There are animals which have friendly, harmless and gentle natures, but there are also animals, like the lion, which may be vicious and threatening. Thinking about this, it is well to consider as people which kind of nature we have. The Bible tells us “There are many devices [thoughts] in a man’s heart” (Prov. 19:2121There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. (Proverbs 19:21)), but it encourages us to seek wisdom “That thou mayest walk in the way of good men.” Proverbs 2:2020That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. (Proverbs 2:20). The Bible calls the devil “a roaring lion” and an enemy of those who would live godly lives. We can only be pleasing to God if His love is in our hearts and our faith is in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is He who gives us a new nature enabling us to please Him.
Lions, which are among the fiercest of animals, live in Africa, southern Asia and India. Six to twenty of them live together in a group called a “pride." When hidden in tall grass or rocks, they are hard to spot. Hunters have sometimes almost walked into such a group before seeing them. Like a pussycat snoozing on a carpet, they are naturally lazy and do not like to exert themselves. Perhaps this helps them live to the ripe age of 18 to 20 years. Do you think God cares about them? Yes, He certainly does. He cares for all His creation. The opening Bible verse shows that He has taught even lions to care for their young.
A lioness, leaving the pride for a while, may have two, three or four cubs (whelps) each year. The cubs weigh only a pound at birth, and the mother nurses and trains them for about three months before returning to the pride. Then she and other mothers take turns baby-sitting for each other. If the young do not do as their mother wants, they often will get picked up by the loose skin at the back of their necks. Or sometimes she will put the baby’s whole head in her mouth, and her big, sharp teeth miraculously do not harm it.
At five or six months they accompany their parents to a “kill” and learn to eat flesh. Soon the mother teaches them to stalk and capture their own prey. Female cubs stay with the pride, but when a male is four years old it is driven out to join other outcasts who wander and hunt together. A year later his mane appears, and finding one or more female companions he will then start his own pride.
A full-grown male, weighing 500 pounds, may stand four feet high and measure eight to ten feet from his nose to the end of his tufted tail. He is a handsome animal dressed in buff-yellow with a shaggy mane and penetrating eyes. All these combine to make him look peaceful, but this can be quite deceiving! The female is smaller and has no mane. Strong animals, they can carry in their mouths animals twice their own weight.
The big male is famous for his frightening roar. With his mouth close to the ground, he bellows loudly, terrifying nearby animals so that they leap up and run... but in vain, for the lion soon catches them. How we need God’s warning to us: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:88Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8).
(To be continued)
ML-04/29/1984