Not A Tame Lion

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction”—Proverbs 1:7.

Electricians deal with a power that could kill them each and every day. When working with electricity, it is imperative to maintain a healthy fear. Healthy fear enables the electrician to understand and remember that if he is not careful, the electricity has the ability to kill him. Many electricians begin with a healthy fear, but through time and doing the same things over and over again, they sometimes forget. The moment that they forget, however, they get careless and make mistakes. Mistakes for the electrician can have disastrous and deadly results.

For the Christian, having a healthy fear of God is the first step of knowledge. The knowledge the proverb is referring to is the knowledge for living and ordering life. Knowing who God is allows us to see our life in its brevity. The beginning of true knowledge means understanding that God is GOD and we are not. He is the Creator and we are His creation. As Ecclesiastes 5:2 says,  

“Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.”

One of the greatest pictures that captures the essence of healthy fear is found in the film, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis. At the end of the film, Aslan, the Christ-figure, is seen leaving Narnia. The youngest heroine, Lucy, doesn’t understand and questions why He’s leaving. Her friend, Mr. Tumnus, says to her, “He’s not a tame lion.” She responds, “No, but He is good.” Lewis captured in two sentences some of the greatest theological truths about God. He is not tame. We must not think that we can domesticate God to be what or who we want Him to be. As God, He is entirely free to do whatever He pleases. He is the Creator and we are His creation. He is not beholden to us; we are beholden to Him.

God is the one who controls whether or not we take another breath. We are fragile beings. We must have food and water to nourish our bodies; we must have sleep in order to rest. We have needs to be with others, to love and to be loved, to know and be known. Oftentimes, we domesticate God and forget who He is. After forgetting God we are free to make ourselves like God vainly believing that we are the author and captain of our own destinies. We try and determine what is right and good apart from God, based upon our sins and selfish desires. We lose the healthy fear and in essence take our lives in our hands. The Bible says all who lack a healthy fear of God are actually fools that “despise wisdom and instruction.”

God is not tame as Mr. Tumnus stated, but as Lucy so quickly responded, “He is good.” God is good. He is good in His essence and nature. He is good to us, not treating us as our sins deserve. He gives us life, and breath. He gives us the ability to think and understand. He gives us rain, food, and many good and wonderful things. Oh, how often have we forgotten the good that we have received! How often have we approached Him without regard to who He is! May we repent of such an understanding and employ once again a healthy fear of the God who loves! May we see His everlasting love and goodness! May we once again humble ourselves at His feet as we consider His majesty and power! And may He see fit to show His power in our lives again and again!

O LORD God! May Your name be extolled in the heavens! May Your name extend to the utter parts of the universe! May the excellencies of Your name move faster than light! May your truth thunder in the outer reaches of the heavens and may Your mercy stay upon us for we trust in You and Your unfailing love! Amen.