Psalm 17:10 - 12 
The Lion of Judah
  This entire Psalm describes the heart-cry of an innocent man appealing to a merciful Judge. David is setting out his case, by firstly declaring his innocence in verses 1-5 and then by appealing to the loving heart of God who is his attentive protector.  Sometimes, in life, there is no one else to turn to. We may, like Job, appeal to close companions and friends but even they do not understand the seriousness of the threat.  As the enemy stranglehold intensifies and we realise that we are powerless to defend ourselves there is only one Court of Appeal left. And so, David sets out his complaint and the cause of his terror; my enemies: -
·      Are out to destroy me
·      Surround me
·      Close up their callous hearts [literally “they are enclosed in their own fat”]
·      Speak arrogantly with their mouths
·      Have tracked me down and encircle me
·      Intend to throw me down with malice aforethought
·      Are behaving like a hungry lion, lying in wait for its prey


This last picture depicts lions as ferocious predators, greedy and, by nature, brutal, cunning hunters ever stealthily preparing to pounce on their unwary prey.  In the Scriptures they are not domestic pets but wild animals to be feared above all others.  Surely then, the lion is a picture of the Satan whose behaviour is very lion-esque?  In 1 Peter 5:8 we read, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” It is a paradox that the lion is a familiar symbol of Christ for many Christians and organisations, and we sing songs about the Lion of Judah and get sentimental over CS Lewis’s depiction of Christ as a lion called Aslan, in the Chronicles of Narnia. The symbol first comes up when Jacob blesses his sons and in Genesis 49:9 he refers to Judah as, “A lion’s cub, you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness – who dares to rouse him?” This blessing conjures up the idea of brute-power and the lion was feared then, as it is now, and for centuries Judah and its leaders were to be feared. There is no hint here of a Lion of Judah; rather Judah is a lion. Perhaps then, it is no surprise that when the Lion of the tribe of Judah is mentioned in Revelation 5:5 it is as one who will open the scroll of earth’s judgements and its seven seals. The lion here is not a symbol of Christian dominion and triumph but one of earth’s doom and destruction. Jesus will take on the role of a hunter, his prey will be the wicked, His judgements will cause their destruction. The lion became a symbol for the Ethiopians who see themselves as the descendants of Judah and was adopted by followers of Haile Selassie as an emblem of the Rastafarian movement.  The lion is never mentioned again in the Scriptures, much of the rest of Revelation is occupied with the Lamb!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 4:1 Smear campaigns

Psalm 4:1    Smear campaigns   The background to this Psalm is so familiar; David is being slandered and maligned by his detractors.  It seems that some calamity has befallen the nation and the king is getting the blame! Lies are being told, a smear campaign has begun, and the reputation of the Sovereign is under threat.  As usual, if something goes wrong, culpability is laid at the feet of the one in charge.  David, quite rightly, turns to the Lord his God and prays for relief and for mercy. The Satan is a master of such campaigns and his emissaries gleefully turn on Christians in leadership positions although the whispering campaign can affect all of us. The whispering starts in our own heads, but it can also come from the lips of our detractors. It goes something like this: - You’re the reason it went wrong You messed up again You should have seen it coming Surely you know better You are not worthy You don’t know what you’re doing Someone else ought to be in c
Read more

Psalm 74:16

Psalm 74:16 God established the sun and the moon “ In  the beginning   God created   the heavens   and the earth.   2  Now the earth was formless   and empty,   darkness was over the surface of the deep,   and the Spirit of God   was hovering over the waters. 3  And God said,   “Let there be light,” and there was light.   4  God saw that the light was good,   and he separated the light from the darkness.   5  God called   the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”   And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.” These, so familiar, words from Genesis 1 remind us of who is in charge! There would be no light without God. There would be no day or night without God. There would be no earth without God. And there would have been no living things unless God had created order out of chaos. The sun, moon and stars would not be fixed in their orbits without God and you and I would not exist unless He ordered our conception. It is because we see God as glorious, righteous
Read more
Psalm4:8        I will lie down and sleep                Th ere are times, in the life of all believers, when we no longer have control of situations. We can do nothing more. We have given our all, we have tried every possible solution and now it is out of our hands. As someone has wisely said, “It is time to let go and let God.” If we truly trust Him, if our faith will allow us, we can turn our backs on our enemies. We can block our ears to the threats. We can ignore the lies and the deceit and say,  “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone Lord, make me dwell in safety.” I should imagine that the devil, having sent a hurricane our way is not amused, when we settle in our beds in the midst of it all and drift off into a peaceful sleep! But that is our right and privilege once we let the Lord God Almighty take control. These spiritual attacks are like whirlwinds, they blow with terrifying intensity and threaten to turn us upside down; the disciples witnessed one of thes
Read more