Sweet Victory!

Based on Judges 13-15, Luke 6:27-49

"Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnah, and came to the vineyards of Timnah: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion." Judges 14:5‭-‬8.

Samson was a man who was separated unto The Lord since birth. The life God had in mind for him started with a miraculous encounter by an angel to Samson's mother. She was to be careful what she consumed while pregnant with Samson in order to preserve him for service to The Lord! Just goes to show our purpose really does start in the womb, and the plan is made long before!

Samson's younger life was victorious against his enemies. Later on, he does get lost in his own ways, but in the beginning we can see that he had many sweet victories! In the above Scriptures, it states that he beat up a lion with his own two hands! Then, if that wasn't sweet enough, God allowed honey to be in the carcass of the lion!

This was just a little reminder that while Samson's strength was great, it was ultimately God who gave him the victory-Samson couldn't have made that honey appear-and remember, God was the one who designed Samson's strength for His purposes in the first place! This is something Samson should have remembered in the long run, but again, we'll get to that later! ;)

"And he was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised? But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof En–hakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day. And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years." Judges 15:18‭-‬20.

Samson was brought to the Philistines by the children of Judah because there was so much tension between them and the Philistines because of Samson. When he got there, he took the jawbone of a donkey and killed a thousand men! Samson knew it was God who allowed him to have that sweet victory...but he didn't remember the honey! He thought he would die of thirst! We have to remember that if God did it once, He will do it again! So God caused water to flow from that jawbone!

"Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great." Luke 6:47‭-‬49.

All our accomplishments, our sweet victories, are made possible by & through Jesus! He is The Rock who allows us to stand through the storm! He alone not only causes us to win, but he sustains us and strengthens us for the next battle-sometimes with a little honey & a little water! Samson was a strong man at first because he was founded upon The Rock of The Word of God, but later on, this same strong man becomes like the house on the sand. He loses his purpose. We must pray into our purpose as we pursue our daily walk with The Lord! It's the only way to experience sweet victory! And just as Samson's was given since birth, our birth was always meant to lead us to a new birth!

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Acts 2:38.