Lamb-Hearted: The Divine Plot Twist
- Kerry Morris
- 20 hours ago
- 4 min read
I once encountered a lion in the wild in Africa. I was safely in a truck, and he was lounging and completely unconcerned by my presence. But, as I listened to the rumble of his breath, I was holding mine. He was powerful and beautiful and feared none of the men or beasts that rustled in the brush around him.
Sometimes I feel like there are a lot of dangers lurking in the brush around me, so many battles to be fought. I want a lion on my side. I want God to be a lion.
The Plot Twist
Many traditions view God as a Lion. God tells the prophet Hosea, “I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah.[1]” In Hinduism, Narasimha is divine power taking the form of a lion, emerging to protect a follower and fight evil. Christians believe Jesus to be the prophesied “Lion of Judah”, come to liberate humanity.
The Apostle John’s vision in the Book of Revelation continues this theme as it begins with the announcement of a victorious lion. “The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.” It makes sense, what better symbol to represent divine authority than a lion.
But then, there is a plot twist.
“Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered…He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one sitting on the throne…And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.[2]””
The lion was a lamb. In God’s kingdom, a lamb is the one with all the power, worthy to reign. In the ancient Middle East, there may have been nothing as unremarkable and common as a sheep. Bow before a sheep? Look to a sheep to fight my battles? Scandalous.
Yet, God described himself to Moses as “…The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.[3]” The Quran refers to God as “Al-Lateef”, often translated “The Most Subtle” or “The Most Gentle.[4]”
When God had mercy on the city of Nineveh, and chose not to punish them, the prophet Jonah was so angry he asked to die. He complained to God, “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? …I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love... Just kill me now, Lord!.[5]”
On the night Jesus was arrested, one of his followers drew a sword to try and fight off the arresting officials. “Put away your sword,” Jesus told him. “Those who use the sword will die by the sword.[6]” Jesus had every intention of righting wrongs, of changing the world.
But the sword was not the right tool for the job. Changing the world was not a job for a soldier, but for a lamb.
The Heart of a Lamb
Sheep are generally unremarkable compared to other animals. They are not the strongest or the fastest or the smartest. But in the ancient Middle East, there was one area in which they were unmatched.
Sheep were the ultimate sacrificial servants. They met physical needs, providing wool for clothing, milk and meat for food, even their hides were used for writing material and shelter. And lambs were sacrificed as a way to remember how God rescued the nation of Israel. The prophet Isaiah referred to the suffering and selfless servant of God being, “led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.[7]”
This lamb nature of God is not some emergency plan created in response to human sin. It is foundational to the nature of God. Revelation refers to “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”. God’s nature is to give freely and lavishly of himself. God’s first interaction with humanity was a selfless gift of attention and life.
I look at a broken world and ask God for a warrior, and instead he points to a servant. I ask God for a sword, and he hands me a broom. I heard a wise person say a good first step to healing our nation would be to replace the word “fight” in every speech with the word “serve.”
The Prophet Hosea wrote, “I, the Lord, will roar like a lion. And when I roar, my people will return trembling from the west. Like a flock of birds, they will come from Egypt. Trembling like doves, they will return from Assyria. And I will bring them home again[8].”
People hear the lion’s roar and, instead of running away from it, run towards it. What kind of lion has a roar like that?
A lion with the heart of a lamb.
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FOOTNOTES
[1] Hosea 5:14
[2] Revelation 5:5-13 NLT
[3] Exodus 34:6 NLT
[4] Appears in the Quran at 6:103, 12:100, 22:63, 31:16, 33:34, 42:19, 67:14. The concept suggests God as one who knows every fine detail of creation and deals with people with exquisite, almost imperceptible care.
[5] Jonah 4:1-3 N
[6] Matthew 26:52 NLT
[7] Isaiah 53:7
[8] Hosea 11:10-11 NLT
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