WHAT a noble, fine looking animal a lion is! Many wonderful and interesting things could be told about the lion, but the limited space forbids it here. Only a few points will we mention which bring before us God’s wisdom and power in creation and what He will yet do for this world.
The teeth, the tongue and the claws are most interesting and wonderful. The teeth are of a form which permits them to seize and tear their prey, but they do not posses the power of masticating their food after the manner of the vegetable feeders. We are all familiar with the mode in which the domestic cat consumes her food, whether it be a piece of meat which is given to her, or a mouse which she has captured. Instead of the grinding process like with monkeys and many others, she tears the meat into conveniently sized morsels, and then eats the food by a series of pecking bites.
The lion has a tongue similar to a cat. The entire surface is covered with conical projections, which are so curved that their points lie towards the throat, and by this means it can thoroughly strip the bones, leaving them clean. By the present condition of both the teeth and the tongue, we might think it impossible for the lion ever to live on any other kind of food except animal flesh, but Scripture shows us that the time is coming when the Lord Jesus will be reigning all over the world, and Satan will be bound, and at that time the lion will be able to eat straw like the ox. (Isa. 11:77And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. (Isaiah 11:7).)
Another point we may consider is the claw. When the lion is at rest, the upper tendons draw the claw backwards, so that it is lifted from the ground, and the weight of the body rests only on the soft pads which are on the under surface of the foot. But when he gets excited, and thrusts out his paw for the purpose of striking a blow, or clutching his prey, the claw is thrown forward, sharp, and ready for use. In the blessed time I have just mentioned, when the Lord Jesus shall reign, the lion will not use the claw for such a purpose, for the Scripture tells us, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain.” So it is evident that the present condition is a result of sin. Let us not forget, dear children, that anger and quarreling are also on account of sin, and are like the lion in his rage, but we must judge them and put them away from us. The only way to do this is by first having the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, and then counting on Him to keep us, and enable us to manifest what He was while here on earth, in a meek and quiet spirit.
ML 03/12/1916