A Lamb and A Lion

(Rev. 5:4-10, Isaiah 11:6, 65:25, Rom. 8:28-39)

I hear and see much among the Lord’s people of the Lord as a lion.  He is called the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.  He is the root and the offspring of David, of Judah.  A year or so ago I was in a meeting on a Sunday morning and a visiting woman was given opportunity to speak.  I saw her as a teacher.  She also had a ministry to young people and shared a video of the baptisms of some.  As those young ones were dipped under the water, the words of their testimonies were filled with passion and the fire of God’s Spirit.  I thought that’s how every baptism should be.  That is not always the case but it underscored my appreciation for this sister and the maturity of  her walk.

She mentioned that the Lord Jesus is referred to as the Lion once in Revelation and 29 (I think she said) times as the Lamb.  My own research shows the word “Lamb” appearing 25 times.  Do you think the Spirit is making a point?  Jesus Christ was introduced by John the Baptist as the Lamb of God.  John, the beloved one, the apostle, was given a revelation of Christ as he writes in the opening of that book we call Revelation.  So why are we, as so-called prophetic people, seemingly obsessed with a sense of a roaring, devouring lion?  Now that is not true of all that I know as believers and I am careful of being obsessed myself with pointing out our distractions from the Lord’s ways.  The great contradiction (to our natural minds) of God’s great wisdom in spiritual warfare is that the Lamb destroyed death by dying.  Our means of warfare are the same.

He did not in this age rise up as a lion to defeat His enemy and ours.  His ways are higher than our ways.  So we see in Isaiah, a lion and a lamb mentioned together in a place of true peace.  This does not look like a lamb rising up to be ferocious but rather of the lion lying down in peace with the lamb.  Of His kingdom and of peace (true peace) no end will be found.  His peace is eternal and it is powerful in that it stills every storm.  It is never about shouting, although we do shout.  Jesus said He is meek and lowly in heart.  Yes He flipped the tables.  That was in His Father’s house.  And among those who claim to be His, we do well to expose greed and corruption.  And that will never look kind nor meek.  But ultimately, He was crucified before those same ones to pay for their iniquities.

We cannot pay for anyone’s sins but we are called to bear personal abuse and hostility (Heb. 12:3-8) as we are learning obedience by suffering, allowing that abuse.  We share in His suffering.  If we see ourselves as roaring lions, we will always be ready for a fight.  That is not the Lord’s way and no one will receive us.  We need to walk as He walked.  We are called to this, to walk worthy of our calling.  Do we confront evil?  Do we have the authority to cast it down when it appears?  Yes.  But be sure to cast it out and allow for repentance.  All this said, as Peter directly rebuked the one who wanted to buy the authority of the Spirit, we do not shrink back from addressing such a person sharply.  May His words be in our mouth as a sharp, two-edged sword, and a fire to devour our enemies, when necessary.

Our reward is a heavenly one.  When John’s eyes were opened, when heaven was opened to John on Patmos, he saw the scene in heaven for the scroll to be opened.  This was the unfolding of God’s working in the earth.  He weeps when none was found worthy but a voice says behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah has overcome.  When John looks he sees a Lamb as slain.  His blood was seen.  His blood is on the mercy seat forever.  And He is known in heaven as the Lamb.  For all eternity, He is worshipped as the Lamb of God who was given so that we might live and so worship Him forever.  And as His sheep, it is so for us, to bear our cross and so follow Him.  Read the passage in Romans and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into the truth and His ways for your own walk.  We are counted as sheep for the slaughter, dying daily, so that life might touch others and work in them.  All for one purpose that the Lamb of God might receive the reward of His suffering, that our Father’s house would be full.