U 129 The riddle of life

Uni-verse 129/10,000 For better through verse Judges 14 v 14
Jdg 14:14 And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.

Samson's riddle is in fact the riddle of life. If we have understood this riddle, we have understood the riddle of life. Out of the killer came forth sweetness. The dead lion is our defeated foe, Satan who is today called the " roaring lion". There is no animal as strong and fierce as a lion. Satan likewise is a powerful killer, a subtle thief and a violent robber. Who doesn't desire long life on earth and eternal life thereon, good health, financial prosperity,marital bliss, blessings on our children,leaving a material, intellectual and spiritual legacy to them, security,a good reputation lasting and true friends and so on? But, Satan has plans to attack each of these desires. Satan combines the strength of a lion with the stealth, cunning and subtlety of a serpent. As Jesus said - he seeks to steal, kill and destroy. He attempts to steal our peace, our unity and our joy. He seeks to kill our hopes and destroy our souls. But, just as Samson with his bare hands killed the lion, the "Lion of Zion" , Jesus Christ has defeated and destroyed the plans of our powerful foe. By His grace, He has now called us to be overcomers. The Lion of Zion in contrast to the deceitful lion Satan desires to fulfill our natural and supernatural desires and needs. As Scripture says, " A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul." It is, in fact much sweeter than the best of honey.

Anything and everything that Satan throws at us, Jesus turns it into a source of spiritual nourishment and strength like honey nourishes our bodies. The promises of God contained in His Word are the honey and the Bible is the honeycomb. We must relish and enjoy each promise of God as if it is wild honey that has been taken out of the carcass of our defeated foe. We may be currently undergoing huge attacks of the enemy in our lives but the image of the dead lion( our present trouble) with a bee hive in its carcass, hanging on its very ribs, dripping with honey, should encourage us to hold on till we have ultimate victory.

This uni-verse is also a symbol of the communion, the Lord's table where we partake of the bread( the body of Christ) and the sweetness of wine. We have victory both immediate and ultimate over the "roaring lion" and all his attacks on our spirit, mind and body. Samson was empowered by the Holy Spirit to kill the lion- similarly, we too, must seek to be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Those who believe in the Name of Jesus have indeed resolved the riddle of life. We can now face the remaining unresolved and unanswered questions and challenges that come our way with the power of the Name of Jesus, the Blood of Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit and the promises of the Word of God.

Prateep V Philip