Devo Week 41

The Lion and the Lamb -- Symbols of God’s Nature

Symbols, like pictures, are worth a thousand words. When applied carefully and appropriately in a certain context, they can help reveal God, His nature and His plan of redemption.

Key Concept: Symbols Speak Beyond Words

Animals, for example, give us an image of God's nature that speak beyond words. The value and meaning placed upon them, however, will vary depending on where you live in the world. Specific animals within a certain context may reveal a unique side of God's nature.

For the Jews, the lion and the lamb represent positive aspects of God. As the king of the jungle, the lion symbolizes God as the ruler of all creation. Jesus, the lion of Judah, came to destroy the works of the devil. (I John 3:8) He also came to take away the sin of the whole world as the sacrificial lamb of God. (John 1:29) For the Jews, the lamb was the highest sacrificial animal.

There are similar animals within different contexts. For example, both the Akha and Akeu view and treat the water buffalo as a sacred animal (see Devotional 5). There are no lambs where they live, and they have little knowledge of Israel and the Jewish culture. Rather, the water buffalo is the key animal within their identity as a people being rice farmers and buffalo herdsmen.

For the Akha and Akeu, using symbolism of Jesus coming to them as the sacrificial lamb was a perspective too far away for them to see or grasp when hearing the Gospel for the first time. But, when we used the symbolism of Jesus coming to them as the sacrificial buffalo, that was a close-up perspective they could easily understand. This is taking a near-sighted approach of the Gospel℠ which I explain in Devotional 1.

A near-sighted approach of the Gospel℠ simply means viewing the Gospel as well as the whole of Scripture from their perspective. How would they see Jesus? What symbols help make the Gospel come alive to them? Our goal is to share the Gospel in a way that brings Jesus into focus within their language and culture.

Key Word Definition: role (noun)

-- the position or purpose that someone or something has in a situation, organization, society, or relationship

Excerpt from Devotional 41 with highlighted word:

"The Bible often uses animals to symbolize a characteristic or role. Jesus, as the lion and lamb, are artistic descriptions of His roles and nature as the God-man. We typically embrace Him as the lamb of God, the willing sacrifice for our sins, gentle in nature. But, ... we are rather hesitant embracing Him as the lion of Judah, fierce in nature, the conqueror, ruler and King of all nations. (Psalm 2:8-9)"

Scripture: Rev. 5:5-6

“Then one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.' Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.”