way, we are going in a downward direction. Samson went down once, then twice, and then turned aside.
We see Samson’s disobedience.
Samson was a Nazarite from birth. He was set apart for the service of God. As a Nazarite, God gave him unusual power for service. God also imposed strict life standards for him. For one, he was not supposed to partake of the fruit of the vine: this included being near or in a vineyard. Then, he was not supposed to be near a dead body or carcass. Samson knowingly sinned against the Lord. Sin is willful disobedience. Samson was a man who had the power of the Spirit but struggled with the appetite of the flesh.
We see Samson’s defilement.
Samson returned to the spot where he killed the young lion. He saw that a colony of bees had made a nest in the carcass and made honey. Samson took thereof in his hands and went on eating. Just like Eve, Samson saw and he took. He was forbidden to be near the carcass, but he approached and took the honey. He proceeded to eat honey out of something that was dead. Dead things cannot produce life. Dead things consist of decaying and rotting flesh. They gives off a putrid smell. They are unsafe to handle with your bare hands. Samson took thereof and went on eating. He developed an appetite for food out of a carcass. If we are not careful with our spiritual lives, we can find ourselves getting used to being around dead things. We can get used to dead praying, dead preaching, dead soulwinning, and dead spiritual activities. He took thereof and went on eating. Samson defiled his life by eating honey from a carcass. Be careful of being careless after a spiritual victory, or you might find yourself taking honey out of a carcass and eating thereof.
Have a circumspect God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Psalms 126-132