Have you ever seen a lion? Perhaps at the zoo? And how did it behave? When I was in South Africa a few years ago, I enjoyed a small safari on a wildlife refuge where we saw a number of lions. Lying placidly under a shade tree they seemed little threat. But when the food truck arrived, they sprang into action with no lack of ferocity in their competition for a meal.
I thought recently of three particular instances where a lion figures in scripture.
1 Peter 5:8 describes the first:
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Make no mistake; we have an enemy on the prowl, looking for easy prey.
A second lion, the Lion of Judah found in Revelation 5:5, refers to Jesus. The scene depicts heaven, the focus a special scroll sealed with seven seals. In all the universe, Jesus alone is found worthy to open it. As He takes the scroll from the right hand of the Father, an incredible scene of worship spontaneously erupts among all present, which includes angels—numbered ten thousand times ten thousand! Assuming this is literal, we are talking about 100 million angels glorifying Jesus with a loud voice!
We find a third lion in Proverbs:
The wicked flee when no one is pursuing,
But the righteous are bold as a lion. (Proverbs 28:1)
Boldness characterizes one who has put his or her faith in Jesus, the Lion of Judah. In Christ, that person is a new creation and has been made righteous (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). And rather than living in anxiety, fear, and dread, the righteous are bold as a lion!
Do you think a bold lion is easy prey? Not likely! That’s why the next verse in 1 Peter 5 describes us resisting the devil, steadfast in the faith. Steadfast is defined as: “Firmly fixed or established; fast fixed; firm; not fickle or wavering; constant; firm; resolute; unswerving.”
So how does the devil attempt to devour his prey? Does he go around snarling and eating people? Actually, he uses more subtle tactics. Our enemy barrages us with thoughts, with temptations, with doubts. He plants ideas and fears and worries in our minds, and when we entertain them, we suffer torment (1 John 4:18 KJV). Then he devours us from the inside out as we allow such cares to consume our joy, our energy, and our health.
Given our new creation righteousness, how should we respond? Submit to the Lion of Judah and resist the devil with the boldness of the lion in whose image you are made! When you resist the devil, he flees. Refuse to dwell on anxious thoughts, and he loses his grip on you. Then in humility, cast every one of your cares on God, because He cares for you (James 4:7, John 15:5, 1 Peter 5:6-7). The more you stand up to the devil–who can only imitate a lion–the more you’ll see lionhearted qualities in yourself!
