Squirrel Or Lion?
Proverbs 28:1 NKJ
The wicked flee when no one pursues,
But the righteous are bold as a lion.
We have a few squirrels around our house. At times, we have had squirrels in our house, but that's another story. One thing about squirrels: they are skittish animals. Make a noise, and they run. Come outside, and they run. Let out Boudreaux, the wonder poodle, and they laugh. Even squirrels are not afraid of Boudreaux. But under most circumstances, squirrels are jumpy, not bold.
Lions are a different story. Lions ain't scared. You don't want to make a noise when around wild lions lest they hear and come after you. If you are on a safari and see a lion, stay in the truck. Lions know they win most any battle in the animal kingdom, so lions are bold.
In our verse for today, the wicked are compared with the righteous. Solomon references lions, not squirrels, but he does say that the wicked run when no one is after them. But the righteous are bold as a lion. Solomon was not talking about personality but about the confidence that comes from being in right standing with God as compared with the fear that plagues those opposed to Him.
We can understand this from a personal perspective. When we are living right and doing the right things before God, it creates a confidence in us. We are quicker to pray. Quicker to believe. Quicker to face challenges without a sense of dread or worry. Living right keeps us in the fight.
But when we have sinned, missed it, messed up, we lose all sense of confidence with God. It's as if we are waiting for something bad to happen. We are reluctant to pray. Struggle to believe, and we run from perceived problems and shrink back from the real ones. This is why the enemy does everything he can to keep us condemned. There is no confidence in condemnation.
We can see the importance of righteousness. The first place we must start is to accept the righteousness that is offered as a free gift. Look at Romans 5:17-18 NLT "For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone." The free gift of righteousness puts us in right standing with God where confidence grows strong. Add to the positional righteousness that we have in Christ with our obedience to walk according to this new life and the ways that honor the Lord. No, we are not going to be perfect, but we can all walk in the light of what we know. When we are living in obedience, the apostle John says we assure our hearts before God. An assured heart is a bold heart. A bold heart does not shrink back, nor is it afraid of what may happen.
Some people, who are without understanding, call the Christian life weak. But for those of us who know what Jesus has done for us, a life following Jesus is living as a lion, not a squirrel.