Don't Touch The Honey! Series

As Samson and his parents were going down to Timnah, a young lion suddenly attacked Samson near the vineyards of Timnah. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him, and he ripped the lion's jaws apart with his bare hands. It was as if it were a young goat. But he didn't tell his parents about it. When Samson arrived in Timnah, he talked with the woman and was very pleased with her. Judges 14:5-7

Later when Samson returned to Timnah for the wedding, he turned off the path to look at the carcass of the lion. And he found that a swarm of bees had made some honey in the carcass. He scooped some of the honey into his hands and ate it along the way. He also gave some to his father and mother and they ate it. But he didn't tell them that he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion. Judges 14:8-9

First, Samson had no business going back to look at something that was dead. The lion hadn't somehow come back to life and was roaming around somewhere. It was still dead. We often find ourselves getting off the path designed for us to look and see if what died is still dead. Whether it's a relationship that unexpectedly ended or a situation that didn't work out. We look back hoping there's a chance that things can be revived or resurrected...especially with relationships that meant so much to us. But the truth is, the dead must stay dead. There's a reason why things die and going back to check on them isn't going to do us good. It's going to destroy us.

As for Samson and the honey...that's just gross on so many levels! 🤢 As a Nazirite, he was forbidden to touch anything dead because that was defilement...not just physically but spiritually. Second, the fact that he didn't tell his parents about the lion and where he found the honey was disrespectful.

This also serves as a lesson not to be quick to accept food, drinks, and gifts from people because you don't know where it came from.