Most of us have heard stories of Samson; the superhero of the Bible, who accomplished great feats of strength and prowess in battle.
Then of course, there is the account of Samson and Delilah. Movies have been made of them; they are often portrayed as one of the great romantic couples of history.
Why, I do not know. It has been my observation in life that relationships built on deception and manipulation and selfishness, such as theirs was, can hardly be deemed ‘romantic’, and seldom last long...as theirs did not.
Nevertheless, most of us are familiar with at least the basic story of their relationship, and other isolated events in the life of Samson.
The verses of our study today however, are not so widely known, and are seldom preached.
Samson went down to Timnah and saw a woman of the Philistines who was pleasing to the eye, and wanted to marry her.
There is a lot that can be said about these early verses of chapter 14. We could talk about this hero of the Bible; one of the Judges of Israel, who apparently defies God’s laws in order to take to himself a wife; a pagan from the camp of Israel’s enemies.
Then we would go to verse 4 and see that the Bible says “...it was of the Lord, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines.” And that little bit of information would give us a great deal to think and talk about.
We could discuss how this account, recorded in these nine verses, can be seen as a type of Christ, who ventured down into the enemy camp, defeated Satan on the way, found Himself a bride, and came back later to take her home.
There are a lot of sermons in this brief account.
Today though, I’d like for us to sharpen our focus and see this story as an example of the Christian’s walk; his battle against the flesh, God’s help, and the Holy Spirit’s continuing work in the believer.
Samson went down to Timnah a second time, accompanied by his father and his mother.
Now the way the information is presented in these verses, it seems a little confusing. We’re told they went down together, but then Samson faces this lion, and later does not tell his parents about it.
So we can only assume that during this trip he wandered off a little by himself. Maybe he wanted some grapes, and left his folks going down the main road while he went to gather some.
Maybe he went off by himself for other reasons. Y’know, even bible heroes had bodily functions...
We’re not given specific information; but we can see that at some point he was alone and was confronted by this lion.
Now before I move on, I want to point out something else to you here. This account has really very little to do with the rest of Samson’s story, and what he did for his nation.
Later in this chapter we see that he made up a riddle from the adventure with the lion, to confound his enemies, but other than that, his original journey and his fight with the lion have little significance to the larger picture.
So we remember that “...whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4), and we realize that the purpose of the Holy Spirit in recording this incident was so that we, today, could be blessed by it; and we sit up and take notice.
Let’s talk about THE FLESH
The New Testament word that is translated ‘flesh’, is ‘sarx’. It has to do with much more than meat, or the physical body. Is has to do with the complete person; the weaker element in human nature.
Paul says in Romans 8 that “...the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace”. He says, “...and those who are in the flesh cannot please God”; and then later in the same chapter he writes, “...if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”
Verse 5 of Judges 14 says, “...and behold, a young lion came roaring toward him”.
Notice it says, a ‘young’ lion. Full of strength and vitality and agility. Have you ever seen a young lion? They’re beautiful. I have a big poster of one in my study.
This lion attacking Samson was not an old, scraggly lion with missing teeth, scars from many fights, weak muscles and aching joints. It was a young lion.
Here is a picture of the natural man. We are mistaken, when we think that the meaning of the word, ‘flesh’, in the New Testament, is always restricted to the ugly things about ourselves and the evil that men do; murder, deceit, adultry, hatred, etc.
It refers to all that the natural man is. His power to work within and even improve on nature. His religious self. His healthy desires and his commendable aspects. These are all a part of the ‘sarx’. The flesh.
But Paul said “...nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh...” He said that, because he knew that nothing of any eternal good can come from the flesh, and the best things of the flesh only serve to turn us away from receiving the best things of God.
You may remember that when you began your Christian walk, the sun was shining, the flowers blooming, the birds singing...butterflies flitting all about and landing on your shoulder...
When we first believe on Christ for salvation and His Holy Spirit indwells us, we have that initial confirmation in the spirit that we are now clean, and set free, and saved from Hell. What an exciting time of peace and blessing that is.
Maybe Samson’s walk began like this. He was going down to Timnah to find a wife. The sun was shining, the flowers blooming, the birds singing; and look! A vineyard with lush, ripe grapes to eat on the way!
Suddenly he hears a roar that almost makes the ground under his feet vibrate, and turning, he sees this muscular, tawny shape charging at him with teeth bared.
This, my friends, is the flesh. The bible tells us that when we believed, we died to sin. It does not say that sin died. We need only read the seventh chapter of Romans to see that even the great Apostle Paul wrestled constantly with his old enemy, the flesh, until he came to realize that he could not successively fight the flesh in the flesh; but that his deliverance was a spiritual one, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So there you are, skipping merrily down the road of life, moving toward some goal; perhaps a very worthy goal; job, spouse, education ... missions work, spiritual growth, a deeper relationship with your Lord,...
...and suddenly that old flesh leaps up, roaring, teeth bared, and the fight is on.
Well, notice that Samson had no weapons. At least, not natural weapons.
Hey! He just wanted to go to Timnah and find his wife! He wasn’t out hunting, and he wasn’t in the mood or the mind for battle.
Besides, Christians, our lions aren’t the enemies we’re prepared for, are they? Our real battles aren’t with how we’re going to pay the bills next month, or how can I get my car fixed. The real lions are much closer to us than that. They are us! The flesh!
Someone said, “I fear myself more than the devil. The devil is already conquered - but, are all the finer, subtle points of my strange personality conquered?”
When I was a police officer I arrested a very pretty young lady one night, for driving under the influence of alcohol. It was her first arrest and she was very remorseful, and the District Attorney, after conferring with me, ended up lowering her charges and giving her a break. I was ok with that. She was a very nice girl.
Several months later I was in a local store and this young lady walked up to me and said 'Hi'. At first, I didn't recognize her. The left side of her face was scarred and drooping; it had been smashed in a vehicle accident she had while driving under the influence, only weeks after the DA had dropped her previous charges. She told me that she wished she had learned her lesson then, instead of having to destroy her face in order to learn. I agreed with her.
So how do we defeat the flesh? How do we conquer this lion, that threatens to block our path of progress and destroy us on the way?
Let’s talk about THE SPIRIT
Verse 6 says “And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily...”
Take note again, that Samson had nothing in his hands. The bible never says that the flesh wars against the flesh. Didn’t Jesus say, “How can Satan cast out Satan”?
The battle is always between the flesh and the Spirit.
When we try to fight the flesh with the flesh, nothing really happens. The dust gets all stirred up, and the fur flies, but when all is said and done, the lion gets up, shakes himself off and starts roaring again.
That’s why so many of us go for so many years, fighting the same old battles, going through periods of being ‘wounded’ and absent from the assembly; then coming in and saying, “I’m getting better” “I haven’t done ‘such and such’ for a long time”, And then having to fight the same old lions again; we’re trying to fight them in the flesh...using carnal weapons.
But Samson defeated this lion by the power of God’s Holy Spirit; and notice that it wasn’t even much of a fight. He ripped the beast open with his bare hands, rolled it off to the side of the road, and went on his way to talk to the woman, “...and she looked good...”.
Folks, as believers in Christ we are indwelt by that same Holy Spirit, who came upon Samson for certain miraculous tasks. The Spirit came on him ... the Spirit lives in us ...and He is still strong and mighty in battle.
I want to point out here, that the spiritual reality is that our flesh is already dead. We are told that in numerous places:
Col 3:3 “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God”
Gal 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me...”
Gal 5:24 “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
So the reality is that when our lions roar and charge, we need to remember that the indwelling Holy Spirit is the strong One; the One with the power. We need to reckon, (or consider) that lion as a dead thing, kick him off to the side of the road and go on!
Fighting him in the flesh is every bit as dangerous as giving in to him!
Now remember, kick him off to the side of the road, and go on, thanking and praising God. Don’t stay there prodding him with your foot...examining his teeth... ...worst of all; congratulating yourself on putting him down.
And certainly don’t stay there wrestling with him.
Have you ever known someone who wrestles with the dead lions in their life? Every time the preacher calls for testimonies, they are the ones who have the same testimony every single time! Never a new one! It is as though God has done nothing in their life for the past twenty years, and the only thing they have to testify about is that lion that God helped them fight and what a terrible thing it was. They’re still wrestling with the carcass!
Then there’s the folks that never seem to grow spiritually. Their confession of Christ is sincere enough; we have no problems with that. But their attendance is irregular because every little failure in their life makes them feel “unsaved” and they’re ashamed to come into His presence or the presence of believers, so they stay away. Then they are on top for a while and they’re back.
But they go on for years, thinking that to be acceptible to God they have to make themselves acceptible, by improving their behavior and their own life’s circumstances.
They’re wrestling with the carcass!
On the other hand, there are those who are almost the opposite, in that they come to church and show interest in spiritual things, when they’re down and in trouble. As long as they’re on top, and their business is doing well, and they feel generally accepted and esteemed by their peers, and they are in control and happy with themselves, they don’t need God. It’s only when things go bad for them that we see them back in the assembly, newly humbled and needing help.
They’re wrestling with the carcass!
They’ve never moved on down the road. Y’know what happens when someone wrestles with a dead carcass? Pretty soon they start to stink. They need to be delivered from this body of death, and move on to Romans chapter 8.
We must remember what Samson did. He left the dead lion there, and moved on down the road.
Friends, when the lions of your flesh rear up, roaring and charging, reckon them to be defeated already by the power of God’s indwelling Holy Spirit, and move on down the road. Let them lie.
Let’s talk about THE HONEY
Verse 8 says, “When he returned later...” The NIV Bible says, “Some time later...” So take note that some time has passed.
Also notice that he didn’t come back that way TO LOOK AT THE LION!
He is still just going on about his business of living...
...and while on the way, he briefly turns aside to look at this dry, bleached carcass.
Perhaps he heard the buzzing of bees.
Folks, when the Lord, by His Spirit, defeats the lions in our life, and we reckon them dead and move on, He doesn’t expect us to keep going back to them to make sure they stay dead. Or to remind ourselves of their terror. Or drag them back into town to show everyone else.
I’m sure that when there is the occasional athlete, or actor, or politician, who becomes a Christian and then goes public with his testimony, there is some usefulness in that and some folks are impressed and inspired and touched by it.
But let’s take care not to be so impressed with someone else’s account of how evil, mean and wicked, bad and nasty they used to be, that we focus too much on their story and not enough on Christ.
Keep in mind that ALL have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God; and are saved only by his Grace, through faith. The fact that this person is or was famous does not make their sins darker, or their salvation more surprizing than yours...nor does their notariety make the muck of their lives more attractive to listen to than yours.
I really don’t think God intends for us to drag out the carcasses of our lions, to air publicly.
This, I think, is what He wants to do. By the radiance of His light, (the Sun of Righteousness), He wants to dry and bleach the carcass of that defeated lion, and then by His Spirit, produce something sweet in that hollowed out shell for us to enjoy and to share with others.
There are some things about my past life that I don’t know if I will ever share with you. As terrible and destructive as they may have been, they are now dead lions. God has dealt with them, and by His grace He has taken me much further down the road.
But sometimes when I go back by those things in my memory, I find honey. Much of my teaching and preaching at this time of my life, is mixed with the honey that God’s bees have planted in my dead lions’ carcasses.
This is the kind of thing Paul had in mind when he told the Romans, “For I long to see you in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you...”
He wanted to share his honey!
Samson didn’t tell his parents where the honey came from, and I needn’t tell you where mine came from. You don’t need to see my lions. You don’t need to have a blow by blow account of the fight.
But you’re certainly welcome to share the honey.
Christians, walk close to God. When your flesh rears its ugly head and starts roaring, be close enough to your Lord, that you will feel His mighty power to rend and reckon those lions dead, and move on down the road with Him.
Once you have trusted Him with your battle and moved on, don’t go back or stick around to prod and poke and examine and feel sorry for your dead lions. Let Him do the work that He wants to do in them, and in time there will be honey for you to share.
It will be a while. Bees don’t make honey in rotting corpses, and they don’t make honey in a carcass that’s being thrashed about and wrestled with.
You have to give the Lord time to bleach and dry that carcass out, so you don’t go back and inadvertently prod it back to life. Let it go.
In a while, you will find yourself passing back that way in your memory, and then you’ll find the honey.
Samson did not enjoy his honey alone.
The life of the truly spiritual Christian is not self-centered.
Out of his life and heart flow power and sweetness for hungry, searching hearts.
The Christian doesn’t have to tell anyone about the lion. God knows, and his own heart knows, and that is enough.
But when the honey comes, there will be enough for the Christian’s whole household, and more besides.
Trust God to make every lion of your life the nesting place for His bees, and with joy, you will reach in later and gather the honey.
And you’ll go on down the road, feasting on His goodness.
