Lions 🦁

 A few thoughts on lions...

📖 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

The lion is the devil/evil. 

And what does God do with that?

📖 16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, Your Majesty.” Daniel 6:16+22

He closed their mouths so their was no devouring!

He shut the evil down.

And through out the old testament lions were slain in feats of bravery and heroic deeds.

📖 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,  I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.  1 Samuel 17:34-35

📖 Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done.

Judges 14:5-6

📖 Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 2 Samuel 23:20

Then.....

📖 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”  Revelation 5:5

📖 “Judah, our brothers will praise you;
    your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
    your father’s sons will bow down to you.
9 You are a lion’s cub, Judah;
    you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
    like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
    nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he to whom it belongs hall come
    and the obedience of the nations shall be his.

Genesis 49:8-10

Jesus gave us a different image of a Lion!

• Jesus is called the Lion of Judah because he fulfills the prophetic words mentioned in Genesis 49:9.
• Being called the Lion of Judah means that Jesus not only sacrificed himself for our sins but will also come to rule over the world.  [https://christianpure.com/learn/why-is-jesus-called-the-lion-of-judah/]

And my favorite imagery comes from CS Lewis' depiction of Aslan, who is described as the King of Beasts and the King above all High Kings in Narnia. He is regal and noble, who sacrifices himself for Edmund. 

He fights Evil, represented by the White Witch.

That is how I see a lion now.  The One who protects and sacrifices and devours all that tries to destroy good. 

God changes the evil to what is pure!

📖 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:20

🙏🏼 Oh God our Great Lion Of Judah, thank you for Your ever present protection and care. Thank you for defeating evil so that those of us who believe can have eternal life and gather around Your throne.❤️