Lessons from Lions

Think of the last time you saw a lion. Almost certainly, you saw one of these magnificent creatures in a zoo or animal park. In many ways, observing lions in this way does not count—as those are essentially nothing more than lumbering kitty cats.

The only way to comprehend the sheer power and terror of a lion is to interact with one in the wild.

I was raised on a farm in the Lowveld region of South Africa close to Kruger National Park. Some of my fondest memories are going to Kruger for weekends with my parents. My father also had a shareholding in a private game reserve, and I enjoyed spending time there. From a little child, wild animals fascinated me. Wildlife encounters were often and frequent where I lived. We were surrounded by some of the most diverse and fierce animals God created.

Throughout my upbringing, I learned the exact difference between a wild lion and one raised in captivity. Sometimes wild lions were caught and released into an enclosure where captive ones lived so they could breed. I remember this happened at a reserve when I was young—it caused a bloodbath that ended with six captive-bred lions admitted to the animal hospital with life-threatening wounds. The wild lion was responsible for all of the carnage.

Wild lions are fitter, stronger and they know how to use their weaponry!

When brought up in captivity, lions lose most of their instinct to survive. They may appear to be lions, but inwardly their unique attributes that make them such respected predators all but disappear.

Yet God wants Christians to understand the power and ferocity of wild lions. How can we know? This feline is mentioned 89 times in the Bible. Not including domestic animals like horses or sheep, God talks more about lions than any other wild animal, fish or bird.

Lions have become almost extinct, which means it is easy for the lessons we can glean from them to go unlearned.

This big cat once thrived in Europe, Asia and Africa. Today, they populate less than an estimated 5 percent of these regions, often in conservation areas or national parks. Seventy years ago, an estimated 400,000 roamed the Earth. Today, only approximately 20,000 remain in isolated regions in Africa and only a tiny Asiatic lion population in India.

In King Solomon’s time, however, the “king of the jungle” was more prevalent. He observed lions and therefore understood their behavior. Since he was the wisest man to ever live, we should follow his example. The king clearly held this animal in high regard: His throne had 12 lions in front of it, two on each of the six steps (I Kgs. 10:20).

Solomon’s observations on lions reveal how much he studied these creatures: “A lion…is strongest among beasts, and turns not away for any” (Prov. 30:30). He also stated, “The wicked flee when no man pursues: but the righteous are bold as a lion” (28:1).

Elsewhere in Scripture, Christ names Himself the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5). Christians follow Christ (I Pet. 2:21) and there are many traits that we should learn from lions. By putting these few scriptures together, we find that God wants us to become a type of lion—just like Him.

There is another side to this creature. The apostle Peter wrote, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour” (I Pet. 5:8).

This verse actually reaffirms that Christians are to be like lions. To understand this, however, requires a closer examination of this scripture and the physical characteristics of this powerful animal.

Lion Background

I have had a lifelong fascination with lions. Although I did not see this creature as often as I did other animals, it deeply intrigued me and I learned much about these unique cats throughout my life in the Lowveld.

Lions are only one of six larger predator species typically found in Africa. They are different from any other cat species because they often live in a pride or family. Prides are highly complex with a sophisticated hierarchy. They can vary from two in size to up to 30, often with more than one male over the pride.

Another interesting fact about lion prides is that they usually live in territories. These can overlap or border several other pride territories. Territories are large, up to 100 square miles (approximately 64,000 acres) depending on the vegetation and terrain, which determine how many herbivores—their prey—the area can hold. The density and variety of plant eaters ultimately determine how many predators there are.

Male lions protect the pride from other males and they have three ways to announce or mark their territory: roaring, scent marking (by urine spray), and patrolling the boundaries.

A lion’s roar is used to locate its own pride—but it is also a way to announce its presence to rival prides.

Most do not appreciate the sheer size, speed, strength and awful brutality of wild lions. A big male lion having his head raised can look a 5’7” person eye to eye. Because it can weigh over 500 pounds, with almost zero body fat, it is able to pull down prey three times its size.

As long as a grown man’s index finger, a male lion’s canine teeth can easily crush the vertebrae of medium-size prey like zebra or wildebeest. Its front feet each have five retractable claws sharper than most kitchen knives. Another four on each of the rear paws give it the ability to latch onto its victim like Velcro to a cotton ball.

These deadly traits are combined with incredible striking speed. Male lions have the agility to cover 45 feet from a standing start virtually faster than you can say, “Look, a lion!”

All of this makes this creature a foe you do not want to come across. Male lions in particular are incredibly ruthless animals with little regard for anything but themselves and then their pride. Their main drive is to kill—and they are exceptionally good at it.

I have seen lion fights close-up. The intense smell, impact and sound is visceral and primal. If this experience were a movie, it would definitely be “parental guidance required.”

These big cats rip their claws and teeth into each other while thundering the loudest snarls you have ever heard. Those experiencing this for the first time almost invariably shut their eyes, clamp their ears with their hands, and long for the scene to end. In some ways, your senses shut down during these spectacular displays of brutality.

Perhaps surprisingly, lions are seldom killed in these encounters. Even if they are injured, they recover quite quickly.

This cat’s roar is incredibly loud with a deep, raw, bass effect measuring more than 110 sound decibels. That is as loud as a chainsaw.

Because wild lions are fitter and stronger, their roars are louder than captive-bred lions. A single male lion’s roar can be heard five miles away by humans and probably much farther by other lions because their hearing is much more sensitive.

The sound of a roar can overwhelm you, leaving you awed by the brute power in your midst.

“A Roaring Lion”

Read I Peter 5:8 again: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour.”

I speak from experience. A roaring lion that is seeking something to devour is not hunting for prey. It may appear that is what this verse is saying, but it is not. Lions do not roar while hunting, period. (A lion will sometimes roar after a hunt, but this is extremely rare.)

Think about it logically. Lions often have to stalk within 100-150 feet of their prey to launch a surprise attack. Their hunts are only 10-15 percent successful even while being so close to their prey. The terrain, type of prey, and size of the pride participating in the hunt all affect the success rate. Larger prides are slightly more effective (some researchers suggest 20-24 percent), but these have more mouths to feed.

Any lion blasting a deafening roar while looking for prey would soon starve! Its prey would scatter long before the predator even arrives on the scene.

Make no mistake. God did not instill such instincts in lions. Lions do not hunt like this. They are unusually stealthy for their size.

So then what is the apostle Peter telling us?

This scripture has to be referring to a pride male lion being aware of another lion intruding on its territory. Recall that lions roar to announce their presence to rivals. The devil is the god of this world (II Cor. 4:4). The Earth is his territory. He knows that we are in line to take over his realm with Christ.

Therefore, Satan is “seeking” for someone (us!) to devour. The lion behavior in I Peter 5:8 fits perfectly with a pride male knowing that there are intruders in his territory.

Many documentaries show how male lions react when they know there are other lions on their terrain. The male will typically trot to the area where he heard the invader. While searching, he will constantly roar. His goal is to chase away—or, better yet, kill—the other lion.

Put this in a spiritual context. We are the called-out ones of this world and are working to qualify to rule in God’s Kingdom, which will smash and replace Satan’s rule (Rom. 5:10; Dan. 7:27).

No wonder the devil sees us as a threat and seeks to devour us!

Consider Christ’s sobering words about the dangerous territory in which we live: “If you were of the world, the world would love his own: but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:19).

This is why Christ prayed this for us to the Father: “I pray not that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil” (John 17:15).

If we trust in God, He will certainly keep us from Satan, an evil, murderous “beast” responsible for so much fear, destruction and death.

Be “Vigilant”

The same scripture in I Peter commands us to be “sober” and “vigilant.” Vigilant simply means to “watch.”

When you walk in lion territory, you must be on high alert. Lions’ senses are far better than humans. Their smell, hearing, vision (especially at night), and sense for detecting weaklings in a herd make them specialized killers.

Once while camping in the Timbavati area bordering Kruger National Park, I had a unique encounter. My group slept in prime lion country under the stars with no tents or fences. All night we heard lion roars not far from where we slept around a campfire.

Eventually, just after midnight, we saw a small lion pride less than 100 yards from our campsite. The only reason we could locate the group of cats was because we had bright spotlights. I was only 16 years old at the time, but it was by far the most “vigilant” night I ever experienced.

Trust me, you are so much more alert when you know you could be on a lion’s menu! We took turns watching all night.

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Photo: Getty Images

Whenever I knew there would be lions or other dangerous game around, I took special precautions. I did everything I could to see or hear animals before they could become aware of my presence. I learned to walk at a snail’s pace, usually only covering 15-30 yards at a time. Then I would stand statue-still for about 5-10 minutes to listen and watch. I preferred that animals would come to me instead of the other way around. Certain birds and tree squirrels always gave predators away with warning calls, and I intently listened for them.

Depending on the foliage and terrain, a walk often lasted about three hours to cover only two miles or so. These excursions took great concentration. Having all of your senses on high alert is incredibly tiring despite walking so slowly.

Walking in Africa among wild beasts requires intense focus. It is not a place or time to even consider alcohol. Drunkenness affects all the senses including the mental capacity to process information. Similarly, being physically or spiritually drunk as a Christian leaves you open for a wide range of attacks. It almost has the same effect as stumbling blindfolded with ear muffs through bush infested with dangerous predators!

To be vigilant takes much time and effort. It requires being constantly alert for the “roaring lion” that can appear out of nowhere. It is not a two-mile journey, but a lifelong pursuit.

We cannot let our guard or concentration drop. Always be on the lookout for Satan’s signs in your life. Constantly look for him and his cunning devices (II Cor. 2:11).

Consider Ephesians 6:13: “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day…” Verse 18 continues with “watching thereunto with all perseverance.”

To watch takes perseverance, and to stay spiritually alert takes spiritual fitness in prayer, Bible study, regular fasting, meditation and exercising God’s Spirit.

“Devour”

It is interesting to consider that when a male lion takes over a pride, one of his first objectives after he has conquered the dominant male is to kill all the existing cubs. Male lions taking over a pride do this almost without fail. This may seem harsh but it allows the females to come into heat again much quicker so that the new male can mate with them to ensure his genetic line continues.

Consider a spiritual parallel with Christians. We are, in a sense, young lions—and we are not Satan’s children (I John 3:10)! The devil, as the male over his pride, is determined to kill off every “cub” that is not his.

In the wild, when young male lions reach 18-24 months old, pride males will often chase them out of their territory. They do not tolerate any competition. Before the young males get too big, they are chased from the pride. Things can get brutal and young males have been killed by their own father if they fail to leave. This is a well-documented behavioral trait of male lions.

That is in effect what is happening on a spiritual level. Satan, as the god of this world, also wants to kill humans physically. Even more, he wants to ensure their spiritual demise—the second death. The devil wants to derail Christians from ever achieving salvation and rulership over his world.

The word “devour” in the Greek can mean “swallowed up” and is translated as such in five out of the seven places it appears in the New Testament. Quite literally, it means that Satan has the ability to cause complete destruction with nothing remaining. This is analogous of the second death.

A hungry lion’s appetite is no different. I have seen a single male lion completely devour the front half of an impala ram (approximately 50 pounds) in about 45 minutes. An impala ram is a little smaller than a white-tailed buck. The only piece left was a tiny part of skull where the two horns were attached, about the size of the palm of your hand. The lion ate the head, guts, hooves, skin and spine—everything.

Man-eating lions have been known to completely consume their victims from head to toe—having no problem eating blood-drenched clothing and shoes. I remember a tragic incident close to where my family lived where a man was killed and completely eaten by lions. They only found a small piece of his fingertip. None of his clothing remained.

Stop and realize Satan’s immense power. Spiritually speaking, he is ready to tear his claws into you and crush your neck with his iron-trap jaws. He wants to shred you to pieces until nothing is left.

Let this sober you!

“Seeking”

Lions are incredibly skilled at finding the weak and sickly in a herd. Satan is the same. When he sees your weaknesses, he will pursue you with deadly force.

In the wild, the last thing you should do when a lion charges you is run away in fear. Every professional guide in Africa worth his salt will tell you this. If you run when a lion charges, you actually activate the cat’s hunting instinct further and the predator will chase you down in seconds.

Instead, when a lion charges, you should stand firm and stay where you are. Lions often use a mock charge to intimidate a threat. But sometimes they charge with the sincere intention to kill as fast as possible. In the wild, if a lion charges you with violent intent, your only hope is that you or your guide can shoot the creature before it reaches you.

Often though, the speed of a full charge occurs within 25-70 yards, which the lion can cover in the blink of an eye. Lions accelerate so fast their charge becomes a blur of tawny-colored horror. One on one, you have almost no chance of survival.

Another story from my youth illustrates the determination of lions when seeking prey. One pride of wild lions was relocated to the game reserve I referenced earlier. At that time, the pride was in a large enclosure (around 100 acres) surrounded by an eight-foot electric fence charged with 9,000 volts (a standard fence for keeping dangerous game). The pride knew how to hunt and fend for itself. Months later, one of the lionesses saw a kudu antelope on the other side of the fence. She stalked and charged at full speed running straight through the fence, snapping wires while getting jolted by the electrical current. Despite this, she ran on to catch and kill the kudu. Incredibly, she was not hurt from the incident and was later safely caught and returned to her pride. Very few obstacles stop lions when they are seeking to kill and satisfy their hunger.

For Christians, it takes boldness to stand firm when under direct attack from the devil. When we feel trapped after Satan has burst through a “fence” in our lives, we must solely rely on God’s miraculous deliverance to remain confident.

Physically, God has repeatedly protected His servants from lions. Think of Daniel. Hebrews 11:33 states: “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.” If God keeps His servants from being mauled by physical lions, how much more will He protect us from Satan!

Allow II Peter 2:9 to comfort you: “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations…”

We also have a responsibility, however, not to lose control of our emotions and spiritual composure when under attack. It takes strength and spiritual grit. Take King Solomon’s words to heart: “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small” (Prov. 24:10).

If we wear the full gospel armor as described in Ephesians 6, then God promises to make Satan—that roaring lion—flee!

James 4:7 states: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” It takes tremendous belief in God, faith, and obedience to overcome Satan as the god of this world. We must trust God, not ourselves, to defeat our adversary.

Miraculous Boldness

Back to Proverbs 28:1: “The wicked flee when no man pursues: but the righteous are bold as a lion.”

As Christians, we must build lionlike boldness. God will help us with this.

Lions have tremendous boldness, as most predators do. Nature documentaries show how a lion can run into a clan of hyenas perfectly prepared to fight to death. Lions have been seen to charge at full-grown African elephant bulls more than 30 times their size. Consider the staggering disproportions! When is the last time you tried to wrestle someone even three times your size?

Some lion prides in Botswana have mastered elephant hunting and can kill younger elephants 10 times their size. I have seen lions charge at large vehicles absolutely determined to “kill” them. Lions have even bitten into the metal frames of vehicles while slapping them with their powerful paws.

Such boldness occurs when fear is 100 percent absent. Allow it to inspire you that God can instill this same bold character in us. However, realize that godly boldness is a character trait reserved for specific occasions.

Consider that, despite their strength and boldness, lions usually rest and sleep for 16-20 hours a day. Often, they appear as though they are lazy house cats lying under a tree while cute little cubs play over them. They certainly do not appear as brutal, bold killing machines. They use their strength, speed and boldness only when it is really needed.

Godly boldness requires wisdom. If you run half-cocked at a problem using your own steam, you will be left both ashamed and bewildered. Remember what happened to the seven sons of Sceva! Read about their utter humiliation in Acts 19:14-16. This story serves as a reminder that we should seek and know God’s will when applying such boldness, especially against Satan.

Righteous zeal should not be confused with boldness. Zeal is to be “hot,” ideally for the Work of God (Rev. 3:15). It requires a passionate attitude and fervency for God’s Work.

To summarize the difference, godly boldness is something we should apply during spiritual battle, while zeal is something we always maintain.

Boldness is to have perfect confidence in God when odds are stacked far against us. It is being sure that, no matter the difficult circumstances around us, we maintain full, unreserved trust in our Creator.

For us, boldness comes with a qualifier—righteousness. Godly boldness is present in Christians who faithfully obey every Word of God. You can start to build this boldness with smaller, less severe trials you face so that you can grow and ultimately overcome the lion of this world—Satan.

Expanding Territory

As this age comes to a close, we must develop and display boldness to tackle problems infinitely bigger than we ever thought we could. The odds seem stacked far against us. We are a little flock spreading an extraordinary message. Though we were called as “the weak things of the world” (I Cor. 1:27), we are being prepared now to do the most awesome work ever.

Jesus Christ, the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5), is coming with a Kingdom. This Kingdom will begin at mustard-seed size, and quickly expand. A “pride” of saints, empowered first with exousia (Mark 13:34) and even more upon salvation, will be responsible for helping spread this righteous territory.

God’s dominion will eventually grow into an empire, fully replacing the realm of Satan—a murderous beast that has caused heartache and despair for nearly 6,000 years. What an amazing plan God has for us!

In the meantime, we must be “found so doing” announcing the end of Satan’s reign and the arrival of God’s Kingdom. Along with doing the Work, use this time to continue developing your spiritual senses. Be vigilant, avoid drunkenness, and build holy, righteous character. If we do our part, God will instill in us everything else that we need.

There is a saying in Africa: “Do not try to fight a lion if you are not one yourself.” Learning lessons from lions can help ensure our survival.