Psalm 22:12-13   
The bulls of Bashan
     The land of Bashan was a northern, frontier area of Israel that was occupied by half the tribe of Manasseh. It fell on the eastern side of the Jordan and today is part of Syria. Ancient Bashan was renowned for its forests and fertile grazing land and herds of cattle were bred there; there was no bull so powerful or great as a Bashan bull, although these were domesticated animals.
Asiatic lions once prowled from the Middle East to India. Now, only a fraction of these magnificent animals survive in the wild. There were lions in Israel up to the 19th Century when the last of them was killed and today, sadly, they are no more.
What is interesting here is that David takes the most powerful of domestic and wild animals and depicts both of these as angry predators encircling their prey. We must take the analogy to the cross of the Lord Jesus, as has happened in all of this Psalm so far, and wonder what could it mean? The Bible is quite clear in its treatment of wild animals in aligning them with demonic spirits. In Psalm 7:2 we noted, “Demon powers are likened to wild creatures that inhabit desolate locations where men are fearful to go and where feral animals roam with bloodthirsty intent.  It may be imagery but in the spiritual realm there are malignant evil powers that are to be feared!”
If it is not stretching things too far, I think that domesticated demons in men did the work of the devil at the cross and brayed out their triumphant insults at the Son of God, these were intelligent being who should have known better. These were the priests, the rabbis, the scribes and the intelligentsia of Israel; educated, urbane and religious they ganged up against the Son of the God they claimed to serve! As they did their worst Jesus also faced the roaring taunts of the wildest of the Satan’s rabble army, like slavering beasts about to devour their prey, the untamed spiritual powers hounded the Lord God.  2 Peter 5:8 warns us; “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing form in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”
So, let us be in no doubt that the Lord Jesus was under attack from monstrous forces, as He hung on that Roman crucifix. Satan thought he had control of the situation and that this was his ultimate opportunity to thwart God’s plans and to take full control of this planet. He undoubtedly brought out his heavyweight fighters and they bayed for blood at the foot of the cross.  Thank God that Jesus Christ resisted them all, in fact, “He disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” Colossians 2:15. Hallelujah, what a Saviour! What a victory!

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