Judges 14:5–14 Sin: The Lullaby of Death

Judges 14:5–14 Sin: The Lullaby of Death

Introduction: “Sin, the lullaby of death.” When you want to put a baby to sleep, you make them comfortable, dim the lights, and sing them a soft song to ease them into slumber. Sin does the same thing. It makes us comfortable, dulls our senses, and slowly rocks us to sleep—until we’re numb, blind, and enslaved. In this passage, Samson is a clear depiction of how a continued life of sin can put someone “asleep at the wheel.”

Text: Judges 14:5–14

1. Samson Empowered by the Spirit (vv. 5–6)

Samson traveled with his parents to Timnah, and along the way, he encountered a lion. Alone in the vineyard, he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him. But he told no one what he did.

That isolation—and secrecy—starts to show us something. What was he doing alone in the vineyard? We don’t know if he partook of the grapes and broke his Nazirite vow, but we do see the beginning of a pattern: Spirit-empowered, but spiritually numb. Blessed, but disobedient. Gifted, but asleep.

  • Judges 13:5 – Samson was called to be a Nazirite from the womb, set apart for holy use.
  • Ephesians 1:13–14 – Believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit, the guarantee of our inheritance.
  • Romans 7:4–6 – We now serve in the new way of the Spirit, not the old way of the written code.

2. Breaking the Vow (vv. 7–9)

Samson later returned to marry the woman he desired. On the way, he turned aside to the carcass of the lion. Inside it, bees had made honey. He scraped it out with his hands and ate it. He also gave some to his parents but didn’t tell them the source.

The issue was not the honey. It was the dead lion. The Nazirite vow forbade contact with dead bodies. Yet Samson approached it, took what seemed sweet and desirable, and hid it. Temptation often wraps itself in something good—something pleasant—but delivers it in a vessel that is unclean and forbidden. That’s the lullaby: soft and sweet, but deadly.

  • Proverbs 20:17 – “Bread gained by deceit is sweet… but afterward…”
  • Proverbs 9:17–18 – “Stolen water is sweet… but the dead are there.”
  • Proverbs 5:3–5 – “The lips of a forbidden woman drip honey… but in the end she is bitter as wormwood.”
  • Romans 8:13 – “If you live according to the flesh, you will die.”
  • Matthew 16:24–27 – “What will it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

3. Boasting in Rebellion (vv. 10–14)

At his wedding feast, Samson presents a riddle. The riddle is about his sin—about the honey he took from the lion’s corpse. He knows it’s wrong. He hides it. But he also boasts in it. This is the dangerous turn: not only indulging in sin, but boasting in what you know is unholy.

Sin makes us bold in our rebellion and dull in our discernment. We become proud of what should bring us to repentance. We laugh at what should break us. We flaunt what we should mourn.

  • Luke 9:57–62 – Jesus warns that no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.
  • 1 Timothy 1:15–16 – Paul doesn’t boast in his sin—he magnifies the mercy of Christ.

Conclusion

  • If we believe in Jesus, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit who indwells in us.
  • If we follow Jesus, we must carry our cross—not hide sin in our hands.
  • If we know Jesus, we cannot boast in our sin—we must repent and walk in newness of life.
  • “Sin, the lullaby of death,” may sound soft—but it leads to destruction.

Scripture Reference Index

  • Judges 13:5 – The Nazirite vow marked Samson from birth for God’s purposes.
  • Ephesians 1:13–14 – The Holy Spirit seals believers for eternal inheritance.
  • Romans 7:4–6 – Believers are no longer bound to the law, but serve by the Spirit.
  • Proverbs 20:17 – Deceptive gain may taste sweet but ends in pain.
  • Proverbs 9:17–18 – Sin looks good but leads to Sheol.
  • Proverbs 5:3–5 – The path of forbidden desire leads to bitterness and death.
  • Romans 8:13 – Life comes through the Spirit; death comes through the flesh.
  • Matthew 16:24–27 – To follow Jesus means denying self and carrying the cross.
  • Luke 9:57–62 – Jesus calls for full devotion, not half-hearted allegiance.
  • 1 Timothy 1:15–16 – Christ’s mercy saves sinners, not self-justifiers.

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