“Hands Full of Honeycomb”
This drawing, depicting Sampson’s hands full of honeycomb, turned out to be one of my favorites to learn about. This small detail of his story, carrying honeycomb that he found from the body of the lion he had killed, was one that had never stuck out to me before. For whatever reason this time, though, it deemed itself worthy of further research. To my surprise, it turned out to be the perfect picture of a topic that I have been researching and pondering over the past month; God’s place in our suffering. In Judges 14: 8-9 ESV, Sampson had returned to the place where he had killed a lion that had attacked him with his bare hands. It states, “…And he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. He scraped it out into his hands and went on, eating as he went. And he came to his father and mother and gave some to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey from the carcass of the lion.” Although a small detail, there are layers to this story. It displays the believer’s conflicts, the sweet side of living for Jesus, and what our freedom in Christ leads us to do.
As a result of the fall of man through Adam and Eve’s disobedience, sin and suffering came into the world. Because men decided through our free will to rebel against God, we now have to face countless trials, conflicts, and sufferings in this life. Through these verses in Judges, we can see one of these conflicts Sampson faced in having to kill a lion that had come to attack him. I, like so many others, always tended to see this suffering as a death sentence with no end in sight. Although in this life we will continue to go through suffering, that is not the complete picture. Although I am never thankful for it when going through it, looking back I have come to appreciate it. It brought me to the end of myself and relying on my own strength to instead, the feet of Jesus and complete dependence on Him. Although in the moment it is hard to look at any amount of suffering in a positive light, Jesus can turn it for our good, growing us in character and trust in Him. He often does not change our circumstances, but He changes us through them.
Charles Spurgeon in his sermon, Hands full of Honey, states,
“Helped by the Spirit of God, the believer’s victory will be complete: the lion shall not be driven away, but rent in pieces. Girt with the Spirit’s power, our victory shall be as easy as it will be perfect: Samson rent the lion as though it were a little lamb, or a kid of the goats. Well said Paul, “I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me.” Sin is soon overcome, temptations are readily refused, affliction is joyfully borne, persecution is gladly endured when the Spirit of glory and of peace resteth upon us. “With God all things are possible;” and as the believer s with God, it cometh to pass that all things are possible to him that believeth” (Spurgeon, 1883).
One of the many beautiful things about having a relationship with Jesus is that although we go through suffering, we do not have to go through any of it alone. He is able to strengthen us and sustains us through it. If it was not for God giving Sampson this supernatural strength, he would not have been able to kill this lion on his own, but with God he was able to defeat it with no other weapon in his hands.
Although the Christian walk has its conflicts, it also has its sweetness. This can be symbolized through the honeycomb found in the body of the lion. Even going through the trial, we have a joy that we can carry that is not dependent on earthly circumstances and a peace that doesn’t make sense. Concerning this, Spurgeon in his sermon states,
“Of these joys there is plenty; for Samson found, as it were, a living spring of honey, since he discovered a swarm of bees. So abundant was the honey that he could take huge masses of the comb and carry it in his hands, and go away with it, bearing it to others. In the love of Christ, in pardoned sin, in acceptance in the Beloved, in resting in God, in perfectly acquiescing in his will, in the hope of heaven, there is such joy that none can measure it. We have such a living swarm of bees to make honey for us in the precious promises of God, that there is more delight in store than any of us can possibly realize. There is infinitely more of Christ beyond our comprehension than we have as yet been able to comprehend. How blessed to receive of his fulness, to be sweetened with his sweetness, and yet to know that infinite goodness still remains” (Spurgeon, 1883).
This life will not look like abundant blessings and a stress-free life, but the freedom from that lion called sin that is found in Christ alone is more than enough honey to sustain us. He is all we need and there is such joy to be found in following Him.
Now that we have found this honey, what are we to do with it? Sampson models this perfectly in after partaking of the honeycomb himself, he carried it to others. We as Christians should follow suit in sharing this sweet gift that we have found with those around us. Sampson did not find the honeycomb and keep it all for himself, but had an abundance of it and shared it. Likewise, we should share the gospel and this freedom that can be found with others until all have heard. Jesus came to the earth and lived as a perfect man, committing no sin. Out of His abundant love for us, He died the death that we deserve as an atonement for our sins. All that we have to do to receive this gift of salvation is repent of our sins and follow Him. Matthew 28:18-20 ESV states, ‘And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you always, to the end of the age.”
References
Spurgeon, C. H. (1883, January 28). Hands full of Honey. The Spurgeon Center. https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/hands-full-of-honey/#flipbook/
