"And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I
make up MY JEWELS."
Malachi 3:17
To my dear grandchildren
The Lion—King of Beasts (Part 1)
"A lioness . . . brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey.” Ezekiel 19:2-3
Lions are the most famous members of the cat family. They are among the fiercest of animals and live in Africa, southern Asia and India. Six to twenty will live together in a group called a pride.
When hidden in tall grass or rocks, they are hard to spot. Hunters have sometimes almost walked into such a group before seeing them. Like a house cat snoozing much of the day, they spend 20 hours a day sleeping or resting. Perhaps this helps them to live for 18-20 years. Do you think God cares about them? Yes, He cares for all of His creation. The opening Bible verse shows that He has made even lions to care for their young.
A lioness, temporarily leaving the pride, gives birth to two, three or four cubs about every other year. The cubs weigh around three pounds at birth and are blind and helpless, and the lioness nurses and trains them for about three months before retuning to the pride. Then she and other mothers take turns babysitting for each other. If the cubs do not do as the lioness wants, they often get picked up by the loose skin at the back of their necks.
At two months they accompany their mother to a “kill” for their first meal of meat. Soon she teaches them to stalk and capture their own prey. Female cubs stay with the pride, but male cubs are chased from the territory by their fathers when they are between two and three years old. These young males wander and hunt together until they are fully grown. Then they challenge males in other prides and may take over the prides.
A full-grown male, weighing 500 pounds, may stand four feet high and measure eight to ten feet from nose to the end of his tail. He is a handsome animal, dressed in yellow-gold with a shaggy mane and penetrating eyes. The female is smaller and has no mane. Strong creatures, they can carry animals in their mouths weighing as much as twice their own weight.
The big male is famous for his frightening roar which terrifies nearby animals so that they jump up and run. But the lion often soon catches them and can disable or kill some prey with one swipe of a paw.
How we need God’s warning to us: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). A place of safety from our enemy Satan is most important. God offers you that place of safety: “In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge” (Proverbs 14:26) (to be continued)
Love you all - Grandpa
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