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The King as a Lion

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• All right. Well, let's open our Bibles to Proverbs chapter 20 and look at verse 2. The title of the message is "The King as a Lion." The king as a lion. The Bible says, "The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul."

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• Now, when the word "lion" is mentioned, usually a mental picture is formed in our minds, and we immediately see or imagine a huge male lion standing and roaring. He is strong and he is frightful. In fact, we are told in the book of Proverbs chapter 30 and verse 30 that one of the four things that God says is comely in going is a lion, which is the strongest among beasts and turneth not away from any.

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• Now, we know that there are animals that are larger than a lion, stronger than a lion in the sense that we could talk about elephants and we could talk about a hippopotamus or something like that. But the truth of the matter is, usually the lion is referred to as the king of the beasts or the king of the jungle.

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• Now, we don't know too much about lions here in the South, except for the fact that few that are in zoos is what it amounts to, because thankfully there are no lions around here. But consequently, we probably never really considered all of the pictures that are given to us in the Bible, especially in reference to a lion. Probably the only truth that we know about a lion is that Jesus Christ is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah. And although most people may know that, they probably would not know where to find it.

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• But it is found in the book of Revelation chapter 5 and verse 5. And the Bible says, "And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof." When I was looking through the Bible on the word "lion," I was absolutely astounded and amazed at how many times the word "lion" or "lions" is used in the Bible. In fact, if you would do a word search on the word "lion" or "lions," you would probably be amazed too. But there are many pictures given to us in the Bible in reference to lions. Now, we are cognizant of the fact that our main enemy is classified as a lion.

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• And I'll show you that passage a little bit later. But what most of the time we do not realize is that our secondary enemies—what you and I would just refer to as our regular enemies—are called lions as well. For instance, if you would turn back in your Bibles to Psalm 22. Psalm 22 is a Messianic Psalm. It has reference to the Lord Jesus Christ.

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• And I want you to look, if you would, beginning there with verse 11. And let's read through verse 22 and look at the pictures that are given to us concerning the enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ. So Psalm 22, look in verse 11: "Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round."

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• "They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death." Now look in verse 16: "For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee."

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• So if you will notice that passage, there are several pictures here given to us of our Lord's enemies. They are called bulls. They're called ravening and roaring lions. They are called dogs and even the lion's mouth.

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• Now, since you're in the book of Psalms, if you would turn right over to Psalm 57 and look at verse 4, because even David now has said the same thing concerning his enemies. So Psalm 57 and verse 4, David said, "My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword." So he's referring to these wicked men then as lions.

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• And he says they're ready to devour, they're ready to destroy just like a lion. Now, the Apostle Paul in the New Testament gives us the same picture. For he said in 2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 17, "Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion."

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• So, yes, our enemies are referred to as lions. And if you want to turn to 1 Peter chapter 5, verses 8 and 9, you can see this truth clearly stated concerning our main enemy. 1 Peter chapter 5, if you'd look there at verse 8 and verse 9, the Scripture says this: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."

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• "Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world." So the Bible tells us that our adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks around seeking whom he may devour. So interestingly, since our enemies are referred to as lions, there are in the Bible certain individuals referred to as lion-like men. So if you will turn back then to 2 Samuel chapter 23, you can see this for yourself. 2 Samuel chapter 23, and I want you to look at verse 20. We're reading about Benaiah. I want to preach on this man. This man is a tremendous believer and a tremendous warrior, but notice if you would in verse 20 of 2 Samuel 23: "And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lion-like men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in a time of snow." So now we're reading about two lion-like men.

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• So he slew them, and then he did something exceedingly dangerous. He went down into a pit where he could not get out, and there he was facing a lion. And notice if you would, it was in a time of snow. That means there's probably snow in the pit, and that means your feet would not necessarily be steady and sure in slippery snow. And so he killed the lion in that dangerous situation, but he also slew two lion-like men. Now, lion-like men are men that are known for their ferocity, for their strength, and for their violence. So just like a lion, then, would tear his prey into pieces, just like the lion would use his teeth and his claws to rend them asunder, so these lion-like men—men like that, that have the nature of a lion—they're the ones that will be willing to kill. They will be the ones that will be willing to destroy and rejoice in the fact that they've done that. So these men are violent by nature.

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• And they think absolutely nothing of taking life. Now, let me just quote a verse for you. You'll find this in the book of Nahum chapter 2 and verse 12.

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• Now we're talking about a lion. The Word of God says, "The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin." So notice the lion did tear in pieces for his whelps—in other words, he provided for his offspring. And then he said he also strangled for his lionesses, for however many were in that pride. And then it went on to say that, of course, the holes were filled with prey and the dens with ravin. In other words, he killed more than they could eat at that particular time. In other words, he was just a natural-born killer is what it amounts to.

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• When I was much younger, my sister and her husband somehow got a hold of a baby fox. And they raised that baby fox. And you could pet the fox. The fox would be in the house. If you've never heard a fox laugh, you're in for a treat, because it sounds just like a human. But they would feed that fox raw meat. I mean, you know, that's what they eat. But when the fox got grown, although he had a full stomach, he would still kill all the chickens just because it was his nature to kill. And so that's exactly what the Bible is saying about these lion-like men. Now, here's the thing. Not only are there lion-like men, not only does the Word of God talk about the wicked being as lions, I want you to understand that there are also lion-like nations. You have to remember that a nation is made up of individuals, and individuals have families, so just like there are families that are violence-oriented, so there are nations that are violence-oriented.

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• So if you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Joel—Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. If you look in the book of Joel, at chapter 1, begin reading there with verse 6. Look at this. Joel chapter 1 and verse 6. We'll start with verse 6. Look at what it said. Joel 1 verse 6: God says, "For a nation"—not an individual now—"for a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion. He hath laid my vine waste,

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• that is, he destroyed the vineyard—"and barked my fig tree." Now, barking a tree means that you cut the bark all the way around it. Once you cut the bark all the way around it, it's going to die. And so he said, watch it now. "He hath laid my vine waste, and barked my fig tree: he hath made it clean bare, and cast it away; the branches thereof are made white"—that is, they're dying. But notice he said in verse 6, "a nation is come up upon my land, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lion, and he hath the cheek teeth of a great lion."

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• So there are nations, just like there are individuals, that simply want to destroy. They want to destroy merely for the fun or for the desire to conquer. And they're willing to destroy just to destroy. And it doesn't matter whether they are destroying people or whether they are destroying property. So if you'll go back in your Bibles to the book of Judges—right after the book of Joshua, you have the book of Judges. And if you look in Judges chapter 6, Judges chapter 6, and let's begin there reading with verse 3, and we're going to read about the Midianites and the Amalekites. But look what they did to Israel. Watch this now. Judges chapter 6 verse 3: "And so it was, when Israel had sown"—that is, they had planted—"that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them; and they encamped against them"—that is, against Israel—look at this—"and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude."

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• "For both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it. And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD." So the Midianites came in with the Amalekites, and they just destroyed everything. They took what they wanted. What they left, they destroyed where Israel could not use it. And so Israel, the Bible says, was greatly impoverished. So unsaved men and nations in the Bible are likened unto lions due to their fierceness, their ferocity, and their violence. Now, there are plenty of pictures in the Bible concerning lions. There's also plenty of truths in the Bible

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• that would relate to Christians in the picture of a lion. So if you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 28, look at verse 1, and I will give you a very clear picture here. Proverbs chapter 28. Look, if you would please, at verse 1. Here's what the Bible says. Look at this. Proverbs 28 in verse 1: "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion." Isn't that interesting? The wicked flee when no man pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. So boldness then not only comes from a clear conscience, a good conscience, a true faith, and a trusting heart.

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• Now, the Hebrew word for "bold" in this passage is the word "batach." And it means literally to be bold, to be trusting, to be secure, having confidence, being confident, and being safe. So I want you to look at it again. He says, "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are as bold"—or as confident. Look at that—"as a lion." They are as confident as a lion. I want you to listen to this quote from John Gill. Gill said this on Proverbs 28 in verse 1, in reference to the righteous being as bold as a lion. He says, "They are confident as the lion, as the word may be rendered.

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• They are confident of the love of God, of their interest in Christ, of the grace of God in their hearts, and that all things work together for their good, and that it is and always will be well with them, let things go how they will go in the world, even so they are secure. They are bold and undaunted, both before God and men, before God in prayer, knowing him to be their covenant God in Christ, having in view the blood and righteousness of Christ and being assisted by his Spirit. And they are undaunted before men. If the righteous man is a minister of the Word, he speaks it boldly, as it ought to be spoken, fearing the faces of none, knowing it to be the gospel of Christ, the truth as it is in him, and the power of God unto salvation. And if he be a private Christian, he is a public professor of Christ, his Word and his ordinances, which he is not ashamed to own before all the world. In short, the righteous are bold in life and in death—listen to this—and will also be in the day of judgment.

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• And it is their righteousness which makes them so, from which they are denominated righteous, not for their own, but for the righteousness of Jesus Christ." And so Gill is saying there's so many ways in which a righteous man, a Christian man, may be bold and confident, not just before God, but before man as well.

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• Now, the interesting thing is this boldness is also pointed out very clearly in the New Testament. So I want you to turn there, if you would, to the book of Acts chapter 4. And let's look, first of all, at verse 13. Acts chapter 4, and look, if you would please, at verse 13. We're talking about the righteous being as bold as a lion. So in Acts chapter 4 and verse 13, in fact, Peter and John now have healed a man. And of course the Pharisees bring them in and the priests and the Sadducees, and look what is said. In fact, let's read verse 12 because Peter tells them, "Neither is there salvation in any other:

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• for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." Look at verse 13.

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• "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." Now, when the Bible says they perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, all that means was they were not trained in the law as were the scribes and the Pharisees. And so they were fishermen and they were considered ignorant. But when they saw the boldness, they marvelled and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus Christ.

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• Now, if you will skip down to verse 29 in the same chapter. So the disciples have been let go. And now they're in a prayer meeting and they're making prayer to God. So in verse 29, they say, "And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, by stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness."

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• Now, the word "boldness" is the Greek word "parrhesia," and it literally means freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech, being frank, being honest, being straightforward, saying what needs to be said and saying it in a fearless and confident manner. So there are many implications in the Bible of saints then being compared to a lion for boldness. However, this is not the picture I want to develop today. What I want to share with you today and point out is the king as a lion. So first you have to consider in the Scriptures concerning the king as a lion.

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• So, here is our text in Proverbs 20 and verse 2: "The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul." Now, the fear of a king is as a roaring lion, especially when the king is provoked.

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• Now, you have to make sure that you distinguish in the Bible between God's kings and the ungodly kings. Because God's king, or a godly king, was a covenant king. He was in covenant with God, and therefore he submitted to and obeyed His law. That's why Deuteronomy chapter 17 said the king should have his own copy of the law and read therein every day. A God's king would be an obedient king. But when you talk about an ungodly king, then you have those individuals who were a law unto themselves. They believed that they were as a god, and therefore they had the right to determine who lived and who died.

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• It was just that simple. So you remember it was King Nebuchadnezzar who threw the three Hebrew children into the burning fiery furnace just because they would not bow to his gods. So you can either bow or die. It's just that simple. And you don't want to bow? Good. I'll burn you to death in this fiery furnace. So that's Nebuchadnezzar. And then when you stop and think about Pharaoh—Pharaoh, of course, executed his baker just because it was his birthday, but also it was Pharaoh who ordered that all the male Israelite children be murdered the time they were born.

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• In other words, he was determining who lived and who died. And then when you get to Sennacherib, the Assyrian—and you can read all about this in Isaiah 36—the Assyrian kings boasted of their depravity and boasted of their cruelty and their violence. Oftentimes they would leave hundreds of men crucified just as a sign to other cities: don't resist us. If you resist, you die. Sometimes they would decapitate people and have whole piles of heads just saying, we're the ones who determine who lives and who dies. You either submit to us or you die. It's just that simple. So Matthew Henry, in talking about these wicked kings, wrote this. He said, "How formidable kings are, and what a terror they strike upon those with whom they are angry.

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• Their fear, with which, especially when they are absolute and their will is a law, they keep their subjects in awe, as the roaring of a lion, which is very dreadful to the creatures it preys upon and makes them tremble so that they cannot escape from him. Those princes that rule by wisdom and love are like God himself and bear his image, but those that rule by terror and with a high hand do rule as a lion in the forest with brutal power." And then he gives a Latin term that says this: "Let them hate, provided they fear." So what it means is this: an ungodly king does not care whether or not he is loved or hated, provided the people fear him and will submit to him and obey him.

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• And so, Matthew Henry's just pointing out that these wicked kings were like that. So, how unwise would it be then for you and I to quarrel with such a king who was so wicked and so vile he could care less whom he killed and whom he spared. And so he says then, if you and I provoke such an individual, we are basically sinning against our own soul.

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• Now, in Proverbs chapter 16, verse 14, the Bible says this: "The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it." So listen to that again: "The wrath of a king is as messengers of death," because he's going to send someone to take you out, but he says, "a wise man will pacify it." So let me give you an illustration of this truth. So I want you to turn back in your Bibles to the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 16. 2 Samuel, chapter 16. Here's the illustration of a man by the name of Shimei. Shimei was a Benjamite, and David, of course, had slain the house of Saul, but he'd spared Mephibosheth for sure. And so now in 2 Samuel chapter 16, David is being driven off the throne by his own son Absalom, and he's having to flee from Jerusalem. So as David is fleeing and some of the men with him, then Shimei runs along beside them, cursing them and saying all kind of ungodly things. So look in 2 Samuel 16 and verse 13.

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• The Bible says, "And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the hill's side over against him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and cast dust." So yeah, he's upset with David. He's throwing stones at the king, and he's throwing dust at the king as well. So, wow. Now what happened, you know, was Joab defeated Absalom and his army. So now after Absalom is dead and the army is defeated and scattered, David now comes back to Jerusalem. Well, what about Shimei? He's the man now that cursed and threw stones and threw dust at David. Well, if you look in 2 Samuel chapter 19—2 Samuel chapter 19—look at this verse 15. 2 Samuel 19 verse 15: "So the king returned, and came to Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over Jordan. And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which was of Bahurim, hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David." Wow. Wow. Watch this, if you would.

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• Please, let's skip down now to verse 19, because this is where Shimei begins to talk to David. And he said to the king, "Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart." Oh, don't take me seriously. I really wasn't serious. But yes, he was. But notice this, he said, "For thy servant doth know that I have sinned." Yeah, he does, because David's coming back as king. "Therefore, behold, I am come the first this day of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king." And Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, "Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD's anointed?" And David said, "What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day be adversaries unto me? Shall there any man be put to death this day in Israel? For do not I know that I am this day king over Israel?

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• Therefore the king said unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die. And the king sware unto him." So it looks as if Shimei has gotten away with cursing the king, throwing stones and dust at him. But this is not really the end of the story. David certainly does not kill Shimei because David has given him his word and he's not going to do that. But if you will turn over in your Bibles to 1 Kings chapter 2, you have to remember in 1 Kings chapter 2, David is dying and he gives some sound advice to his son Solomon who is going to follow him on the throne. So if you look in 1 Kings chapter 2, look if you would please there with verse 8. So he's talking to Solomon.

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• And he says in verse 8, "And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.

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• Now look what he tells Solomon. "Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood." In other words, David says, you take his life. So David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David. Now, what Solomon did—and I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Kings 2—but what Solomon did was very wise. Solomon summoned Shimei to him, and he told him that he deserved to die, but he would not at this time put him to death. And what he told him was, what you must do is this: you must, by all means, build you a house in Jerusalem. And you stay in Jerusalem. And I want you to know the very day that you leave Jerusalem, then you're going to die. So Shimei then built him a house and lived for three years in Jerusalem.

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• Now, the interesting thing is this. One of his servants ran away. And so Shimei, stupidly—stupidly—instead of sending someone after his servant, he went himself and reclaimed that servant and brought him back.

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• Now, it's 1 Kings that I wanted, not 2 Kings, but it's 1 Kings 2. And I want you to note what happened here. Look in 1 Kings 2. I said 2 Kings, but it's 1 Kings. 1 Kings 2. Notice, if you would please, beginning there with verse 42. After he's gone and retrieved his servant, look in verse 42. "And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD, and protested unto thee, saying, Know for a certain, on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, that thou shalt surely die? And thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good. Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I have charged thee with? The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore the LORD shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head; and king Solomon shall be blessed,

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• and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever. So the king commanded Benaiah"—there he is again—"the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon." So Shimei got killed after all, because he refused to keep his oath to the LORD and the commandment of Solomon as well. Now, I want you to note, if you would, Shimei wisely pacified the anger of Solomon for three years, and then he unwisely violated his oath and his covenant and suffered death.

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• So the king's favor is to be more desired than his wrath, for his wrath is as a roaring lion. Now, let me give you a couple of truths before I get to the point I want to make today. You will find this in Proverbs chapter 19 and verse 12. The Bible says, "The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass." But notice he said, "The king's wrath is as a roaring lion." So wicked rulers, as well as wicked men, in the Bible are compared to lions and to bears. So let me give you another scripture. Proverbs chapter 28 in verse 15. Listen to this one: "As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people." Notice what he said: "As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people." So what's he going to do? As a roaring lion and as a ranging bear, he's going to destroy everyone and everything.

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• It's just that simple. I hope you can look around and look at our own country and see the wicked rulers who've destroyed our country. Destroyed probably most of our wealth. Certainly destroyed our liberty and our freedom. This is what he's talking about.

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• Now, wicked men like wicked rulers—I want you to listen because I'm going to give you two scriptures. I want you to listen to this. Proverbs 10 in verse 9—and he's speaking about a wicked man. So in Proverbs 10 in verse 9, the Bible says, "He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net." So what is he saying? That a wicked man lies in wait as a lion would lie in wait, just waiting for the prey to come into pouncing distance, and he draws him into his net. And then in Psalm 17 in verse 12, the Scripture says, "Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places." So just like that young lion lurks around seeking his prey, and like a lion that is greedy of his prey, he will hide and pounce upon his prey where the prey cannot possibly escape.

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• Now, I want to get back to the point of the message today. This is what I want to share with you. All of these pictures are given to us in the Scripture. But Proverbs 20 and verse 2 says this: "The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul." So here's a question that I want you to consider. I want you to think about this. I do not care, in one sense of the word, how wicked a ruler is, how wicked a king is. I want you to just consider this. He could be the most wicked ruler in the entire universe. But every wicked ruler, every wicked king is limited in the fact that he is a man. He may be a wicked man, but he is limited in the fact that he is a man. And if Scripture tells us that the fear of the king is as a roaring lion, and whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul—if it is unwise, and if it is not beneficial for you and I to provoke such a wicked king and sin against our own soul, and remember

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• that wicked king is limited in power and limited in authority and limited in scope—if that is true, and it is true, how much worse is it to provoke the sovereign God of heaven and earth, who is unlimited in power and authority? Wow. Wow. Do you realize that the anger and the wrath of God in the Bible is compared to a lion? Wow. I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Hosea. So Daniel, Joel, Hosea. Look, if you would, in the book of Hosea chapter 5 and verse 14. Hosea chapter 5. Daniel, Hosea, Joel. Look at it. Hosea chapter 5. Look, first of all, at verse 14. I'm sorry, it's verse 14. Verse 14, Hosea 5, verse 14.

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• God says, "For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him." Now God says, when I exercise my anger, when I exercise my righteous wrath, I'm going to come as a lion. And when I tear and go away, no one's going to take him out of my mouth. No one's going to stop me. So Hosea 5 in verse 14 tells us that God is going to come as a lion. Look in Hosea chapter 11 and verse 10. Hosea 11 and verse 10. The Scripture says, "They shall walk after the LORD: he shall roar like a lion: when he shall roar,

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• then the children shall tremble from the west." Note, he shall roar like a lion, and when he shall roar, the children shall tremble. Years ago, I was preaching in Arizona, and I was staying with the pastor, and the pastor had several children, and one of the young men, his sons, asked me, would I like to go to a zoo? Well, I said, yes, but how far is the zoo?

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• He said, a half a mile, just right down the road. And come to find out, the zoo was owned by a Vietnam veteran, and the zoo was not provided for by the state or anything. This veteran just would go around to the stores and to the restaurants and gather all the scraps or whatever somebody would give, and he would feed all the animals. He loved animals. Well, they had a huge male lion in a cage there. And we got to the cage of the male lion, and the owner walked up, the lion came to the bars, and the owner reached over and started petting the lion on the head. A huge male lion. And so, I looked at the owner, I said, "Would it be alright if I petted him?"

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• He said, "Sure, go ahead." Well, I stuck my hand in there and I patted that lion on the head. Well, we went around and saw all the animals. And by the time we got through, it was time for him to feed up. And so we came back to that lion's cage and he said to me, "Now preacher, stand back. Do not get near that lion's cage." And he had a huge chunk of raw meat. The lion was standing probably, I don't know, 10, 12 feet away. And when he threw that huge chunk of meat in that cage, that lion roared like you would not believe. And when he did that roar, he then pounced upon that meat and tore it to shreds. And I thought, I'm glad my arm was not in there at that particular time.

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• So this is what God is saying. He's going to roar like a lion. He's going to take care of the situation. So look in Hosea chapter 13, if you would, at verse 7. Here's what God says again in judgment: "Therefore I will be unto them as a lion: as a leopard by the way will I observe them: I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them." God says, here's my judgment. I'm taking it out. The point

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• I want to make right now: the lion is the king. Most individuals have absolutely no idea with whom they are messing with. They do not know the one true and living God. They do not understand that He is the sovereign God of heaven and earth. They do not understand that He has all power and all authority. They do not understand that their souls are in His hand. They do not understand that He holds their soul in life. And in other words, they want to rebuke Him. They want to reject Him. They want to do everything against Him. And you know what the Bible says? Let me just quote it. This is what the Bible says in the book of Nahum chapter 1, beginning there verse 3: "God is jealous." Now listen: "God is jealous.

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• The LORD revengeth, the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet." But notice what the Bible said: God will in no wise acquit the wicked. The wicked want to act like lions against God's people. They want to destroy, they want to tear up, they want to take for a prey. God says, fine. You want to act like a lion? I'm going to be a lion to you.

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• Now, I want you to look—Hosea, Joel, Amos. Go over, if you would, to the book of Amos. And let's look in Amos chapter 3 and verse 4. Amos 3, look in verse 4. Amos 3 and verse 4. This is what I just told you. "Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?" When the lion roars, he has the prey.

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• God says that's what I'm going to be doing. I'm going to be roaring. Look in verse 8. "The lion hath roared, who will not fear? The Lord GOD hath spoken, who can but prophesy?" When the lion roars, it's over. Look in verse 12. "Thus saith the LORD; As the shepherd taketh out of the mouth of the lion two legs, or a piece of an ear; so shall the children of Israel be taken out that dwell in Samaria in the corner of a bed, and in Damascus in a couch." God says, look, you might take it away from a physical lion. But you're not going to take it away from me. When I judge, you are going to be judged.

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• Now, the major prophets use this same picture. So if you will turn back in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Jeremiah, look in Jeremiah chapter 4 and verse 7. Jeremiah 4 and verse 7. Look what the Bible says. Jeremiah 4 and verse 7. Look at this: "The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant." The lion is come up out of his thicket. Then if you would turn over to Jeremiah chapter 49 and look if you would please at verse 19. Jeremiah 49, and look if you would please at verse 19. Here it is: "Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly make him run away from her.

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• And who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? For who is like me? And who will appoint me the time? And who is that shepherd that will stand before me?" No one is going to stand before the Lord. No, no. And God is going to come up against His enemies like a lion. In fact, you remember that passage

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• I've quoted not more than a week or two ago from Ezekiel chapter 22 and verse 25, where the Bible says, "There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey." So here you have wicked men, you have wicked nations, you have wicked preachers compared to a roaring lion, and now God Himself is compared to a roaring lion. So as wicked men then have sought to destroy God's heritage, they've sought to destroy His church, they've sought to harm His bride, they've acted like a lion, they've acted like they had all power. God said, I've got news for you. You want to act toward me as a lion? I will act toward you as a lion as well.

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• This is known as the law of retribution. It's also known as the law of sowing and reaping. It's also called the lex talionis. That is where God makes the punishment fit the crime. So they were acting like a lion. God said, I will be a lion to you.

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• Now, here's the thought that entered into my mind. I want to quote Proverbs 20 and verse 2 again. Listen carefully. Proverbs 20 and verse 2: "The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion." Now watch the latter part of this verse: "Whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul." Okay? God says it's unwise to provoke a king to anger. If you do so, you're sinning against your own soul. Ah, now I want you to turn to Proverbs chapter 8. In Proverbs chapter 8, you have wisdom personified, and wisdom personified is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. When you get to 1 Corinthians chapter 2, the Bible tells us that He is made unto us wisdom. Our Lord is our wisdom. He is wisdom personified. And I want you to note what our Lord says in verse 35 and verse 36. Look at this. Our Lord said, "For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD." Is that not true? Whoever finds Jesus Christ finds life and they obtain the Father's pleasure and the Father's mercy and the Father's favor. But look at verse 36: "But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death." Look at that. Now remember Proverbs 20 in verse 2: "Whoso provoketh

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• him to anger sinneth against his own soul." Neither he, but "he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death." Now I would remind you of something. When Jesus Christ came the first time, He came as a lamb. In fact, Isaiah 53 in verse 7 says this concerning our Lord: "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth." Do you know what happened to Jesus Christ when He came the first time? He came as a lamb. And a lamb is defenseless. And they did to Jesus Christ whatever they pleased. They hated Him.

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• They refused Him, they rejected Him, they mocked Him, they ridiculed Him. Hmm, that's not all. Let me show you what I'm getting at. Look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Luke chapter 23 and I want you to look at verse 25. Luke 23 and verse 25. You know that when Jesus Christ was before Pilate, he kept asking, "Whom shall I release unto you, Barabbas or Christ?" Barabbas was a murderer. He was an insurrectionist. But look, if you would, in Luke chapter 23 and verse 25, the Bible says this: They, of course, wanted Barabbas released. So we read this: "And he"—that is, Pilate—"released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired"—that's who they wanted—"but he delivered Jesus to their will." Now stop and think about this. He delivered Jesus to their will. What did they want? What did they will to be done to Jesus Christ? They willed that He be beaten. They willed that He be mocked. They willed that He be crucified.

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• They hated Him and despised Him. And they did to Jesus Christ as they willed. Are you listening to me? What is the world doing today to Jesus Christ? Whatever they will. They can hate Him. They refuse Him. They despise Him. They reject Him. They refuse to honor Him. They will not worship Him. Hang on. Turn over in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 2.

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• This happens to be the day of Pentecost and Peter is preaching and he makes an astounding statement. And I want you to see the response of these people. Remember now, he delivered Jesus Christ to their will. So look in Acts chapter 2, if you would. And let's begin reading there with verse 32. Acts 2 verse 32: "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool." Hang on. "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." Now look at verse 37. "Now when they

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• heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Now, wait a minute. What is the intent of their question? Why did they ask this question? What shall we do? Peter just got through telling them, you crucified the Son of God. You were the ones that rejected Him. You were the ones that hated Him. You were the ones that despised Him. You crucified Him. Now this Jesus, whom you crucified, God hath raised from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand. He's made Him Lord. He's made Him boss, owner, master, sovereign over you, over everything. Now, wait a minute.

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• All of a sudden, it begins to dawn on them: look, He was in our hands and look what we did unto Him. And now we discover we are in His hands. What will He do to us? Wow! Wow! Oh! It's amazing what happens to the consciences of men when they really realize who Jesus Christ is, and how they've sinned against Him. God hath made this same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. He's the boss. He's the owner. He's the sovereign. He's the Messiah.

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• Now, I want you to turn very quickly in your Bibles to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. Hang on. Because they said—and they asked this question accurately—"Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Here is where most people fail to see the truth. Jesus Christ came the first time as a lamb. He's coming back the second time as a lion, ravening the prey. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1.

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• Look, if you would please, beginning there in verse 7: "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

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• when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day." Look at this. How is our Lord coming back? He's coming back from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's coming back as the roaring lion.

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• He will destroy His enemies. He'll destroy those who hate Him, who despise Him. He'll destroy those who attack His people and hurt His people. Men did to Jesus Christ as they pleased. He was in their hands. Now they are in His hands. And He may do with them as He pleases. Are you listening? He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He is the real Lion King.

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• So here's just my application. The first one is this: If you do not wish to be devoured, if you do not wish to be destroyed, then you must follow the command of Psalm 2 in verse 12, where it is said to all of those rulers, "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little."

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• And then he says, "Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." What does he say? Kiss the Son. What does that mean? It means throw down your weapons of warfare. Quit fighting against Him. Submit to Him. Kneel to Him. Bow to Him. Worship Him. Recognize that He's King of kings and Lord of lords and God of gods, that He is the sovereign God of heaven and earth. Recognize that. Kiss the Son. Don't fight against Him. Wow. Let's go back to two verses. I'll quote them. Think: Proverbs 20 and verse 2: "The fear of a king is

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• as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul." Now, Proverbs 8, 35 and 36, our Lord said, "For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death." So if you do not love the Lord Jesus Christ, if you don't kiss the Lord Jesus Christ, if you do not submit to the Lord Jesus Christ, you are a lover of death.

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• And that's what you will receive. When our Lord returns as a lion, He will devour His enemies. Wow. Because He is King of kings, the Lord of lords, God of gods. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. And He said in Matthew 28 verse 18, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." Submit to Him. The King as the Lion. The Lord Jesus is the Lion King. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee.

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• We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for the truth that Jesus Christ is indeed the true King and a Lion King. Give us, Lord, confidence in Him, trust in Him, faith in Him. May we worship and adore Him as the Lion King, King of kings, Lord of lords, and God of gods. And we give Him praise and worship Him. Thank You, Father, for sending the Lord Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for our sins. Thank You for sending Him to be the Lamb who died on our behalf. And thank You, Father, for sending Him again as the Lion who will roar against His enemies. In the name of Jesus Christ, we give Thee praise. Amen.

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• so so

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:35:22Z