Vom Trost im Leiden
Honey in the Lion's Mouth
Even when God appears as a terrifying lion in his wrath, the believer finds the sweetness of grace and mercy hidden within the trial.
Honey in the lion.✦ Sweetness in the dreadful was Samson's riddle. Judges 14. God is a lion when he is angry—a terrifying and cruel one. Isa.✦ 38:13. Jer. 17:17. Job. 30:21. Still I find honey with him: that right in the midst of wrath he remembers grace.1 Tell me, when was the Father in heaven at his angriest? When his Son sweated blood in the garden of Gethsemane.2 Yet, even in the middle of that anguish, the Son of God was allowed to cry out to his Father. God's justice is terrifying; his goodness is sweet and joyful. He is terrifying in his Law, kind in his Gospel; terrifying to his enemies, gracious to his friends.3 The devil is a lion, and he roars after our soul as the lion after its prey. 1 Pet. 5:8. He is a terrifying one, when he torments us with frightful thoughts as with fiery arrows.
The Devil's Limited Power
Satan's attempts to harm the believer are ultimately overruled by God, turning the enemy's malice into a means of our salvation.
If I go near him, I still find honey with him; for what can Satan do? This much he can do: he can will.4 He has the will; he wants to harm me; but he cannot manage the ability without God. He cannot come any closer to me than God allows, and he must even advance my salvation against his own will. How hard he worked to bring about the death of Jesus!5 What did he accomplish by that? That the whole world found its life in Jesus who was put to death. How hard he works to throw Peter through the sieve! What did he gain?✦ That Peter, once converted, could strengthen his brothers. I have the promise from God: You will walk on the lion and the adder, and tread on the young lion and the dragon. Ps.6 91:13. And I experience it daily, that God makes his word true when he crushes one devil after another under my feet. Rom. 16.7 I overcome the lion through the blood of the Lamb. Rev. 12.8
Victory Over Death and Fear
The believer can mock death and the roaring enemy, knowing that even the deepest trials are transformed into a peaceful journey through Christ.
Isn't that a great deal? The lion has to fear the Lamb. Death is a lion when he breaks every bone, a king of terrors; yet he carries with him his honey and what is comforting.9 I may mock him and say: Death, where is your sting? Can you bite? He can bite however he likes—through storm, hail, lightning, thunder, devil, or hell; for me, he must be a journey of peace when I die in the Lord.10 My enemy charges at me like a roaring lion when he threatens terribly and pounds away; still, I find sweetness in what is terrifying. He has to exalt me even while he tries to bring me low. He draws many a sigh from me. With one little sigh I put a hundred thousand devils to flight. So take heart.
Read the original Latin
Honig im Löwen.
Süßigkeit im Schrecklichen, war Simsons Räthsel Richt. 14. Gott ist ein Löwe, wenn er zürnt, ein Schrecklicher und Grausamer Esa. 38, 13. Jer. 17, 17. Hiob. 30, 21.
Dennoch sind ich Honig bei ihm, daß er mitten im Zorn an Gnade gedenkt. Sag mir, wann ist der Vater im Himmel am allerzornigsten gewesen? da sein Sohn im Delgarten Blut schwitzte. Dennoch hat der Sohn Gottes mitten in solcher Angst zu seinem Vater schreien dürfen. Schrecklich ist Gottes Gerechtigkeit, süß und erfreulich seine Güte; schrecklich ist er in seinem Gesetz, freundlich in sei nem Evangelio; schrecklich den Feinden, holdselig den Freunden. Der Teufel ist ein Löwe und brüllt nach unsrer Seele, wie der Löwe nach dem Raub 1 Petr. 5, 8. ein schrecklicher, wenn er uns mit schreckhaften Gedanken als mit feurigen Pfeilen ängstet.
Geh ich hinzu, find ich doch noch, Honig bei ihm; denn was vermag Satan? das vermag er, daß er will. Er hat das wollen, er will mir schaden; aber das können vermag er nicht ohne Gott. Er darf mir nicht näher treten als Gott zuläßt; und muß dazu mein Heil befördern auch wider seinen Willen. Wie saur ließ er sich's werden, daß er Jesum zum Tode brächte! was richtete er damit aus? daß alle Welt in dem getödteten Jesu ihr Leben fand. Wie bemüht er sich, Petrum durch's Sieb zu werfen!
was gewann er? daß Petrus bekehrt seine Brüder stärken konnte. Ich hab die Verheißung von Gott: Auf den Löwen und Ot tern wirst du gehen und treten auf den jungen Löwen und Drachen Ps. 91, 13. , und erfahre es täglich, daß Gott sein Wort wahr macht, wenn er einen Teufel nach dem andern zertritt unter meine Füße Röm. 16. Ich überwinde den Löwen durch des Lammes Blut Offenb. 12.
Ist's nicht viel? der Löwe muß sich vor'm Lamm fürchten. Ein Löwe ist der Tod, wenn er alle Gebeine zerbricht, ein König des Schreckens; doch führt er bei sich sein ' Honig und was tröstlich ist. Ich darf sein spotten und sagen: Tod wo ist dein Stachel? kannst du beißen? er mag beißen wie er will, durch Sturm Hagel Blitz Donner Teufel Hölle; mir muß er eine Friedensfahrt sein, wenn ich im HErrn sterbe. Mein Feind setzt auf mich zu wie ein brüllender Löwe, wenn er erschrecklich dräut und pocht; ich finde dennoch Süßigkeit im schrecklichen. Er muß mich erhöhen, indem er mich zu erniedrigen sucht.
Er preßt mir manchen Seufzer aus. Mit einem Seuszerlein jage ich hundert tausend Teufel in die Flucht. Drum unverzagt.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Judg.14.8-Judg.14.14 — After some time had passed, he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and behold, a swarm of bees were in the body of the lion, and there was honey. Judg.14.9 — He scooped some of it into his hands and went on, eating as he went. Then he went to his father and mother and gave them some, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion. Judg.14.10 — And his father went down to the woman, and Samson made a feast there, for so the young men used to do. Judg.14.11 — And when they saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. Judg.14.12 — Then Samson said to them, 'Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can tell me the answer during the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.' Judg.14.13 — And if you cannot tell it to me, then you shall give to me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing. And they said to him, "Pose your riddle, and let us hear it." Judg.14.14 — And he said to them, "From the eater came something to eat, and from the strong came something sweet." But they could not solve the riddle for three days.
- ↩Isa.38.13 — I composed myself until morning; like a lion he breaks all my bones — from day to night you bring me to an end.
- ↩Luke.22.31-Luke.22.32 — Simon, Simon—look—Satan has demanded to sift you like wheat. Luke.22.32 — But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.
Notes
- 1 ↩Source reads 'Dennoch sind ich Honig'; neighboring section 4 has 'find ich ... Honig bei ihm', and ch. 30's Samson riddle (honey from the terrible) makes 'find ich' the intended reading. Translated that sense.
- 2 ↩'Delgarten' is a print/OCR corruption of 'Ölgarten' (oil garden / Mount of Olives); rendered as the garden of Gethsemane where Christ sweat blood.
- 3 ↩Source splits 'seinem' as 'sei nem' before 'Evangelio'; joined as 'seinem Evangelio' / 'his Gospel'.
- 4 ↩German nominalizes capacity as will alone: 'das vermag er, daß er will' — Satan's power here is limited to wanting, not accomplishing.
- 5 ↩Idiom 'sich's sauer werden lassen' means to go to great pains / work oneself hard; rendered as 'how hard he worked'.
- 6 ↩Source reads 'Ot tern' (split); rendered as Ottern, 'adder/viper', matching Psalm 91:13.
- 7 ↩Source gives only chapter '16.' after 'Röm.'; the crushing-under-feet promise is commonly Romans 16:20, but the verse number is not printed here.
- 8 ↩Source gives only chapter '12.' after 'Offenb.'; the blood-of-the-Lamb victory is commonly Revelation 12:11, but the verse number is not printed here.
- 9 ↩Normalized source has a stray mark before Honig (sein ' Honig); rendered as 'his honey' (seinen Honig), the natural reading in context of honey found in the lion.
- 10 ↩Friedensfahrt rendered as 'journey of peace' (peaceful passage into death), not a modern political 'peace mission'.
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