It seemed a bit like the middle of nowhere. On an early fall morning, Mike and I were walking along a dirt road in Crozier Canyon, surrounded by the beautiful scenery of the Hualapai Mountains. It was cold; colder than we had expected, and there was mist falling that threatened to turn into rain.
Despite the cold, we were happy to be there admiring the backdrop and the animals around us. Then suddenly, a sound stopped us in our tracks. It was a low grumble that began to fill the canyon, and we listened as it steadily grew louder. With the echo in the canyon, it was impossible to tell where it was coming from. It was like we could feel the sound in our feet, and it reverberated up through us – into a full-blown roar. It was magnificent.
Mike and I looked at each other in awe.
“Was that a lion or a tiger?” he asked me.
“I don’t know, but if it came running around that bend up ahead, straight toward us, what would you do?”
“Bend over and kiss my butt good-bye!” Mike responded laughingly.
If we had been in the natural wild, the roar would have terrified us, but we were safe in the sanctuary of Keepers of the Wild, https://www.keepersofthewild.org/. And it was the roar of a lion named Rico. You can read about him here, https://www.facebook.com/story.php/?story_fbid=907554474738351&id=100064514209987.
All of the animals at the sanctuary have a backstory that brought them to salvation there.
As we toured the refuge, so much of what we saw and heard caused me to reflect on my own walk with my Lord and Savior. “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.” (Psalm 34:6, ESV.)
In Scripture, Lions are metaphorically used for both good and bad. You can learn about that here, https://www.gotquestions.org/lions-in-the-Bible.html.
A great Scripture reading involving a lion is the story of Samson (Judges 13-16). Samson was a bit unruly or unhinged, if you will, but he was stirred by God (Judges 13:25, ESV). He’s an example of God’s faithfulness to us even through our human unfaithfulness to Him.
Judges Chapter 13 tells us about Samson’s parents, Manoah, and his wife. They were from the tribe of Dan, a people known for their idolatry (Judges Chapter 18). You can learn about Dan here, https://www.gotquestions.org/tribe-of-Dan.html. A thorough reading of these chapters reveals the mixed bag of spirituality that existed during the life of Samson.
Judges Chapter 14 jumps to Samson at an older age, probably in his late teens because he’s ready for marriage. The woman he sets his sights on though doesn’t sit well with his parents (v. 3), but they didn’t know “this was from the LORD” (v. 4). During a family trip to the town where Samson’s woman lived, it came about that Samson killed a lion that came roaring at him (vv. 5-6).
When it came time to marry the Philistine woman, on his return trip, Samson stopped by to see the carcass of the lion he had killed. It had become home to a bee’s nest, filled with honey (v. 8). This represents life coming out of death which is symbolic of Jesus.
Later on, during the marriage feast, Samson told a riddle to the men from his wife’s town who attended the feast (vv. 10-11). He challenged them to a bet, and they had seven days in which to answer the riddle (vv. 12-13).
“Out of the eater came something to eat.
Out of the strong came something sweet.”
Judges 14:14
The men couldn’t figure it out, so they threatened Samson’s wife (Judges 14:15). In turn, she nagged Samson until he caved in and finally told her the answer to the riddle, then she told the men (vv. 16-17). On the seventh day of the feast, the men gave their answer to Samson, along with a riddle of their own (v. 18). Samson lost the bet, but he knew of their deceit and threats to his wife. So, the Spirit of LORD came on Samson and used his anger against the Philistine city of Ashkelon. He killed thirty of their men “and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle” (v. 19).
Samson headed back to his parents’ house after that, and his wife was given to another man (v. 20).
These events led to a snowball effect in Samson’s life which the Lord used in Israel’s favor to tame the Philistines (Judges 15-16).
There are other lions mentioned in Scripture, but the Lion that gets me stirred and shaken is the Lion of Judah.
“Judah is a lion’s cub;
from the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He stooped down; he crouched as a lion
and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?”
Genesis 49:9, ESV
“And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no
more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah,
the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can
open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Revelation 5:5, ESV
Scripture establishes Jesus’ ancestry to the “tribe of Judah” and the “Root of David” (Matthew 1:1-16; Luke 3:23-24). When our Lord and Savior calls His Church home, on earth His wrath will roar, https://www.gotquestions.org/end-times-timeline.html. So Church, listen and watch because…
“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changed, in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will
be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.”
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
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