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Kitten or a Lion
Amos 1:1-8
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“And he said: ‘The LORD roars from Zion and utters his voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the top of Carmel withers.’”– Amos 1:2[/perfectpullquote]
What comes to mind when you think of a kitten? Cute, playful, and harmless may be just a few things that come to mind. I don’t know of anyone who is afraid of a kitten, because even their bites don’t hurt. You can pet them and cuddle with them with no fear of how they might hurt you. Now, what comes to mind when you think of a lion? Do you think of words like strong, magnificent, or powerful?
Have you ever seen or heard a lion roar in real life? I remember taking a train ride inside an amusement park when I was a young teenager. During the ride, the train went through a wildlife exhibit and I saw a lion. It was my first time seeing a real lion so I decided to take a picture of it. Well, apparently I didn’t see the sign that read “No Flash Photography” and the flash went off right into the lion’s eyes. I know that I don’t like the flash in my eyes and the lion was no different. He just stared at me and roared! Even though I was in a safe place, I was scared and I learned a valuable lesson that day – don’t use the flash when taking a picture of a lion up close!
Some people think that God is like a kitten – that He is gentle, cuddly, and innocent, and would never hurt a fly. This passage in Amos paints another picture. Amos describes God as a lion with a mighty roar. And just like the lion in my example, He does not roar unless He has good reason to do so. Why does the Lord roar in this passage? He roars because so many foreign nations are mistreating His people so much. He has been patient for too long and now it is time for Him to show them that He is Lord. Does God only roar and bring punishment to the foreign nations? No. If you look at chapter 2, God is also going to punish the Israelites for rejecting His Word and for mistreating each other.
Some people find it hard to think that a loving God (1 John 4:8) can also discipline those who disobey Him (Hebrews 12:6). When someone who doesn’t fully understand who God is and know a little about the Bible, they will say that the God of the Old Testament is not the same God of the New Testament. They’ll say that the God of the Old Testament is full of wrath and judgment while the God of the New Testament is full of love and forgiveness. They have difficulty understanding that while God is patient, He cannot and will not allow sin to go unchecked. It may seem like that from time to time from our perspectives, but that is when we need to remember that God is patient and He wants all people to come to Him (2 Peter 3:9).
Sometimes, we need a reminder of just how awesome and powerful our God really is. He is a friendly lion who watches over us and protects us, even when we do wrong. But, because He loves us, He cannot let us continue living a life of sin. I think that some people like the idea of God being a kitten, because then they do not have to be afraid of disobeying Him. And if they have no fear, then they can do whatever they please giving no thought to consequences.
That seems to be where we are as a society right now. People are demanding their own way and nobody is going to tell them otherwise. There is such a lack of respect for authority, and it can be very scary for our friends and family. As Christians, let’s make sure that we let others know that God is in charge and that He won’t let this continue on forever. He will roar.
– Pastor David Guenin
