Honey In The Corpse
by Ray Prinzing

"Behold, a young lion roared against Samson.  And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent the lion as he would have rent a kid. - And after a time he returned behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcass of the lion."
                                                                                                        (Judges 14:5-6,8)

A friend once told us of laying out a situation before the Lord in prayer, when the Spirit spoke to his heart, "Your problem is your answer." Then he began to see that it is this very thing, not just "allowed" by God, but purposed and sent by God into his life, which God would work into good to be the answer to the cry of his heart.  Thus, to be sure, the problem was the answer, only it needed God to rearrange it, to turn it into good.

The raw material might not always seem pleasant nor appear very acceptable to us, but as we learn to receive all things from His hand, we find that "out of the eater came forth the meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness,"  as Samson declared in his riddle to the Philistines.  (Judges 14:14).

The uncircumcised Philistines could not solve the riddle, any more than the present day uncircumcised in heart can begin to comprehend or understand the ways of God.  HE takes the problem, the lion, slays it, works it over, then sends in His ministering servants (the bees), and lo, there is HONEY in the old carcass of the very thing which had apposed us.

The strength of the enemy must fail, and though the roar of the lion might be awesome, and the strength of the beast is terrifying, yet the Spirit of the Lord enables His people to overcome.  Our reliance is not on our own human abilities, strengths, but as it is written, "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. "Zachariah 4:6).  "Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies."  (Psalm 108:13).

The conflict is intense, the lion brought down, and time passes as we go on our way.  Then the situation is brought to mind again and we consider how out of it has come the unfolding wonder of His grace, the sweetness, the honey produced in the very thing which had been our opposition.  Wonderful!