Last week we learned that the ten
water basins represented the righteousness of God. These basins
were placed five on the right side of the Temple and five on the
left. And the number of five is grace. Therefore we learned that
God's righteousness can only be obtained through grace (God's
unmerited, unearned favor). Nothing we can ever do can make us earn
God's favor. It is a free gift from above, all because of the
finished wonderful work of Christ.
Now today we are going to start to
look at the ten carts in which the ten water basins were placed.
These carts were beautifully decorated. And I want us to have a
look at the symbolism of these carvings on the cart and what it
represents.
"And this was the design of the
carts: They had panels, and the panels were between frames; and on
the panels that were between the frames were lions, oxen, and
cherubim." 1 Kings 7:28, 29
A couple of weeks back we had a
look at oxen and we came to the conclusion that oxen represents
Christians who are strong, loyal, hardworking, groundbreakers,
dedicated to Him and Him alone. So today we will have a look at the
symbolism locked in the carving of a lion.
Now we all know that the lion is
nicknamed the king of the jungle, and with good reason. A lion is a
powerful animal (Proverbs 30:30), ready to devour its prey, and not
scared of anything. Animals and people alike listen when lions
roar.
Lions are also mentioned throughout
the Bible in several text verses. I have selected a few. Let's have
a look:
Jesus is mentioned as being the
Lion of Judah:
"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." Revelation 5:5.
God is also depicted as roaring
like a lion and when He does, His children come - Hosea 11:10. The
righteous are also likened to the boldness of a lion - Proverbs
28:1. Nebuchadnezzar/Babylon was depicted as a lion in Daniel 7:4,
as they ruled the whole known world.
Lions therefore depict to us
rulership, boldness and mighty power. We have all of this, because
of His mighty Spirit inside of us! All majesty and power and glory
are due to the Lion of Judah that overcame sin and Who will rule
this world for all eternity. And we are part of His body and
therefore we should stand up for who we are and not be scared of
the devil prowling around like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8). We
should never give him a foothold to come close to us, but we should
stay close to the Lion of Judah Who had defeated him.
The devil makes me think of Scar in
the Lion King film. He was an outcast lion, not strong enough to
defeat Mufasa, the leader of the pride. The devil is the same; he
is not strong enough to defeat Jesus. In fact he is an imitator of
Christ, trying to be the mighty Lion that He is. But the truth is,
he is nothing compared to powerful Jesus. And because he cannot do
anything to Him, he walks around looking for rebellious cubs to
devour, not staying close to their Leader…. We therefore need to be
obedient and listen to the mighty roar of the One looking out for
us and stay close to Him.
Look in the mirror today and see
the Lion of Judah roaring through you. When you look and you see
this reflection, walk with the humble power that comes with it. A
lion is not scared of little jackals running all around him. He is
not fazed by what the stock markets say, or what the people predict
all around him. He is not worried about his cubs, as they will be
protected with him around. He roars and animals listen. He roars
and troublemakers flee. Stand up as the lion that you are in Him.
Walk closely by His side. In His pride you are safe, you are
protected, you are fed, and you are loved. Walk proudly in a humble
way just as He does. Not thinking better of yourself as others, but
knowing who you are with Him walking beside you/ within you. He is
the mighty awesome One, forever and ever. And together with Him,
whom shall we fear?
Wow! You are the mighty awesome
Lion protecting us and caring for us. Thank you Lord for showing
this to us! We are so excited to walk this journey with You!
Amen