Out of The Strong, Something Sweet
When you think of the story of Samson, you probably think of his downfall with Delilah- a harlot woman who cut his long hair and caused him to lose his strength (Judges 16). However, there is a bit more to this story. Let’s turn back a few chapters.
Prior to Samson’s birth the angel of the Lord came to give Zorah, Samson’s mother, a prophecy:
Judges 13:3-5
New International Version
3 The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. 5 You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
Samson was destined to become a Nazirite, a person who took a vow to separate themselves from sin and consecrate themselves to God. He was also destined to deliver Israel from the Philistines given that Israel had been delivered into the hands of the Philistines for 40 years. Samson grew and the Lord blessed him. However, he became very flawed. Samson had lustful eyes and struggled with self control, thus he began to deviate from being inside the Lord’s will. He fell for a young Philistine woman in Timnah and sought to marry her (he was not supposed to!). Along the journey, something interesting takes place.
Judges 14:5-9
New International Version
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. 7 Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her. 8 Some time later, when he went back to marry her, 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.
In returning to the carcass of the lion and eating the honey from within it, Samson not only broke the law of Moses but also his Nazarite vow!
Leviticus 11:27
New International Version
27 Of all the animals that walk on all fours, those that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening.
Numbers 6:6-8
New International Version
6 “‘Throughout the period of their dedication to the Lord, the Nazirite must not go near a dead body. 7 Even if their own father or mother or brother or sister dies, they must not make themselves ceremonially unclean on account of them, because the symbol of their dedication to God is on their head. 8 Throughout the period of their dedication, they are consecrated to the Lord.
The carcass was unclean and defiling but the sweet honey within was tempting to eat.
Later on at his wedding to the woman from Timnah, Samson proposes a wager on a rather interesting riddle for guests to solve:
Judges 14:14
New International Version
14 He replied,
“Out of the eater, something to eat;
out of the strong, something sweet.”
For three days they could not give the answer.
Samson was referring to the honey he had eaten from the carcass of the lion, an event the wedding guests would have had no knowledge of. It was an impossible riddle to solve and a dishonest wager to begin with. The Philistines met his deceitfulness with more deceitfulness, which eventually led to a violent outburst that cost Samson his wife and resulted in him seeking vengeance (Judges 14-15).
More notably, the riddle foreshadows his downfall with Delilah.
Samson did not learn from this incident, falling into a wicked trap that would lead to his demise. He would once again fall in-lust with a woman named Delilah who sought to strip him of his strength and turn him over to the Philistines. They captured, tortured, and humiliated Samson. But through a revelatory moment in the middle of the chaos, he called on the Lord.
Judges 16:28-30
New International Version
28 Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” 29 Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, 30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived.
Samson was lustful, deceptive, violent, and vengeful. There were various qualities about Samson that made him a weak man despite his immense physical strength.
However, God was willing to use even a morally flawed and inconsistent man like Samson to deliver His people and fulfill His plans.
Out of the strong, something sweet.
We must look to Christ’s sovereignty. Even when we fall short, He is still at work throughout and in our lives. The Lord’s purpose will always prevail.