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In Like a Lion…

By March 1, 2015August 30th, 2022Lost in Translation

Today is the first day of the third month of 2015. The old adage, about March coming in like a lion, and perhaps going out like a lamb, can’t help but make us wonder whether that will happen this year. To be sure, the weather all around the country has been somewhat abnormal and we woke up this morning to a snowstorm that continued throughout most of the day. When it was over, we had something north of 9″ of new snow and areas of a foot or more were quite common.

I have to admit that it was rather nice to sit and look out the window at the white blanket of snow covering everything. Just a continuing snowfall for hours on end but let’s face it, what started out as a few flakes ended up creating major havoc on the roads and upset the plans of almost everyone in the area. If it had been a school day there is no question that classes would have been cancelled for the day and hundreds of area churches we closed this morning. The temperature is dropping this evening and we are expecting mixed weather tomorrow and then thunderstorms on Tuesday. You just never know how it’s going to turn out with the weather.

The Scripture is full of references to another kind of lion – references to Jesus as the Lion of Judah. Jesus was a descendent of the tribe of Judah as opposed to those who believe that he is from the tribe of Levi – the group of priests that did not inherit a portion of the Promised Land, but lived off the offerings of the other tribes. And the whole thing gets a little complicated when you consider that Jesus was of the line of David but also came before David. However you want to look at all this, the fact remains that Jesus is referred to as the Lion of the tribe of Judah –  a reference we find in the book of Revelation.

And similar to the weather on this first day of March, when Jesus comes into your life, it is usually like a lion. It is difficult, if not impossible, to be drawn into His presence and without question, a person’s life changes when the Lion of Judah is part of his/her daily existence. And quite like the weather, you never know what to expect from God. Interestingly, not only is Jesus the Lion of Judah but He is also the Lamb of God. So don’t be surprised at the times of your life when you are interacting with the lamb rather than the lion. To sum it up, you get the lamb, the lion and everything in between.

The phrase referring to Jesus as the Lion of the tribe of Judah only appears one time in the entire Bible. It is during John’s recounting of his vision about heaven and he is witnessing a conversation between God and an angel who is wondering how the seven seals on a scroll can be opened. In response to this question, an elder responds to John and tells us, in Rev. 5:5, “Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

My encouragement this evening is that Jesus, the lamb and the lion, is waiting to enter into a deeper relationship with you. My prayer is that you will embrace every possible way that God will interact with you – because as you grow and mature in your faith, you will discover that your world can indeed be shaken and that God expects you to be a part of His revolution to bring the Kingdom of God to earth. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…

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