Could anything have been more terrifying in a world without gunpowder than lions? Imagine an absolutely silent hunter, yet one whose roar can be heard up to five miles away. Lions once roamed the earth in far greater numbers than they do today. Among other things, gladiators fighting for their lives in the Roman Colosseum reduced the number of European lions. Soon, the lions were gone and, until recently, some historians argued there never were lions in Europe[1]. But lions did roam Europe, as seen not only in cave drawings but in the prominence of lions in European art. And of course, the Biblical record indicates the presence of the man-eating cats in Israel.
The prophet Ezekiel used the king of beasts to convey a key truth to the people of Judah.
“Men and women, take up a lament for your kings. Grieve for them. Judah is a lioness, a mother with cubs. She nourished one of her cubs, trained him to be a man-eater, and the cub devoured men. But the nations heard of him, dug a pit and trapped him. Then they brought the young lion, bound in chains, to Egypt.”
This was King Jehoahaz who was taken captive to Egypt in 609 B.C. Ezekiel continues:
“The mother lion waited and waited for her son the maneater to return. But he did not. So she raised up another cub [King Zedekiah] and trained him to be a maneater. And he went up and down the land, devouring men. And he laid waste the cities. He made the land desolate. He terrified the people with the noise of his roaring.”
“But then the nations came against him, and they threw their net over him and caught him. Then they put this second lion in chains too and brought him to the king of Babylon. The roaring of his voice was silenced. Then his mother was drawn away into the desert wilderness. The once green vine would grow brown and withered.”
“Men and women, take up a lament for your kings” Ezekiel 19:1-14 (paraphrased).
God is using Ezekiel to prepare the people of Judah. They will be in captivity for a long, long time. Seventy-five years will pass. Generations will pass. The sooner the people accept their lot, the easier the experience will be for them.
So Ezekiel crafts a parable about lions, a subject sure to capture everyone’s attention, from the youngest to the oldest. This is the story of three lions: the mother lion, who represents the kingdom of Judah, and two cubs-turned-maneaters, who represent Judah’s kings, King Jehoahaz and King Zedekiah. The two kings were taken captive, and then the entire nation was taken captive.
Ezekiel is telling the people to accept what God has done. Accept the humiliation of being taken captive. Accept it, humble yourself, and prepare for a long, long ride. Ezekiel’s parable about the lions is sort of an abstract way of saying something about the Babylonian captivity that Jeremiah said in a direct manner:
“Build houses and settle down, plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease” Jeremiah 29:5-6.
Have you ever found yourself in terrible circumstances? A job you despise? Or joblessness? Or loneliness? Or relationship problems? Or reaping what you sow in some unpleasant way, whether through the courts or through terrible circumstances?
Accept it. Submit to God. Let him do his will. Stop fighting. Buckle up for the long haul. Stop being in such a hurry to escape your circumstances. Instead, talk to God and enroll in his school. Let him teach you whatever he wants.
God, hard times can be so awful. But we trust you. We accept our painful circumstances. We welcome your holy spirit. Teach us whatever we need to learn. We humble ourselves in the midst of our unpleasant situations. Be glorified in us. Help us listen, submit, and trust you more every day. Do your will in our lives and in our hearts and attitudes and minds. We love you. Teach us to “humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God” 1 Peter 5:6.
AΩ.
Household Words: 