"And David said... there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of [my father's] flock: and I went out... and... slew both the lion and the bear." 1 Sam. 17:34-3634And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 35And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 36Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. (1 Samuel 17:34‑36).
What a good shepherd David was to risk his life for a lamb! This reminds us of the Lord Jesus who said, "I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep." John 10:1111I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (John 10:11). David was spared from being killed, but the Lord Jesus willingly gave His life for His sheep (those who know Him as their Savior).
An 800-pound, 8-foot grizzly bear is a vicious animal. It is found mostly in Montana's Glacier National Park, Wyoming's Yellowstone Park, western Canada and Alaska. Its large body and head, six-inch claws at the end of short, strong legs, and sharp teeth all make it an animal to stay far away from. But it does not start life that way. Born while its mother is hibernating, it weighs less than a pound and is hairless and blind. Two or three months later, leaving the winter den with its mother, it will be about the size of a raccoon. By the end of summer it will be about as big as a collie dog.
Once they are old enough to go outside the den, cubs are full of fun, wrestling with each other, sliding in the snow, and climbing slender trees until they bend or break with their weight. But it is not only the cubs that like to play. Big grizzlies will also slide down snow slopes, climb back up and slide down again, just for the fun of it. Sometimes they tumble and roll down grassy hillsides in the same way.
By the end of summer the grizzlies are fat and lazy, but not too lazy to prepare a den in a rocky hillside or under the roots of a big tree. There they make a bed of soft tree branches, which they haw brought in with their mouths, sometimes lining the den with grass as well. All grizzlies in a given area enter their dens on the same day, and all dens face toward the north. Do you suppose they get together and plan this? No, of course not. These are God-given instincts. He knows just when they should retire for the winter. He also knows that before winter is actually over there will be short warm spells, causing the snow on southern slopes to melt a little. A bear waking up and hearing this trickle of water would leave its den too soon and be in difficulty with no food ready for it. But the short warm spells do not affect the cold northern slopes, and the bears remain undisturbed. How wisely the Creator takes care of even grizzlies!
Coming out after five months' sleep, thin and hungry, they immediately search for food. This first meal might be a large animal that died during the winter, its body preserved by the cold. But they are not particular. Small rodents, fish, ants, berries, etc. are welcome. Cow parsnips are a favorite, and hikers are warned to stay away from mountain slopes where these grow... grizzlies do not like intruders!
The Lord Jesus, as Creator, never neglects any of His creatures, small or great. But His special care over men, women, boys and girls includes this promise to those who love Him: "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish." John 10:2828And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:28). Why would anyone turn away from such love?