In Psalm 18, David describes God’s protection:
2The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
(Psalm 18:2 )
Jesus using the imagery of a shepherd protecting his sheep Jesus affirms:
28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (John 10:28–29)
But take heed! A sheep is protected from the predators only IF it stays within reach of the shepherd.
At the last supper Jesus tells Peter:
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31–32)
There are temptations and testing that come at us, but there are also some that we walk into. Famous last words: “I can handle this.” “I would never go that far.” “There’s really nothing wrong
with a little. . .drink. . .look. . .taste.” Or even: “Through little exposures to temptation I can gradually grow more able to resist.”But in a very sobering passage, Peter exhorts us:
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
Years ago we took our family to a small game park in Africa. I remember how the leopard kept gazing at our young daughters, crouching down and then springing with all his strength at them. The whole cage shook with the impact! He was ready for the kill.
David describes God as our fortress, our shield, our protector. I picture us walking with God in a zoo. The devil is behind bars like a caged lion. And God warns, “Don’t go near the bars.” Why? Because the devil is far more dangerous than we can imagine. I remember a news item some years ago about a woman who was severely injured by a caged lion. There was a small barrier to keep people away, next the cage with very strong bars, and then, of course, the lion. Most caged lions look docile and lazy. . . but they’re not! In this incident, a woman climbed over the first barrier and stood right up next to the bars so her friend could take a picture of her standing close to the lion. But the “docile” lion changed in an instant. Quick as a flash he shot his paw through the bars, and sunk his claws into her shoulder. Then he pulled her arm through the bars and began biting and tearing it. She survived, but her arm was so mangled it had to be amputated! How did that happen? Simple. She went to close to the bars and then it all happened in a flash.
That’s why, even with God’s protection, we are warned:
14Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of the evil.
15Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
Proverbs 4:14–15
And:
33Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
1 Corinthians 15:33
And:
14Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? (2 Corinthians 6:14–15)
Don’t go near the bars! The family of God is full of people who have spiritually been mauled, and must live out their lives with scars and missing limbs. What happened?
“Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
They went to close to the bars!