Revisiting Past Successes Can Be Dangerous

It seemed to come out of nowhere. He had been traveling with his parents but just now he was ‘alone’ and that’s often when it happens. It wasn’t a groundhog that leapt out of the bushes or a fox. It was nothing less than a young, aggressive lion. As important as the preservation of endangered species is, when you’re walking alone and one of those cats decide you look like ‘dinner’, its time to think quick and act decisively.

Samson was en route to see his girlfriend. He was a young man whose love for women was his downfall. But that’s another story! His potential downfall right at the moment wasn’t walking on two legs. This one had four and beneath those padded paws were sharp claws that could sink 1.5 inches into flesh and then tear and rip as required. Photogenic but not friendly. A set of 30 rugged, deeply rooted carnivorous teeth and powerful jaws were greased with saliva in anticipation. Lions don’t chew. They ‘swallow’ chunks of raw meat. It was just such an encounter that young Samson had.

There’s no mention of Samson’s gym membership or how many pounds he could bench press. In fact, he probably just looked like a physically fit guy – not like one of those bulky, muscle-bound beefcakes on steroids. His strength was supernatural strength provided as required by the Lord Himself. And this was precisely one of those moments. Samson grabbed the lower jaw and then with a powerful yank he tore the lion to shreds.

For some reason he didn’t bother to tell his parents. Maybe he thought that would be boasting. After all, it wasn’t his own strength that enabled him to do it. It was the Lord’s strength. To go around sharing the incredible encounter might have been construed as tooting his own horn.

Some days later, he was passing near the place where it had happened. Why he turned aside to revisit the dead lion, we don’t know. “Samson, why?”  Was he feeling down and wanted to gloat for a few minutes over his past victory? “But Samson, it wasn’t ‘your’ victory. The Lord enabled you to do it. Don’t live off past victories – don’t turn aside. Keep moving on for the Lord.”

And Samson…. “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.”

(Judges 14:8-9)

There he stands over the dried up, shriveled carcass.

“Excuse me Samson. Remember you are a Nazarite. One requirement in your vow to the Lord is to stay away from carcasses. You’re not to be near dead things.”

But there he stands over the carcass. Bees had set up shop in the carcass and were manufacturing honey. The honey was so tempting – even if he had to reach in past the swarming bees and come in contact with the bones of the dead lion to lift out some sweet honey. And yes, it tasted delicious. Just as sweet as one would expect.

He ended up sharing the honey with his parents but he had a big secret. He didn’t tell them he had violated his Nazarite’s vow. Had he left his victory over the lion with the Lord and kept focused on doing future exploits for the Lord, rather than turning aside and revisiting the past, he would have been preserved from this temptation and sin.

The Apostle Paul said: “…this one thing I do,

forgetting those things which are behind,

and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

 (Philippians 3:13-14)

Only visit the past long to learn from your mistakes or long enough to say: “Ebenezer: Hitherto has the Lord help me.” (1Samuel 7:12) and then get going!