are you afraid of lions?

"And one of the elders said to me, 'Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.'  And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain."    --Revelation 5:5-6

 Are you afraid of lambs?

Are you afraid of lions?

Maybe you think you're tough and you're not afraid of lions.  That's because you think of lions like this:

Try reading the book by John H. Patterson called The Man-Eaters of Tsavo.  Terrifying!

The Bible calls Jesus the "Lion of Judah" and I've been trying to understand why?  What is the significance of Jesus as a lion?

I understand Jesus as the Lamb.  I get that one.  Jesus is the Passover lamb, the perfect sacrifice, the sinless priest offering himself as the spotless lamb in our place.  Jesus took our guilt and shame onto himself when he died as the lamb.  He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

I get that.

But Revelation 6 describes unbelievers being terrified of "the wrath of the Lamb."   Huh?  Lambs aren't terrifying.  But Jesus is not only a Lamb, he is also a Lion.

Genesis 49:9-10   "Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him?  The scepter shall not depart from Judah."

From the tribe of Judah God promises a king who will rule like a lion.

In the rest of the Old Testament, we see God portrayed as a fierce lion protecting his people and destroying his enemies.

Job 10:16, "And if I lift myself up, You hunt me like a fierce lion, and again You show Yourself awesome against me."

Those who exalt themselves in pride are hunted down by the holy Judge.

Isaiah 31:4, "For thus the LORD has spoken to me: "As a lion roars, and a young lion over his prey (When a multitude of shepherds is summoned against him, He will not be afraid of their voice nor be disturbed by their noise), So the LORD of hosts will come down to fight for Mount Zion and for its hill."

God will defend his people like a jealous lion.  But if his people rebel against him, ignore him, reject him, and turn their backs on him, he will destroy them.

Hosea 5:14, "For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue."  (Hosea 13:7)

Proverbs 20:2, "The wrath of a king is like the roaring of a lion; Whoever provokes him to anger sins against his own life."

God promised to send a king from the tribe of Judah who would protect his people and rule like a lion.

"And one of the elders said to me, 'Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.'  And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain."    --Revelation 5:5-6

Yes, Jesus is the Lamb.  He is the Lamb who died for our sins, in our place, taking our sin upon himself.  But Jesus is also the Lion.  He is the lion who conquered sin, Satan, death, and hell.  He is the victorious lion who rose again from the dead.  He is the good lion who protects his people from the enemy.  He is the fierce lion who will come with flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let's learn to fear The Lion.  By all means, trust the Lamb, believe in the Lamb, cry out to the Lamb...and respect the Lion, surrender to the Lion, treasure the Lamb who is the Lion.

If you want more, read the sermon by Jonathan Edwards called The Admirable Conjunction of Diverse Excellencies in Christ Jesus
http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/admirable.html

One last thought...here's what vexes me.  I Peter 5:8 compares Satan to a lion.  What?!  So, Jesus is a lion and Satan is a lion, and they're both fighting for our souls.  Well, Revelation 5 calls Jesus the conquering lion.  Who do you think will win?