Sweetness Out of the Strong

Judges 14:5-14

Samson is one of my favorite Old Testament characters because if there is ever a living example of the wonders of covenant and grace it is found in this man. Covenant must be kept by God, and grace is His free gift, completely undeserved. Samson is a living, breathing example of both of these things as his life was sealed by the covenant that God had made with his parents (“Don’t cut his hair and I will use him to deliver Israel”), and Samson received all good while earning none of it.

When I heard the story of Samson as a child I always saw him as a hulk of a man, with bulging biceps and muscles on top of muscles, but as I began to understand God’s grace and favor I began to view him quite differently. I don’t believe that Samson was very big at all. In fact, I am quite sure that Samson looked rather puny. If he were a massive man, all of his exploits could be attributed to his own personal strength and size, but we see that his enemies spent much time trying to ascertain how he did what he did. His strength was God given as a token of grace and covenant.

Samson and his parents were journeying to Timnath to take a wife for Samson from among the Philistines, the sworn enemies of Israel. His parents were very disapproving of his choice in taking a Philistine for his wife, but Samson did it to gain advantage over the enemy. On the road to Timnath, while temporarily separated from his parents, Samson was confronted by a lion. He killed the beast with his bare hands and did not tell his parents about the incident.

Some days later Samson journeyed back to Timnath to meet the woman again, this time turning aside to see the carcass of the lion that he had killed. Bees were swarming all about the body of the lion and there was honey in its body. Samson reached in and took some of the honey and ate it and then gave some to his parents, not telling them where it came from. Being Jews, they would not have eaten anything that came from the carcass of a lion. By law, Samson was not supposed to eat from the lion either, but as we have seen, Samson was operating under covenant.

Honey was a sign of all things sweet and good in the Lord. It is the food that God mentioned would flow in the Promised Land when He spoke from the burning bush to Moses (Exodus 3:8). It was also the food that Jonathan ate when he had won a great battle over the Philistines, breaking his father’s order to fast (1 Samuel 14:27); and it was the choice food of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:4).

The lion is a symbol of strength and royalty, but can also be a sign of the aggressor. Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, but we also see Satan as our adversary, “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). It is a lion that attacks the flocks of the shepherd David, and he grabs it by the beard and kills it. In the case of Samson, it is symbolic of another attack against God’s people.

Out of the belly of the aggressor came the sweetness of God’s grace. In the midst of great attack was a wonderful blessing. The story of the lion and Samson is a type of the enemy coming in like a flood to roar and frighten, only to have God bring a mighty miracle out of the midst of it, so that the believer can find nourishment.

Are you facing a lion today? Remember, all things work together for our good, for we are His Covenant children!

Led By a Lad

Judges 16

I include the entire 16th chapter of Judges because it would do us all good to read it a time or two. It encompasses the story of Samson and Delilah, which shows the sad fall of a great man of power. Samson was not a man of high morals, nor did he show a real heart for the things of God. He was raised up by God for a certain purpose of delivering Israel from the oppressive might of the Philistines. His strength did not lie in his ability to walk holy or live right, but in one single obedient act. He was to take a vow of a Nazarite, “from the womb to the day of his death” (Judges 13:7). He could neither drink liquor nor put a razor to his head. If he was faithful in this, God would use him mightily.

For this cause, Samson was probably no bigger or more intimidating than you or I, for had he been, no one would have questioned his strength. His power was a mystery to those around him, with the exception of his parents, and that is not unlike the believer under the New Covenant. We look no different than anyone around us, but the power that resides within us due to the finished work of the cross is so marvelous that words cannot explain it. There is no act of holiness or righteousness that we can perform to increase that power; it simply comes from hearing and knowing of the loveliness of our Jesus.

After Samson became infatuated with Delilah, she revealed her true colors and deceived him into telling her the secret of his strength. Somewhere along the way, Samson had forgotten how loved and favored that he was by the Lord. Had he kept his heart focused on God’s favor and covenant with him, he would not have turned for love and affection into the lap of the world (Judges 16:19). Believers that do not focus on the Father’s love for them usually end up trying to explain what happened to them and why they fell into sin.

When Samson’s seven locks of hair were cut off, he became as any other man, and the Philistines captured him and “put out his eyes” (Judges 16:21). The seven locks are representative of God’s perfect rest, for seven always indicates either rest or completion. Since Samson’s life was not complete, nor was his work, the hair had always indicated that he was at rest in the promise of God. When he lost the hair, he lost the rest, and the only place for us to go when we are not resting in the finished work of Christ is to the millhouse of our own works.

The time came when Samson was brought to a large gathering of Philistines for a sacrifice to their god. They rejoiced when they saw Samson in chains, and they all desired for him to come before them so that they could mock him. Samson spoke to a “lad that held him by the hand” to lead him to the main pillars that held up the house. The lad led him to the pillars and Samson, whose hair had begun to grow back while in the prison house, pushed the building down in one final, victorious act.

A new generation is going to take the church by the hand and lead her to the pillars of this world. The bride has lost her rest and her spiritual vision, but God is raising up voices to bring her back to her glory, where she takes her rightful place as the victor that she is. Will you be the restless, blind church, or the lad that leads?

Sweetness Out of the Strong

Judges 14:5-14

Samson is one of my favorite Old Testament characters because if there is ever a living example of the wonders of covenant and grace it is found in this man. Covenant must be kept by God, and grace is His free gift, completely undeserved. Samson is a living, breathing example of both of these things as his life was sealed by the covenant that God had made with his parents (“Don’t cut his hair and I will use him to deliver Israel”), and Samson received all good while earning none of it.

When I heard the story of Samson as a child I always saw him as a hulk of a man, with bulging biceps and muscles on top of muscles, but as I began to understand God’s grace and favor I began to view him quite differently. I don’t believe that Samson was very big at all. In fact, I am quite sure that Samson looked rather puny. If he were a massive man, all of his exploits could be attributed to his own personal strength and size, but we see that his enemies spent much time trying to ascertain how he did what he did. His strength was God given as a token of grace and covenant.

Samson and his parents were journeying to Timnath to take a wife for Samson from among the Philistines, the sworn enemies of Israel. His parents were very disapproving of his choice in taking a Philistine for his wife, but Samson did it to gain advantage over the enemy. On the road to Timnath, while temporarily separated from his parents, Samson was confronted by a lion. He killed the beast with his bare hands and did not tell his parents about the incident.

Some days later Samson journeyed back to Timnath to meet the woman again, this time turning aside to see the carcass of the lion that he had killed. Bees were swarming all about the body of the lion and there was honey in its body. Samson reached in and took some of the honey and ate it and then gave some to his parents, not telling them where it came from. Being Jews, they would not have eaten anything that came from the carcass of a lion. By law, Samson was not supposed to eat from the lion either, but as we have seen, Samson was operating under covenant.

Honey was a sign of all things sweet and good in the Lord. It is the food that God mentioned would flow in the Promised Land when He spoke from the burning bush to Moses (Exodus 3:8). It was also the food that Jonathan ate when he had won a great battle over the Philistines, breaking his father’s order to fast (1 Samuel 14:27); and it was the choice food of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:4).

The lion is a symbol of strength and royalty, but can also be a sign of the aggressor. Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, but we also see Satan as our adversary, “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). It is a lion that attacks the flocks of the shepherd David, and he grabs it by the beard and kills it. In the case of Samson, it is symbolic of another attack against God’s people.

Out of the belly of the aggressor came the sweetness of God’s grace. In the midst of great attack was a wonderful blessing. The story of the lion and Samson is a type of the enemy coming in like a flood to roar and frighten, only to have God bring a mighty miracle out of the midst of it, so that the believer can find nourishment.

Are you facing a lion today? Remember, all things work together for our good, for we are His Covenant children!

Led by a Lad

Judges 16

I include the entire 16th chapter of Judges because it would do us all good to read it a time or two. It encompasses the story of Samson and Delilah, which shows the sad fall of a great man of power. Samson was not a man of high morals, nor did he show a real heart for the things of God. He was raised up by God for a certain purpose of delivering Israel from the oppressive might of the Philistines. His strength did not lie in his ability to walk holy or live right, but in one single obedient act. He was to take a vow of a Nazarite, “from the womb to the day of his death” (Judges 13:7). He could neither drink liquor nor put a razor to his head. If he was faithful in this, God would use him mightily.

For this cause, Samson was probably no bigger or more intimidating than you or I, for had he been, no one would have questioned his strength. His power was a mystery to those around him, with the exception of his parents, and that is not unlike the believer under the New Covenant. We look no different than anyone around us, but the power that resides within us due to the finished work of the cross is so marvelous that words cannot explain it. There is no act of holiness or righteousness that we can perform to increase that power; it simply comes from hearing and knowing of the loveliness of our Jesus.

After Samson became infatuated with Delilah, she revealed her true colors and deceived him into telling her the secret of his strength. Somewhere along the way, Samson had forgotten how loved and favored that he was by the Lord. Had he kept his heart focused on God’s favor and covenant with him, he would not have turned for love and affection into the lap of the world (Judges 16:19). Believers that do not focus on the Father’s love for them usually end up trying to explain what happened to them and why their fell into sin.

When Samson’s seven locks of hair were cut off, he became as any other man, and the Philistines captured him and “put out his eyes” (Judges 16:21). The seven locks are representative of God’s perfect rest, for seven always indicates either rest or completion. Since Samson’s life was not complete, nor was his work, the hair had always indicated that he was at rest in the promise of God. When he lost the hair, he lost the rest, and the only place for us to go when we are not resting in the finished work of Christ is to the millhouse of our own works.

The time came when Samson was brought to a large gathering of Philistines for a sacrifice to their god. They rejoiced when the saw Samson in chains, and they all desired for him to come before them so that they could mock him. Samson spoke to a “lad that held him by the hand” to lead him to the main pillars that held up the house. The lad led him to the pillars and Samson, whose hair had begun to grow back while in the prison house, pushed the building down in one final, victorious act.

A new generation is going to take the church by the hand and lead her to the pillars of this world. The bride has lost her rest and her spiritual vision, but God is raising up voices to bring her back to her glory, where she takes her rightful place as the victor that she is. Will you be the restless, blind church, or the lad that leads?

Sweetness Out of the Strong

Judges 14:5-14

Samson is one of my favorite Old Testament characters because if there is ever a living example of the wonders of covenant and grace it is found in this man. Covenant must be kept by God, and grace is His free gift, completely undeserved. Samson is a living, breathing example of both of these things as his life was sealed by the covenant that God had made with his parents (“Don’t cut his hair and I will use him to deliver Israel”), and Samson received all good while earning none of it.

When I heard the story of Samson as a child I always saw him as a hulk of a man, with bulging biceps and muscles on top of muscles, but as I began to understand God’s grace and favor I began to view him quite differently. I don’t believe that Samson was very big at all. In fact, I am quite sure that Samson looked rather puny. If he were a massive man, all of his exploits could be attributed to his own personal strength and size, but we see that his enemies spent much time trying to ascertain how he did what he did. His strength was God given as a token of grace and covenant.

Samson and his parents were journeying to Timnath to take a wife for Samson from among the Philistines, the sworn enemies of Israel. His parents were very disapproving of his choice in taking a Philistine for his wife, but Samson did it to gain advantage over the enemy. On the road to Timnath, while temporarily separated from his parents, Samson was confronted by a lion. He killed the beast with his bare hands and did not tell his parents about the incident.

Some days later Samson journeyed back to Timnath to meet the woman again, this time turning aside to see the carcass of the lion that he had killed. Bees were swarming all about the body of the lion and there was honey in its body. Samson reached in and took some of the honey and ate it and then gave some to his parents, not telling them where it came from. Being Jews, they would not have eaten anything that came from the carcass of a lion. By law, Samson was not supposed to eat from the lion either, but as we have seen, Samson was operating under covenant.

Honey was a sign of all things sweet and good in the Lord. It is the food that God mentioned would flow in the Promised Land when He spoke from the burning bush to Moses (Exodus 3:8). It was also the food that Jonathan ate when he had won a great battle over the Philistines, breaking his father’s order to fast (1 Samuel 14:27); and it was the choice food of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:4).

The lion is a symbol of strength and royalty, but can also be a sign of the aggressor. Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, but we also see Satan as our adversary, “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). It is a lion that attacks the flocks of the shepherd David, and he grabs it by the beard and kills it. In the case of Samson, it is symbolic of another attack against God’s people.

Out of the belly of the aggressor came the sweetness of God’s grace. In the midst of great attack was a wonderful blessing. The story of the lion and Samson is a type of the enemy coming in like a flood to roar and frighten, only to have God bring a mighty miracle out of the midst of it, so that the believer can find nourishment.

Are you facing a lion today? Remember, all things work together for our good, for we are His Covenant children!