Samson (3)—Keeping a Secret - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2026

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. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done … he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion.

Samson’s wife wept on him, and said, “You only hate me! You do not love me! You have posed a riddle to the sons of my people, but you have not explained it to me.” And he said to her, “Look, I have not explained it to my father or my mother; so should I explain it to you?”
Judges 14:6, 9 ; Judges 14:16

Samson (3)—Keeping a Secret
Going down to Timnah again, Samson was met by a lion. When it roared at him, he tore it apart barehanded. Sometime later he found bees and honey in the lion’s carcass. He took some, ate it and gave some to his parents. He used the incident to propound a riddle to the thirty Philistine companions at his wedding feast, wagering with them that they would not be able to solve it.

He did not tell his parents about killing the lion or about the origin of the honey he gave them; Scripture makes a point of this. By contrast, our Lord Jesus when questioned, said, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing” (Jn. 18:20). A lack of openness about his life is dangerous for a Christian. It often stems from a bad conscience. We all are accountable to God, but we are also accountable one to another. A young person is accountable to his or her parents. “None of your business” is never a good answer for a Christian to give when questioned about something in his life. We are members of the body of Christ and thus members one of another.

From keeping secrets from his parents, Samson went on to keep the riddle’s answer from his wife. This resulted in an unhappy wedding feast, a weeping wife, and a broken marriage. Openness between husband and wife is an absolute essential for the mutual trust that is a vital constituent of every happy marriage.

Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.