HONEY OUT OF THE LION’S DEFEAT
Judges 14:5-9
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. John Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth in space in Feb. 1962. Later on he became a senator for many years.
2. You may remember that on Oct. 29, 1998, the US government again sent him into space to commemorate his great achievement.
3. One of the NASA phone operators fielded a call from a person wanting to know if we were launching a member of Congress into outer space.
4. When the operator said “Yes,” the man inquired whether we couldn’t launch the other 534 members of Congress into space with him!
B. STRENGTH BY EXERTION
1. Astronauts who were in orbit for extended lengths of time, suffered from dizziness and heart palpitations when they returned to Earth. Many couldn't walk for a week and were still undergoing therapy a month later for atrophied muscles and weakened hearts.
2. At zero gravity, the muscles of the body began to waste away because there is no resistance. Eventually, "Penguin suits" were developed, laced with elastic bands. They resisted every movement that the astronauts made and forced them to exert their strength.
3. We often long dreamily for days without difficulty, but God knows better. The easier our lives, the weaker our spiritual fiber, for strength of any kind grows only by exertion.
C. TEXT
5 Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. 6 The Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. 8 Some time later, when he went back...he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass, and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey. 9 He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass.”
D. THESIS
1. There’s nothing recorded in Scripture that’s accidental or unimportant. The Holy Spirit had a reason for recording these strange events.
2. Samson is a type of Christ; Samson means "little Sun" and Christ is the "Sun of Righteousness." But Samson is also a type of the believer, since he is the "little" sun.
3. Let's see what we can learn from Samson's experience with the lion and how it applies to our lives.
The title of this message is “Samson's Secret Source of Honey.”
I. SAMSON’S GOAL: TIMNAH
NOTICE. The slaying of the lion is NOT the main objective to which Samson is moving. It was Timnah & a wife.
A. TIMNAH = “POSSESSION, INHERITANCE”
1. Samson is a picture of every child of God who’s seeking their inheritance from God. (The Hebrew word Timnah means “possession or inheritance.”)
2. Possessing our spiritual blessings & responsibilities is what we’re supposed to be doing; Amen? We’re supposed to claim our inheritance from Christ and be conformed into the likeness of Jesus, Rom. 8:29.
3. YOU ARE HEIRS OF A VAST INHERITANCE! An HEIR is someone named to receive wealth, property and valuables when their benefactor dies. Jesus Christ named you and I to receive all His possessions (from His Father) upon His death, when we reach maturity as son & daughters of God.
4. Paul said, “Now IF we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ” Rom. 8:17. “If you belong to Christ, then you are...heirs according to the promise” Gal. 3:29. God has guaranteed our inheritance by putting His Spirit into us, Eph. 1:14.
5. Peter said, God has given us “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade...kept in heaven for you” 1 Pet. 1:3-5. Our inheritance is more than a plot of ground, pieces of metal or pretty stones. God has made us joint-heirs with Christ to “all things” material, spiritual, & eternal (Rom. 8:32; 1 Cor. 3:21). We’re rich beyond comprehension!
B. SOME INHERITANCES ARE NOT CLAIMED/USED. In real life, INHERITANCES ARE SOMETIMES NOT CLAIMED, and if claimed, some heirs NEVER FEEL THE FREEDOM TO USE THEM. EXAMPLES:
1. JOHN ELWES (1714-1789) was a Member of Parliament in Great Britain and was widely considered to be the inspiration for Ebenezer Scrooge in Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. Elwes inherited a large fortune, but acted like - well, Ebenezer Scrooge. He went to bed at sundown to avoid buying candles. He dressed in filthy rags instead of buying new clothes. People confused him for a beggar and gave him coins in the street (he must have loved that). Most disgustingly, Elwes ate rotting food and lived in vacant properties. Another impoverished millionaire:
2. CATHY BOONE. Before her death in January 2020, CATHY BOONE lived on the streets for years, struggling with drug abuse and mental illness. She never claimed her fortune – $900,000 left by her mother (& had more from her father). She died in poverty, not knowing she was rich beyond her imagination!
C. PARKING ON BLESSINGS
1. Many Christians "park" on particular blessings -- salvation, baptism in the Holy Spirit, healing, the Gifts, etc. and stay there, never progressing any further.
2. But those things are only the starting points! In baseball, getting on first base is good but not the goal! Don't stop short! God wants us to move out and possess ALL He's promised and keep moving toward our inheritance. To think we've arrived is a mistake!
II. MEETING THE LION
“suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him” Jd.14:5.
A. THE DANGER OF AN ATTACKING LION
1. African lions can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh 400-500 pounds. They have 3 types of teeth, each designed for cutting or ripping meat apart. Even their tongues have spikes that, with 3 licks, can take you’re your skin off. Their forelegs are bigger than their backlegs – and with razor-sharp claws – one swipe can kill an animal. They are experts at taking down animals 3X their size. Their roars are used to notify rivals of their territory, and when attacking, to terrify their victims. A lion’s roar can be heard up to 5 miles away. That deep, rumbling growl shakes the jungle and paralyzes all but the bravest.
2. Samson's encounter with the lion was dangerous. It was a young lion, one of the fiercest kind, that suddenly lept from hiding to kill him. He was all alone. It roared as it jumped toward him.
3. THIS LION REPRESENTS THE DEVIL; "Be sober, be vigilant; Your Adversary, the devil, goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour" 1 Peter 5:8-9. The devil uses many means to attack us: he hinders us, he bring trials & troubles, and he tempts us. He comes as a:
a. Lion of Discouragement
b. Lion of Depression, Loneliness, Lust, Financial Lack;
c. Lion of "Wounded spirits," or sickness.
4. Our Biggest Problem: Our Worldly Natures. We don’t realize the danger; limit the Holy Spirit; & don’t earnestly pursue spiritual progress toward being like Jesus. A Christian doesn't have to go far down the road to Timnath before they’ll hear the roar of this lion!
5. We sing about possessing Timnah (Heaven), but we’re still outside, with a lion in between us and our inheritance! Don’t forget it!
B. EMPOWERMENT TO FIGHT THE LION
1. Verse 6 says, "the Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power."
2. If you're ever going to whip the devil, you'll have to do it by the Spirit of God. We are no match for the enemy! He'll mow us down quicker than an International Harvester tractor.
3. But when we're full of the Spirit, demons must flee, sicknesses will go, unbelievers will listen when we witness to them...
4. ILLUSTRATION. Fighting the enemy without the Spirit is like the do-it-yourselfer who went to the hardware store and asked for saw.
a. The salesman handed him a chainsaw and commented that it was the newest model, guaranteed to cut 10 cords of firewood a day. The customer bought it.
b. The next day the customer returned, looking exhausted. "Something must be wrong with this saw," he moaned. "I worked as hard as I could and only managed to cut three cords of wood. I used to do more with my old-fashioned saw."
c. Looking confused, the salesman said, "Here, let me try it out on some wood out back." Stepping outside, the salesman pulled the cord, and as the motor went Vvvrooommm, the customer leaped back and exclaimed, "What's that noise?"
5. The customer was trying to saw wood without the power being turned on. That’s very much like the believer who attempts to live the Christian life without the daily empowerment of the Spirit.
6. When the Holy Ghost does it -- it's easy. Samson tore that lion apart!
C. DISPOSING OF THE LION
1. Samson pushed it off the road and continued on to Timnah. Don't get too excited over killing one lion. It’s not time to start bragging! More lions will show up before long. Samson was wise not to get detoured. We shouldn’t either; our goal is to become like Jesus.
2. ILLUSTRATION. One man was driving his car in traffic when suddenly all the cars ahead of him turned right onto a dirt road. He thought, “Oh great, a detour,” so he followed the traffic. After driving for some miles he saw a farmer and stopped to ask, "Where does this detour end?" "Aw, that's not a detour," replied the farmer. "You’re following a funeral procession to a cemetery!"
3. If you've won a victory over the devil, don’t be surprised if the devil tries to bring the affliction back. The devil is always going to bluff that he's not defeated. Don't buy it! Your free! “Affliction shall not come a second time!” Nah. 1:9. “Greater is He that is in you!”
4. There were some settlers during the colonial days who lived in remote valleys and hadn’t heard of Washington's victory in the Revolutionary War. They thought they were still British subjects. At last, the word came that they were free, though actually they had been free for years! You too are free! You’ve been free for years. You have power over the devil!
5. Samson went on to his inheritance and entered in.
III. THE LION’S CARCASS AND THE HONEY
A. HE MAKES A RETURN TRIP TO VISIT HIS OLD HOME
1. On his return trip from visiting his fiancé, Samson remembered his past victories, how merciful and gracious God had been. Can you think of some victories in your past?
2. At last, Samson came to the very spot of the former battle. Here he’d learned that...
a. “No weapon formed against him could prosper” (Isa. 54:17); “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him” (59:19);
b. It’s “’Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit’ says the Lord of Hosts” Zech. 4:6; “The Battle is not yours, but God’s!” 2 Chron. 20:15. Samson let the Holy Spirit do the fighting and watched God defeat his enemy.
B. CARCASE SIGHTED
1. A Dry, clean, weather-beaten skeleton.
2. Inside, a Beehive. It contained Honey – a symbol of reward. Like Honey, Victory is sweet! It’s Refreshing; it gives Strength!
3. "Nay in all these things we’re more than conquerors." How? To slay the lion is to conquer! But to gather honey from the carcass is to be "more than a Conqueror!"
4. Not only was their honey (victory) for Samson, but there was plenty of honey for his entire family too!
5. Trials overcome can become a watershed of future blessing and a great source of witness.
CONCLUSION
A. THINKING YOU CAN AVOID FIGHTING FOR GOD
1. There was a man named Wilmer McLean who refused to participate in the Civil War. He adamantly opposed taking sides; He had friends in the North and in the South.
2. So McLean sold his successful grocery business and moved to northern Virginia. He bought a beautiful estate near Manassas Junction, Virginia, where he settled into a rural lifestyle.
3. The trouble began when the very first battle of the Civil War occurred in Manassas Junction on July 21, 1861. The battle was called “The Battle of Bull Run” and more than 50,000 soldiers were involved. Much of the fighting took place on Wilmer McLean’s property. A cannonball actually went down his chimney and destroyed his home. Even his beautiful stone barn was demolished.
4. Bitterly, Wilmer McLean decided to move again – this time to southern Virginia. He bought another property in a town called Appomattox. Poor guy – Appomattox is where, not only the last battle was fought in the Civil War, but where General Robert E. Lee and General Ulysses S. Grant signed the terms of surrender. The terms of the surrender were signed in Wilmer McLean’s living room! [Illus. by Stephen Davey in “Christmas Choices at Wisdom for the Heart”]
5. This is a warning to us that we can’t escape taking sides and fighting in spiritual warfare; no matter what you do, it will still find its way to your home!
6. When you become a Child of God you become an enemy of the devil. So decide now to stand boldly for Jesus and fight the good fight of faith!
B. THE CALL
1. QUESTION: Which of you...a. Are just Encountering the lion? b. Who has recently Defeated the lion? c. Have you Found any honey/blessing from your battle?
2. How many of you need deliverance? Fighting a battle? Discouraged? You feel like you need support in prayer?
3. Come to the front. We will fight this battle with you in prayer! PRAYER.
