The biblical lion?

[baltimoredsmguy]

There are many instances of the bible where the lion is viewed as both good and evil. An example of good is Rev. 5:5 (Jesus refered to as "the Lion of the tribe of Juda"), and an example of evil is Da. 6:22 (and hath shut the lions mouth), and also Job. 4:10, and Zep 3:3.

So then is the biblical lion good sometimes and evil others? Is the word "lion" good only when it is capitalized(refering to Jesus? When lions are said to be "roaring", does that imply evil?

the reason I am asking this is because of the Creed song "My Own Prison" and the movie "Cronicles of Narnia".
An excerpt of the songs lyrics are:

"I hear a thunder in the distance
See a vision of a cross
I feel the pain that was given
On that sad day of loss
A lion roars in the darkness
Only he holds the key
A light to free me from my burden
And grant me life eternally"

Now I'm not trying to come across sounding crazy or anything, but if the bible depicts "roaring lions" as evil(from satan), then what would that imply from the lyrics in the song and the plot of the movie?

p.s. I hope I am looking at this all wrong because I really like the song and the movie.

 

[TrevorL]

Howdy baltimoredsmguy,

Greetings. There are many examples of the lion, and the context determines the symbol, poetic allusion etc. Two examples of some of the range is given in the following:
Genesis 49:9 (KJV): "Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?"
Jeremiah 4:7 (KJV): "The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant."

Your conclusions and questions seem obscure, eg your question "what would that imply from the lyrics in the song and the plot of the movie?" What have these really to do with the Bible usage?

Rather we should consider each usage and the range of meaning of the figure in the particular context. Poetry, artistic beauty and the wisdom of the Scriptures cannot be confined by our narrow definitions.

Kind regards
Trevor

 

[gbear]

The verse you refer to in
1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

It appears to me the word 'as' is the key here... remember satan appears as an angel of light
2Cr 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

So the enemy is really a counterfeit lion... not the real Lion of Judah.. because he walks around as a roaring lion but is not a roaring lion. Also, satan does not have sovereignty... in other words he seeks whom he "may' devour... he cannot devour without permission from the real Lion..Jesus Christ.

Also, I just think the context is different and your song is perfectly fine and refers to Jesus Christ... I mean, there is no other that can offer eternal life am I right?
I'm guessing that in most verses its easy to see that lions are a symbol of evil stuff while in others good. Good question though.