Past Victories

"When he returned later to take her, he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the body of the lion. So he scraped the honey into his hands and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it; but he did not tell them that he had scraped the honey out of the body of the lion." -Judges 14.8-9

Time has passed since the battle with the lion that Samson has never mentioned. He is returning to Timnah to marry the Philistine woman and on the way there he makes a detour to look at the lion's corpse. Inside the body a swarm of bees has made a home and Samson scraps honey out of it, breaking part of his Nazirite vow, to never touch a dead body. He is focused on the past, which pulls his attention from the present and causes him to fall.

When we are so focused on the glory days we lose sight of the moment. Samson was drawn to the lion's body, and because of it he ended up breaking his vow.

Men, do you live in the past? Are you still focused on the glory days of the past? The high school championship you won. The way your church grew forty years ago. What are you missing out on now? What is God wanting to do in your life that He can't because you aren't living in the moment? What is God trying to protect your from that you'll fall into because you're not looking ahead?

Let us not fall into the same trap Samson did. Let us be strengthened by the past victories, but may we never be led astray by them.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor