“Stop weeping; behold, that lion that is from the tribe of Judah…..has overcome” (Revelation 5:5)
When I think of lions, I can’t help but think of a very catchy tune I remember from when I was young. “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” is a song originally written and recorded in 1939. It is a song with lyrics that seem to take up residence in your mind and linger over the years. But lions also make me think of the iconic face of a lion at the beginning of MGM’s films. One that devoured the entire screen. That large cat filled the theater with a roar that bellowed, “Pay attention!”
But for me, my favorite lion is Aslan. The lion that depicts Jesus Christ in C.S. Lewis classic “The Chronicles of Narnia.” Especially the part where Beaver famously says of him, “He isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you…..He’s wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.” That statement tells us something about our God that we perhaps might at times forget. Our God is not our pet deity we can throw bones at to get what we want. His roar reminds us that he is King of all Kings. His roar reminds us that he is to be feared and revered. His roar reminds us that he has the power to crush his foes and deliver his followers.
Amos is one of those minor prophets whose book is neatly stuffed in the end pages of the Old Testament. One that few people remember to read or study. But we should not take what Amos had to say lightly. In the days of Amos, the Asiatic lion still roamed the hills and woods of Israel. Since Amos was a herdsman, he would often have heard the lions roar thunder through the silence of the night as he nestled with his flock. Perhaps that is why he begins his prophetic book with the words, “The Lord roars from Zion and thunders from Jerusalem.” (Amos 1:2)
Amos point is this: Cover your ears or bury your head in the sand. Try to act deaf to God’s roar – it matters not. His roar will be heard. It will be heard through the words of the mouths of prophets. It will be heard through the testimony of his disciples. It will be heard through the witness of his followers. It will be heard through the pages of Scripture. Ignore him if you insist. Turn you head from him if you wish. But the truth is, we serve a God who will be heard. A God who will have the last word. A God who is the Lion of Judah. A God who has overcome all for his saints. And that, my friends, is why He is not safe to some.
Darlene