‘Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion’, 1 Sam. 17. 34

‘Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion’, 1 Sam. 17. 34

Known as ‘the king of beasts’, the lion is a large, powerfully built cat that is second in size only to the tiger. It has no natural predator or enemy, except man, and is one of the best-known wild animals. Historically, it was found across much of Europe, Asia, and Africa, but now is restricted mainly to parts of Africa.

As its title implies, it is a formidable foe, feared and respected by most. In that sense, it enabled David to express his valour. There might have been those who thought this inexperienced shepherd boy unsuitable as an opponent to Goliath the Philistine warrior. However, David was able to speak of the lion and the bear that he had confronted and defeated in protecting his father’s sheep. Equally, he proved that with God’s help he could overcome Goliath because he knew that he came to the battle ‘in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel’, v. 45.

But the lion is also used in scripture as a picture, describing a spiritual foe. Peter writes, ‘your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour’, 1 Pet. 5. 8. This depicts a hungry lion that is prowling, seeking something to swallow in one go and thus to destroy. This is an opponent that has an insatiable and violent interest in prey. Such words should convey that this is a foe worthy of the greatest respect.

Hence, says Peter, ‘Be sober, be vigilant’. Whilst this verse may be a reminder especially to elders and shepherds of the spiritual flock, these are qualities that we all need to exercise. We should not be complacent. Indeed, the man who wrote these words had learned his lesson the hard way when Satan desired to have him, Luke 22. 31. It necessitated the Lord’s prayer for him that ‘thy faith fail not’, v. 32. What a testimony to the truth for every believer today, ‘greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world’, 1 John 4. 4.