The Queen and Her Court

by Missy Grant

“Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion's carcass. In it was a swarm of bees and some honey” Judges 14:8

Ok, I admit, that is an odd scripture to open a devotional with, but lets see where the Lord takes us.

I like bees (as long as they don’t sting me). I do not like wasps, or yellow jackets or hornets, but bees….they hold a different spot in my heart. I think it has much to do with Winnie The Pooh and his ongoing desire to meet his hunger needs with pots (or paws full) of the golden syrup. Winnie….he has had many adventures in his pursuit of the sticky, flower scented drippings from the bees. I have not given much thought to bees lately. As a matter of fact, I have not given them any thought until last evening. Why this evening you ask? Well, all the bees in the universe descended onto the trampoline in my backyard. I do not exaggerate. Apparently the queen decided to take an afternoon siesta on our springy, black mat of fun and every bee within shouting distance came to party.

There have been several suggestions made on how to break up the party of fun taking place in the backyard – everything from call your local exterminator (you do not want to know the cost…), to “Let’s blast them with the hose”, to the calmer…”leave them be (no pun intended). They will swarm again and leave”. Seriously, if the queen doesn’t take her royal backside to a castle fit for her majesty, I may just be the one with the water hose.

As I was having a brief meltdown, the Lord reminded me of the story of Samson and the bees which took up residence in a lion carcass. A carcass that was created when Samson killed the lion as it attacked him in a vineyard. There was a slight problem with Samson and this lion. Samson had taken the vow of a Nazirite and was forbidden to touch the carcass of this animal. He not only touched it, but ate sweet honey from the hive of bees which had taken up residence in the carcass. Then to make matters worse, he withheld this information from his parents and shared the honey with them.

It made me ask the question, what in your life are you “hiding”? What seemingly inconsequential act, word, or behavior has you eating honey out of a forbidden container? What are the results of your eating out of the forbidden container? Hmmnn…now we are hitting the heart. You know the expression, “confession is good for the soul.” Well, confession is necessary soul food - confession between you and the Lord that is. He desires for you to walk in His ways, but when we stumble, he has provided the path back to Him…also known as the blood of Christ. It is time to stop hiding.

Try this… “Lord, you know my heart, you know my contrary ways, you know my ‘hiding’ place. Help me this day Lord, to not hide from you. Let me taste the fruits of Your Spirit – the fruits that set me free. Thank you Lord. For how your creation reminds us that there is only one way to the hive…and that is through the blood of your precious Son. Amen.”