Temptation Tastes Like Honey, but sits in the Carcass of A Lion

Since there are two types of lions and two types of honey, we must learn to distinguish Between Two types of Lion and Honey.  If we learn to distinguish between two types of lions and two types of honey, we will avoid so much pain, see through the lies of temptation before it clamps down it’s deadly jaws on our necks.

One Lion is Lion (Lying)  To You while the other Lion us Lion (Lying) Down for you.

I. One LION is LION (Lying) TO YOU

The Bible warns us that life is filled with lions.  Inside and out. Temptation is like a lion that will hunt you, trick you, and lie to you.  And the inner safari of our own temptations will devour us, if we are not aware of the dangers.   there is a Lion who is Lying to you in order to hunt and kill you.

A.   This Lion Lies With Honey.

If A Lion came at you directly, you would be on guard, have your guns ready to go.  So Temptation is a Lion that attacks with Lies. And these lies come aligned with honey.

There is a character in the Bible named Samson.  He once comes face to face with a lion. When he is attacked by a lion.. and he fights it and kills it!   When a danger comes into our lives, our adrenaline level goes up, our fight response kicks in, we are suddenly fighting against the threat against our faith, family, or future.. And we are fighting it with all we have.

Judges 14: 5 So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him. 6 And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand…

When Samson was in “warrior mode” he was aware of the danger of the Lion.  However, later the same “dead” lion will get him with honey. Then later, Samson is tempted by honey, and give in.   The same guy who fought a lion, will now be sucked into danger through the sweetness of honey.

A little background on Samson. He had made a vow or commitment to God to be a Nazarite, which was a commitment to not cut your hair, drink alcohol, or touch anything dead.  This three fold commitment was a sacred vow to God.  Because of that vow, Nazarites were always careful about “drink,” “Hair cutting” and becoming unclean by touching anything dead.  However,  As Samson heads back this same way a few months later, he comes across this rotting, decaying Lion Corpse.    Immediately he would know NOT to touch it, to avoid it, and to stay away.

8 After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of the lion. 9 He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion.

The Bible says that Samson “saw” the Lion’s carcass… But though he “fought” the lion when it attacked him last time, this time, he knows it’s dead and a violation of his moral code, commitments to God, and promise to stay pure… BUT… a swarm of bees and Honey were in the  carcass.  So, he is tempted. He is drawn in.  He is desirous of the taste of honey…. SO he reaches into the lion’s carcass, and pulls out the honey.  Yuck!!!  And he pulls out enough to “Eat along the way” and then give to others as well.

 This is how temptation works.   It draws us in because it tastes like honey… But really we are eating out of a dead decaying carcass.  Temptation always tastes like honey. We would never “give in” if temptation tasted badly, or poorly.     Notice that Samson saw this was a dead carcass of a lion, but also saw the honey.  Imagine a rotting carcass of a deer on the side of the road after several days. The maggots, the rot, the smell, the stench, the maggots.  This is disgusting.   And yet temptation, like this lion, LIES to us, and tells us to reach in and taste of it’s sweetness.

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