Photo Credit: Zoe Reeves, Unsplash.com
The Apostle Peter warned, “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
The San Diego Zoo is world-famous, and being a good grandpa, I took three of my little granddaughters to see the big cats. I remembered my grandfather taking me to the delightful Oklahoma City Zoo as a child, where we could look at the lions (who were held safely behind thick iron bars and a moat). I wanted to do the same for my grandchildren, but I was surprised. The regal (read “terrifying”) “king of the beasts” was only contained behind a pane of laminated glass. You were only inches away from him, his teeth, and giant paws! I tried to be brave, but then he roared! Scientists tell us, “A lion or tiger can roar as loud as 114 decibels, about 25 times louder than a gas-powered lawnmower.”[1] You can hear them roar five miles away, and we were only a couple of feet! Fortunately, my granddaughters are much braver than I am and were holding my hands.
So why do lions roar, and what can that tell us about the schemes of the devil? Obviously, they roar to communicate. They may be warning other predators that this is my territory. Old lions roar to frighten prey into a trap set by younger lions, and one interesting theory says the lion’s roar may paralyze their prey.[2] That thought can give us insight into the devil’s method.
The very thought of sin can make us feel so guilty; we give in to temptation because we think we have already been defeated, that it’s too late. R.T. Kendall explains, “How this might work out in day-to-day experience. He plays into a weakness (it may be when you are physically tired, or you’ve already had a bad day, or have lost your keys!), causing you to make the unguarded comment. This sets off a chain reaction in another. [First] A feeling of panic sets in; [then] a fear that you’ve already ‘blown it’ … (so you really will blow it!);” and now everything spirals out of control.
The lion’s roar – and Satan’s challenge – is only a bluff! Remember the Lord’s promise:
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Now let’s go visit the Monkey House!
Be a Blessing!
[1] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/secrets-of-a-lions-roar-126395997/
[2] https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/44856/20201217/can-lions-roar-paralyzed-humans.htm