Day 348
Jonah 1:1-4:11; Revelation 5:1-14; Psalm 133:1-3; Proverbs 29:26-27
When the Lamb Will Roar
Jonah, Psalm 133, and the Proverbs for the day all point to living a good and wise life. Revelation 5 makes certain that that such a life is even more. The question is asked, “Who is worthy to open the scroll?” Who is able and ready, with power and authority to defeat Satan and to reign in victory at the end of the ages? In verse 5, the answer is a joyful shout, “The Lion of Judah has conquered, He can do it!” That answer points to a powerful and confident King. Then the courts of heaven burst forth with a song of praise for the Lamb who is worthy. A Lamb for a Lion? This is key to understanding Christmas: the infant in Bethlehem, cute and cuddly as all infants are, will become the Resurrected Lord of all Creation. How can Jesus win the victory over death—and so be worthy to open the scroll—unless He first enters into life as a baby, lives that life, and faces death itself? The Lion must first be the Lamb: and in the end, the Lamb will Roar. That Roar turns our faith from good advice for living a wise life into preparation for Eternal Life in the Kingdom of God. As we near the end of our year’s Bible Challenge, if you began looking for good advice or even inspiration, without knowing Jesus to be the Roaring Lamb, I hope that along the way, you have joined the choir (verse 9) singing, “Worthy is the Lamb!”
The Rev. Loren Fox
Church of Our Savior
Palm Bay, FL