Whatever You Do, Don’t Run!

Photo by chris.merwe

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. - 1 Peter 5:8

We think of the lion as an African species, but in ancient times, lions ranged from Greece to India and Persia. By 100 A.D., they had become extinct in Europe, but they survived in considerable numbers in the Middle East until the early 20th century. So New Testament writers like Peter would have been quite familiar with lions and their behavior.

Much has been written by modern Christian authors about how a lion will roar to scare its prey into running the other way... towards a waiting ambush of other lions. I couldn’t find any information confirming that. But I did find one reason they do roar: as a territorial display.

A lion’s roar can carry 5 miles or more. Males roar only when on their own territory. In other words, it’s a display of ownership that is only given by resident lions on their own territory.

Does that put 1 Peter 5:8 in a whole new perspective? Satan is acting like he owns the place, roaring in a lion-like territorial display. But we’re told not to give him any ground (see Ephesians 4:27).

The Safari Guide, a website that provides information to tourists visiting the bush on safari, gives this advice when encountering a lion in the wild:

One thing to remember with lions – whatever you do, don’t run! If you run away from a lion it will regard you as prey and it will chase you.

If you do get charged by a lion, you must stay still and hold your ground. This is easier said than done, but you cannot outrun a lion anyway. Lions often mock charge and break away at the last moment. They do this to show their displeasure, as an act of bravado and to ‘test’ you.

Notice how many times the word stand appears in the well-known Armor of God passage:

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

God’s already given you all that you need for the battle, so next time the adversary confronts you, keep in mind that he’s only “like a roaring lion.” He isn’t actually one.