Lions1 roar. It’s part of their nature. When a lion roars, he displays his strength and rule. The roar puts prey and other lions on notice. It echoes over its territory or kingdom. It is a creature you would not care to face on your own.
The lion is also a beautiful and Biblical image of Jesus.
Weep no more; behold,the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered…Revelation 5:5
Jesus’s victory over history and the future is the deep assurance we can stand firmly on. Jesus’s victory and provision over the effects of sin in my life and yours is His expression of grace, won through battle. And I am quick to forget and not live out of understanding. That is why I am writing today. I must remember what He shows me through scripture. And remember what He has revealed, by His Spirit, to my heart about Who He is and what He’s done for me. For you.
Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence
Isaiah 64:1
This picture of a lion, created by Martin French2, will always be linked in my mind and heart with Isaiah 64:1. I stumbled upon this dramatic rendering of a lion and thought of Jesus as the Lion of Judah. Jacob had already promised and prophesied this lion to Judah, one of his sons, in the book of Genesis. Jacob became the nation of Israel, and Judah became one of the tribes of that nation. This lion is also spoken of in the Book of Revelation as having conquered. Past tense. Notice that the Bible begins and ends with the Lion of Judah.
For years, I had a small copy of the image tucked into the front of my “teacher daily planner” binder, a visual reminder of Who was with me in the classroom. Later, it hung in my son’s room, where it was eventually tucked away and forgotten.
A number of years ago, I was sitting at the kitchen table reading my Bible. I was overwhelmed with anxiety, and it was a season of intense fear. Mornings were the worst, and that morning was a flood of out-of-control anxiety racing through my body and mind. Those minutes of reading scripture in that long season brought a comfort that would briefly penetrate the deep angst and anchor me to the life in God’s words. On this particular morning, I was reading Isaiah’s prophecies. I had read Isaiah 64:1 silently, pausing to close my eyes. The cry in my heart matched the verse. I begged the Lord to break through the seemingly impenetrable heavens and set me free from the agony of deep anxiety that I’d been walking in for months. How long?!
In the book of the prophet Joel, we see the promise from God that “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.3” Sons…daughters…old…young will prophesy, dream and see visions, and this would be connected to the working of God’s Spirit. “Spirit” is the Hebrew word ruach. It means breath, wind, spirit. His Spirit is His very breath on us. I do not doubt that visions, dreams and prophecies are given today, as His breath works in His people. Even a little picture from the Lord gives precious insight and grace.
I had paused and closed my eyes. A picture flashed through my mind, clearly seen on that screen of my closed eyes. A lion. He ran long strides towards me, full mane moving with each reach of its large paws. His mouth was wide open, roaring. That roar produced a strong breath that covered my face as the distance closed between the lion and myself. As this lion came near enough to see the details, the face changed to a man’s. I opened my eyes and knew it was Jesus’s face. It was HIS breath on my face.
Awe seeped into my soul. Yet, I wondered…had I imagined it? Why this image after reading this verse? Why, at that moment, did I have such a vivid picture? There seemed to be no connection, and I had no reason to have made it up. A few days later, I came across the forgotten picture of the lion in my son’s room. I was struck and moved by how similar that image was to what I had “seen.” What had I seen?
Trying to make sense of it and desiring confirmation (or not) that this picture had come from God’s Spirit, I went to His Word. I reread the verse and decided to examine the Hebrew words used in this verse. And I discovered a comforting treasure that I believe you need to hear.
Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence
Isaiah 64:1
An initial look at a Lexicon showed a straightforward translation of “rend” (to tear) and “quake” (to shake). The translation for “heaven” and “mountains” were also straightforward. The words, “at your presence, ” on the other hand, quickened my heart. It is the Hebrew word panim, which means face. Hadn’t I seen the face of a lion change to the face of a man? A person’s face is closely linked with their presence, and Jesus’ presence was surely expressed in this image! He SAW me. He sees YOU, my friend. Take heart, He sees You.
What else was the Lord trying to reveal? What was I missing? At first blush, the verse gives the image of the skies being torn and split in two and God coming down in all His wonder and power. A roaring lion didn’t seem to fit. As I studied this verse, hungry for understanding yet careful that I only received what He had for me, I looked at the word “rend” again.
Webster’s dictionary defines rend as “to remove from place by violence.” The many Hebrew words used to depict the idea of rending also suggest this intensity. The word quara is used here in Isaiah 64, meaning to tear or rend. Most other words expressed various ideas of “rending, tearing,” words such as taraph (to tear, rend, pluck), baqa (to cleave, break open), shasa (to divide, cleave) and naqa (to be alienated or estranged). I continued down the list and saw many words, all expressing those variations. Until I spotted the word tsarach, which means to cry or roar, and my heart leapt, thinking of the lion I saw running toward me, roaring!
Only two verses in scripture use this word, tsarach, and one of them is Isaiah 42:13:
The Lord goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes.
Isaiah 42:13
Place this verse next to the cry in Isaiah 64, for God to rend the heavens and come down. Do you see what He wanted to remind me of? This rending and tearing of the heavens is the actions of a Warrior, a Lion, who has fought for you and me. It is the actions of One who has resoundingly defeated His foes (past tense). Both verses were spoken by Isaiah, looking ahead to the promised salvation found in a future Messiah. We are now on THIS side of a baby King born in a stable. On this side of the cross. Our God has already rended the heavens on our behalf. He came, roaring like a mighty man against all our foes.
Do you have foes? Who or what are they? Is it fear and anxiety? Is it sickness? Is it an addiction or memories and brokenness? A relationship that is falling apart? What cry do you have? What hard sky above do you need to know that He has already torn apart with a roar? Our Lord came down, breathing His Spirit of life for us to receive! The earth shook as He fully dealt with our enemy. Come with an open heart and hands to receive His victory. Receive His provision of life through His Spirit!
We are in the Advent season of Christmas right now. The entering of a Baby into our world is the beginning of that promised “rending” found in Isaiah 64. Advent is remembering Jesus’s first coming and anticipating His return. It is a season of preparing our hearts with the story of Jesus’s birth. To help us worship the Baby, the King, the Lion, here is an advent song, Lift High (Emmanuel). Notice the chorus praises the “roaring Lion of Judah.” (Click on the title for the song by Gateway Worship to listen).
Lying in Bethlehem
This baby boy and King
Trading His diadem
And wearing humanity
From the Holy of Holies
To the dirt with the lowly
Our Savior stepped off His throne
To meet us in flesh and bone
Lift high the name of Jesus Christ
Let us exalt the Treasure of Heaven
Lift high the name of Jesus Christ
Let praises rise for Christ our Emmanuel
Following signs and stars
Shepherds and wise men came
To offer their gifts and laud
Here now we do the same
Every tongue every nation
And the whole of creation
Will join in the sacred song
Our worship is His alone
Lift high the name of Jesus Christ
Let us exalt the Treasure of Heaven
Lift high the name of Jesus Christ
Let praises rise for Christ our Emmanuel oh
Hallelujah, to the saving Son of Heaven
To the Prince of Peace eternal
His name is Jesus
Hallelujah, to the roaring Lion of Judah
To the King of kings forever
His name is Jesus
Hallelujah, to the saving Son of Heaven
To the Prince of Peace eternal
His name is Jesus
Hallelujah, to the roaring Lion of Judah
To the King of kings forever
His name is Jesus
(Hallelujah)
His name is Jesus
(Hallelujah)
Oh His name is Jesus
(Hallelujah)
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Lift high the name of Jesus Christ
Let us exalt the Treasure of Heaven
Lift high the name of Jesus Christ
Let praises rise
For Christ our Emmanuel
Let praises rise
(Oh let it rise, let it rise)
For Christ our Emmanuel
Emmanuel
Let praises rise
For Christ our Emmanuel
Further Study
1. In this season of Advent, read Isaiah 40:9-11 and reflect:
How can you “Behold” Him? What do you behold about Him?
What Good News does Isaiah write of? What promises of God are revealed in these verses? Make a list and pray through it, receiving what our victorious King has for you.
2. Read and reflect on Ephesians 4:7-9.
What insight is given about our Roaring Lion and Victorious King? Note that verse 8 is a quote from Psalm 68, inferring the fulfillment of a word spoken hundreds of years earlier. This is the beauty of the woven nature of the scriptures!
3. Read and reflect on two verses that refer to the triumph found in Christ. 2 Corinthians 2:14 and Colossians 2:15.
What do you notice about this triumph? What “violence” is suggested in these verses?
- Main Page Image Credit: Image by wirestock on Freepik ↩︎
- Martin French ↩︎
- Joel 2:28 ↩︎
