The Lion and the Dew

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

THE LION AND THE DEW

Prov 19:12

12 A king's rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

NIV

Usually when we think of kings, we think of the time when knights were bold and sat around the round table at Camelot with King Arthur. Perhaps we think of King Richard, the lion hearted or King Henry viii and his six wives. Biblically we have encounter many kings of Israel and Judah. Some were good and others did evil in the eyes of God. We think of King Saul, King David and Solomon. The fact remains kings hold the life and death of their subjects in their hands. The king’s word was law, he decided to live in peace or war. He decided the fate of the people of the city he conquered. We think how Daniel was subject to the law of king Nebuchadnezzar as well as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. When the king was angry men died, but when the king was pleased with someone he bestowed favors upon them. We think of how the king of Egypt showed favor to Joseph because he was pleased with his interpretation of his dreams. But we also think of how King Saul sought to kill David because he was afraid of his popularity with the people. Although this saying might well speak of many of the kings of old, it also speaks of current day rulers or governments. In many countries if one protests again the ruling class, they are removed somehow. In our country, although we are allowed to protest, those who bow the lowest to the government officials are shown much favor. As true as all that is, this saying speaks in actually about God and his creation, us. We know there is both sides of God, his wrath and his peace. His wrath is reserved for those who refuse to submit to his authority. He will judge them in his wrath, he will be a roaring lion showing them no mercy, and they will be devoured by the lake of burner sulfur as surely as the prey of a lion is devoured until nothing is left of it. It seems difficult to think of God in those terms when we are like the grass which receives the morning dew. Each and every morning he refreshes us with his presence and his word. Because we have accepted Jesus as our lord and Savior God shows us favor, he hears our prayer. When Moses spoke to the people about being disobedient to the command of God, he told them God turned a deaf ear to their prayers. Solomon will tell us later that those who turn a deaf ear to God, their prayers are detestable.  But we who hear the voice of the Lord, who listen to the Spirit who lives within us, and follow the ways of God, are shown his favor. He listens and he gives us blessings both spiritual and material. He cares for us, he watches over us, he is a light onto our path, a path which he has laid out for us to walk. Now of course there are times we take our own path, we stray and follow after some temptation and fail to uphold his word in our heart. But he does not strike us dead on the spot because of Jesus. Jesus stands before the Father making intercession for us, showing his hands and feet telling the Father he took our sin into account in that cross. As we continue to try to live according to his path for us, his direction, his commands, he is forever forgiving because of our being in Christ. We are this fertile field of grass, living and growing because of his dew, his favor. If we are not receiving his dew surely we would whither, dry up and die. We need each mornings dew.