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Dutch I. The Divine Lion: God’s Majesty and Power
These verses portray God the Father and Christ the Son in the imagery of a lion, symbolizing their ultimate authority, power, and righteous might.
Revelation 5:5
“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.’”
Reflection: All of heaven is weeping because no one is worthy to enact God’s plan for redemption. The solution isn’t a diplomat or a strategist, but a Lion who is also a Lamb. This reveals the paradox at the heart of divine strength. True, world-altering power is found not in brute force alone, but in sacrificial love that conquers death and despair. To feel secure in this Lion is to trust that His victory over our deepest chaos is already complete.
Genesis 49:9
“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?”
Reflection: This ancient blessing contains the seed of a profound identity. It speaks of a strength that is both developing (“lion’s cub”) and royally established (“crouched as a lion”). There is a sense of settled, confident power here—not an anxious aggression, but a deep assurance that needs no validation. The question, “who dares rouse him?” is not a challenge, but a statement about the awesome and fearsome peace that comes with knowing one’s place in God’s covenant.
Isaiah 31:4
“For thus the LORD said to me, ‘As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey, and when a band of shepherds is called out against him he is not terrified by their shouting or daunted by their noise, so the LORD of hosts will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill.’”
Reflection: This imagery addresses the human feeling of being overwhelmed. When we feel that “a band of shepherds”—our problems, our critics, our fears—is shouting against us, it’s easy to feel small. But God’s protective presence is not timid. It is possessive, focused, and utterly unintimidated by the noise of the world. His commitment to His people is a fierce, unwavering growl that silences our internal and external chaos.
Hosea 11:10
“They shall go after the LORD; he will roar like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west.”
Reflection: Often, we think of a roar as something to flee from. Here, the roar of the Lord is a call to come home. It is a sound so powerful and distinct it cuts through all other competing voices that distract and disorient us. For the child of God, this roar inspires not a terror that paralyzes, but an awe that reorients. It is the soul-shaking call of our Father, reminding us where we truly belong and drawing our trembling, wandering hearts back to Him.
Amos 3:8
“The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken; who can but prophesy?”
Reflection: This verse connects an undeniable natural event to an undeniable spiritual reality. Hearing a lion’s roar up close creates an involuntary, primal response of fear and awe; there is no debating it. In the same way, when God truly speaks to a person’s spirit, the message has a self-authenticating power. It creates a sense of moral and emotional urgency that cannot be ignored, compelling a response just as surely as the roar compels fear.
Hosea 13:8
“Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and tear them away; I will devour them like a lion— a wild beast will tear them apart.”
Reflection: This is a difficult but vital image of divine strength. It reveals that God’s love is not passive or sentimental; it is fiercely protective of holiness and justice. When His covenant is betrayed, the resulting sense of divine sorrow and anger is portrayed as a powerful, predatory force. This serves as a sober reminder that our choices have profound spiritual consequences, and to trifle with God’s honor is to awaken a righteous power that is truly terrifying.
II. The Courageous Heart: Strength in the Righteous
These verses use the lion to describe the God-given strength, boldness, and noble character found in those who walk in faith and righteousness.
Proverbs 28:1
“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
Reflection: This speaks to the deep connection between our inner state and our outward courage. A heart burdened by guilt and unresolved conflict is perpetually anxious, always looking over its shoulder. It lives in a state of emotional flight. But a soul anchored in integrity, at peace with God and itself, possesses a serene strength. This isn’t arrogance, but a settled confidence—a boldness that comes from having nothing to hide and no inner accuser to flee.
Judges 14:6
“Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.”
Reflection: Samson’s strength was not his own; it was a sudden endowment of the Spirit. This teaches us that the greatest feats of strength in our lives often come not from our own preparation but from a divine empowerment that meets us in a moment of crisis. The fact he didn’t boast about it speaks to a key aspect of spiritual maturity: when we experience God’s power working through us, the response should be quiet awe, not proud advertisement.
Micah 5:8
“Then the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which, when it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and there is none to deliver.”
Reflection: This is a promise for a people who feel small and scattered. It says that their spiritual identity will not be one of victimhood but of potent influence. A lion does not need to be large in number to change the atmosphere of the entire forest. Likewise, a person or community filled with the Spirit has a cultural and spiritual impact that far outweighs their size. They carry a divine gravitas that cannot be manufactured or ignored.
1 Chronicles 12:8
“From the Gadites there went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness mighty and experienced warriors, expert with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were swift as gazelles on the mountains.”
Reflection: This description captures a beautiful integration of human and spiritual character. These warriors were not just physically capable (“expert with shield and spear”), but they possessed an inner fire, a countenance of courage and intensity—”faces like the faces of lions.” This reminds us that true strength is holistic. It is skill honed by discipline, and spirit emboldened by a worthy cause. Their loyalty to David gave their strength a noble purpose.
2 Samuel 1:23
“Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions.”
Reflection: Spoken by David in his grief, this is a testament to how we remember the noble qualities of others. The lion-like strength mentioned here is not just about battle, but about the force of their character and the bond between them. It is a strength of loyalty that even death could not break. We honor people by remembering the very best of their moral and emotional courage, immortalizing the strength they displayed in their love for one another.
Numbers 23:24
“Behold, a people! As a lioness it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself; it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey and drunk the blood of the slain.”
Reflection: This prophecy speaks to the God-given destiny and drive of a people. A lion’s hunt is not a hobby; it is a matter of survival and identity. This verse imparts a sense of unstoppable, God-ordained momentum. When a community is aligned with God’s purpose, it is infused with a holy resolve. There is a refusal to be passive or to rest until the mission is complete. This is the emotional posture of a people who know they are on a divine assignment.
III. The Lion as Peril: Facing Adversity and Evil
The lion is frequently used as a metaphor for the terrifying, destructive, and predatory nature of evil, persecution, and spiritual adversaries.
1 Peter 5:8
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Reflection: This is a crucial emotional and spiritual warning. The danger is not a passive trap but an active, intelligent predator. A lion roars to create panic and isolate the weak. This verse calls us to a state of calm, clear-headed awareness (“sober-minded”), not frantic fear. Recognizing that the adversary’s main weapon is intimidation helps us resist the emotional chaos he seeks to create, allowing us to stand firm in our faith.
Psalm 22:13
“They open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and a roaring lion.”
Reflection: This is the cry of someone feeling utterly overwhelmed by their enemies. The imagery is visceral—it is the feeling of being small, defenseless, and about to be consumed by the sheer aggressive energy of others. It gives voice to the moments in our lives when criticism, accusation, or overwhelming circumstances feel like they are going to swallow us whole. It validates the terror of that feeling while pointing us, as the rest of the psalm does, toward God as the only rescuer.
Psalm 57:4
“My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down among fiery beasts— the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.”
Reflection: Here, the “lions” are explicitly identified as people whose words are weapons. This speaks to the profound pain of verbal and emotional assault. It captures the feeling of being trapped and defenseless, not by physical force, but by malicious gossip, slander, and cruelty. It reminds us that the deepest wounds are often inflicted not by teeth, but by tongues, and that seeking refuge in God is the only safe place to lie down.
2 Timothy 4:17
“But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.”
Reflection: Paul uses “the lion’s mouth” as a metaphor for imminent, deadly peril—be it the Roman authorities or the spiritual forces behind them. The core message is one of divine companionship in crisis. He was not spared from the trial, but he was strengthened in the trial. Deliverance came not through an absence of danger, but through the presence of God, which transformed a moment of potential destruction into a moment of powerful testimony.
Psalm 7:2
“lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.”
Reflection: This prayer captures the feeling of acute vulnerability. The fear is not just of physical harm, but of the soul itself being torn apart—a fragmentation of one’s very being under immense pressure. It is the fear of being so completely savaged by an enemy or a circumstance that no one can put you back together. This raw plea is an act of profound faith, acknowledging that only God can protect the innermost core of our identity when it is under attack.
Psalm 10:9
“he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.”
Reflection: This verse unmasks the psychology of the wicked predator. The strength of this lion is not noble; it is cowardly and calculating. It operates from hiding, targeting the vulnerable (“the poor”) who lack resources to fight back. It speaks to the insidious nature of exploitation and injustice. This isn’t an open battle, but a trap. Recognizing this pattern is the first step in seeking God’s justice and protecting the emotionally and socially defenseless.
IV. Sovereign Deliverance and Prophetic Hope
These verses show God’s power over even the most fearsome of creatures and look forward to a time when the lion’s strength will no longer be a source of fear, but part of a restored, peaceful creation.
Daniel 6:22
“My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”
Reflection: Daniel’s calm testimony from the lions’ den is a powerful statement about the relationship between inner integrity and outer protection. His peace did not come from his own ability to tame lions, but from his clear conscience before God and man. This state of spiritual and moral alignment allowed him to experience God’s supernatural intervention. It teaches that while we cannot always control our circumstances, our character can position us for God’s deliverance.
Psalm 91:13
“You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.”
Reflection: This is a promise of divine empowerment and dominion over what we most fear. Lions and snakes represent both physical dangers and spiritual evils—predatory power and subtle deception. To “tread” and “trample” is not just to survive, but to have victory over them. This verse instills a courageous spirit, assuring the one who “dwells in the shelter of the Most High” that they are not a potential victim, but a potential victor through the strength God provides.
Isaiah 11:6
“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.”
Reflection: This is one of the most beautiful and profound images in all of scripture. It speaks to a future where the fundamental natures of things are redeemed and reconciled. The lion’s strength is not eradicated but repurposed. The predatory instinct is gone, replaced by a gentleness so complete that a child is safe. This is the ultimate hope: a world where no strength is used to harm, and the deepest fears of the human heart are finally, and forever, put to rest.
Psalm 104:21
“The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God.”
Reflection: This verse offers a stunning perspective shift. We see the fearsome lion not as an independent force of nature, but as a dependent creature seeking its provision from the Creator. It reframes our view of power in the world. Even the things that seem most self-sufficient and terrifying are, in reality, participants in God’s grand providence. It can calm our hearts to remember that every power, no matter how intimidating, is ultimately subject to and sustained by God.
Proverbs 30:30
“the lion, which is mightiest among beasts and does not turn back before any.”
Reflection: This observation of the natural world serves as a moral lesson. The lion’s strength is characterized by its unwavering courage and forward momentum. It does not flinch or retreat. This is a model for our own moral and spiritual resolve. It calls us to a character that, once set on a righteous path, does not “turn back before any” obstacle, threat, or intimidation. It is the emotional posture of unshakeable conviction.
Ezekiel 1:10
“As for the likeness of their faces, they had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle.”
Reflection: In Ezekiel’s overwhelming vision of God’s throne, the lion’s face represents one of the four core dimensions of creation’s majesty. The lion symbolizes royal power and wild, untamable strength. Its presence here, alongside the human (intelligence), the ox (domestic strength), and the eagle (heavenly sovereignty), suggests that God’s authority encompasses and perfects every form of strength imaginable. It is a picture of a totally complete and awesome power that should inspire profound humility and wonder.
