Examining Lions in The Bible
But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”
Throughout history, Lions have always been legendary for their great strength, beauty, and Courage. Among other titles, the lion has been called the “king of beasts,” and the “king of the jungle.” A large male lion can grow up to 9 feet long and weigh as much as 500 pounds. A lion's roar is very loud and intimidating and can be heard as far as 5 miles away. They can run up to 50 miles an hour, and leap as far as 36 feet, with a night-vision that's 6 times better than a human. In ancient times, lions must have been numerous, as they are mentioned in the Bible nearly 150 times, from the first mention in Genesis 49:9 to the last in Revelation 13:2. Sometimes they are mentioned in a positive way to describe someone, as in Hosea 11:10, and sometimes used in a negative way as in Proverbs 28:15. The word “lion” is also known as “Simba” in Swahili, “Leo” in Latin, “Leon” in Greek, “Asada” in Arabic, and “Aslan” in Turkish (This is the name of the lion representing Jesus Christ in “The Chronicles of Narnia” series by C.S. Lewis.
Lions As Powerful Symbols
In Ezekiel 10:14, Lions are featured in the description of the cherubim surrounding God's throne. It says, “Each of the cherubim had four faces: One face was that of a cherub, the second the face of a human being, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.”
Solomon's temple was ornamented with carvings of lions. 1 Kings 7:36 says, “He engraved cherubim, lions and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and on the panels, in every available space, with wreaths all around.”
Solomon's throne was also lined with lion statues. 1 Kings 10:18-20 says, “Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom.”
This is one artist's rendering of Solomon's throne.
The “Lion of Judah” is displayed on The Jewish Municipal Emblem (Coat of Arms), and the lion appears to this day as an ornament, figure, or statue in many Jewish synagogues.
The lion was also the most prominent national symbol of the Babylonian Empire. The Lion of Babylon was the king and a symbol of their warrior goddess (see below).
Glazed terracotta reportedly dating to the reign of King Nebuchadrezzar II, Babylon (now Iraq). This brick panel is in the Procession Way which ran from the Marduk temple to the Ishtar Gate and the Akitu Temple, and the throne room. There were 120 of these lions in Processional Way. This lion is now housed in the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin.
The Egyptian goddess Sekhmet had a lion-head and was a warrior and solar goddess. Her name means “powerful” or “mighty. The Egyptians believed that she led them in battle and protected the Pharaohs. She was also known as “Lady of Slaughter, and “She who Mauls.”
Ancient Egyptian bas-relief of lion-headed warrior goddess with a sun disk on her head. Location: Temple of Kom Ombo.
Satan As a Lion
Satan the devil, is referred to symbolically as a roaring lion. 1 Peter 5:8 says, Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. With a heart filled with hatred, Satan stalks people as his prey. He roars out accusations, doubts, and threats daily, in an effort to scare us into giving up - so he can defeat us. But James 4:7 gives us our godly instructions to overcome Satan by saying, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” So as long as we put on the “full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:13), we will not be ignorant of his schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11). The apostle Paul describes his deliverance from the mouth of the lion. He says, “But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth” (2 Timothy 4:17).
Daniel and Lions
Daniel was a godly young Jewish man who had gained the favor of King Nebuchadnezzar and of Darius II. He served in the King's court as a high-ranking official. Then, when he was about to be promoted as ruler over all the governors and satraps, directly under Darius himself, His jealous colleagues created an evil plot by which Daniel's faith in God would get him in trouble with the law and eventually result in his demise. Daniel was punished for praying to his God and Darius had him thrown into a den of lions (Daniel 6). But God showed His power and authority over the lions by shutting their mouths.
Darius recognized that Daniel had done nothing wrong, and so the judgment fell on his accusers.
“And the king gave the command, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions - them, their children, and their wives; and the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces before they ever came to the bottom of the den.” (Daniel 6:24)
In Daniel Chapter 7, God gave Daniel a prophetic vision that included a horrifying lion-like beast that symbolically represented the powerful Kingdom of Babylon.
Lions' Gate
In the old city of Jerusalem, one of the Eastern Wall gates Is called “Lions' Gate.” It's also called “St. Stephens Gate,” and the “Sheep Gate.” The “Via Dolorosa,” where Jesus took His last walk, carrying His cross, begins at this gate. There are four lions carved in stone above the gate. Two on either side.
Jesus As The Lion
One of the many titles in the Bible for Jesus is the “Lion of Judah.” But why exactly is Jesus called the “Lion of Judah”? As we can see from our opening scripture above,
Revelation 5:5 says,
But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”
(This is referring to Christ's second coming when He comes back to rule and to judge the world – Isaiah 34:1-8, Revelation 19:15).
Hebrews 7:14 tells us, “For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah.”
First, let's consider the significance of the tribe of Judah. Judah was one of the twelve sons of Jacob from the book of Genesis. These 12 sons formed the 12 tribes of Israel. Jesus was a descendant of Judah which also included King David, and King Solomon, and eventually made its way all the way down to Jesus's earthly stepfather Joseph (see Matthew 1:1-17). The earliest reference in the Bible to Jesus as a lion can be found as you approach the end of the book of Genesis and the end of Jacob's life. Jacob is delivering his parting words and issuing out the blessings upon his sons. As Moses records this history, He also takes the opportunity to record God's words spoken through Jacob, pointing us to the hope of all nations. The “Lion of the tribe of Judah.” Our coming Messiah. Genesis 49:8-12 says,
“Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you. You are a lion's cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness - who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his cult to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.”
Now let's break these bold areas down.
1) Your brothers will praise you;
Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
It doesn't matter what anyone thinks about Jesus, or if they follow Him or not. The Bible says that eventually every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.
2) Your hand will be on the neck of Your enemies;
1 Corinthians 15:24-26 says, “Then the end will come when He hands over the Kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
Jesus will ultimately destroy all His enemies. Even Satan and all his dominions know that their end is drawing nigh. Jesus, our “Lion of Judah” has triumphed over sin and temptation, pain and suffering, fear, death, and even Satan himself. His hand is on the neck of His enemy, and He will completely destroy him in His perfect time.
3) The scepter will not depart from Judah,
Revelation 11: 15 says, The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah and He will reign forever and ever.”
A scepter is a ceremonial staff (Rod) often used by kings. With its jewels and ornamentation, a scepter is a symbol of power. Figuratively, it means imperial or royal authority or sovereignty. Revelation 19:15 says, “Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.” Many years ago, before my wife gave her life to the Lord, or ever read the Bible, the Lord gave her a dream of Revelation 19:15. She didn't fully understand the dream or what it meant until years later when she gave her life to Christ and received salvation. The scepter of power and authority will never depart from our “Lion of Judah.”
4) He will wash His garments in wine, His robes in the blood of grapes.
1 Peter 1:18-19 says, “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot.”
As important as it is for us to know that Jesus is the “Lion of Judah,” our fearless and conquering King of kings and Lord of lords, who's coming back to claim what's His (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17), It's equally important to realize that in order to redeem the souls of all those who have chosen to believe in, love, and follow Him, He had to leave His throne in heaven, come down to the earth He created, and become the sacrificial Lamb. “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8).
There are plenty of other places in scripture that symbolically refer to Jesus as a lion, below I've listed my 4 favorites.
1) The peaceful meadows will be laid waste because of the fierce anger of the Lord. Like a lion, he will leave his lair, and their land will become desolate because of the sword of the oppressor and because of the Lord’s fierce anger (Jeremiah 25: 37-38).
2) For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, like a great lion to Judah. I will tear them to pieces and go away; I will carry them off, with no one to rescue them (Hosea 5: 14).
3) He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in His hand. He planted His right foot on the sea and His left foot on the land, and He gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When He shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke (Revelation 10: 2-3).
And finally, my favorite.
4) When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot Me. So I will be like a lion to them, like a leopard I will lurk by the path. Like a bear robbed of her cubs, I will attack them and rip them open; like a lion, I will devour them - a wild animal will tear them apart. You are destroyed, Israel, because you are against Me, against your Helper. Where is your king, that he may save you? Where are your rulers in all your towns, of whom you said, “give me a king and Prince”? (Hosea 13: 6-10).
Yes, Jesus Christ is our “Lion of Judah,” and all of us who believe in, love, and follow Him are His cubs. This hope that lies within us all, gives me reassurance, and strengthens my faith, knowing that “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6).
Lions as God's Executioners
In the Old Testament, I found two places where God used a lion as a tool to execute an evil person who disobeyed Him.
1 Kings 13:21-24 says, and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the Lord: Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord, and have not kept the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you, but you came back, eight bread, and drank water in the place of which the Lord said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your father's.” So it was, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, the prophet whom he had brought back. When he was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corps.
1 Kings 20:35-36 says, Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor by the word of the Lord, “Strike me, please.” And the man refused to strike him. Then he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, surely, as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall kill you.” And as soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed him.
And considering that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), He still occasionally uses lions as His executioners today. I found a recent story about a man by the name of Paul Ciniraj who is the director of “Bibles for Mideast.” He's the chief of a Christian ministry that works underground in a Muslim-dominated community. He delivers Bibles, preaches the gospel, and plants churches in the strife-torn region that he's from. He was recently attacked and stoned by some Islamic militants and was recovering from that. And then, on Easter Sunday, he was leading a worship service when some Islamic militants came upon him again. And just when they were all about to die, a lion appeared out of the forest and began to attack the Islamic militants. When they tried to fight the lion off, two more lions appeared from the forest and all the Islamic militants fled for their lives. Afterward, the lions did not touch the pastor or his flock. They later found out that there were not supposed to be lions anywhere in that region. (see Link).
Yes, Jesus Christ is our Lion from the tribe of Judah. And yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me ( Psalm 23:4).
