God is wild
"Is -- is he a man?" asked Lucy.
"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of the Beasts? Aslan is a lion -- the Lion, the great Lion."
"Ooh," said Susan, "I thought he was a man. Is he -- quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"That you will, dearie, and make no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else silly."
"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver, "don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."
Of course Lewis illustrates a character trait of God by using the Lion in this portion of his book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. What is not so “of course” is the character trait that Lewis wants to call out – the fact that God is wild. Not wild in the sense that His actions are base and we need to fear them. Quite the contrary as we approach even the smallest non-domesticated animal carefully and with great deliberation, how much more so the King. Thankfully He is good, and there is but a tinge of safety in that, but to His enemies, and they are numerous, He is a terror. Sheer terror. I need to remember that He is wild in that there will come a day when He will have no mercy. The full number of the Gentiles will enter into the Kingdom and there will be a hell here that no one has ever seen whether they be dead or alive.
Tremble before Him my soul for He will be brutal with you as He destroys the sin that you so readily embrace. John baptized with water but then there came One who baptizes with the Spirit. And with fire. Neither of which hold attraction to you? See how far you are; and how great your pain will be!
"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of the Beasts? Aslan is a lion -- the Lion, the great Lion."
"Ooh," said Susan, "I thought he was a man. Is he -- quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"That you will, dearie, and make no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else silly."
"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver, "don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."
Of course Lewis illustrates a character trait of God by using the Lion in this portion of his book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. What is not so “of course” is the character trait that Lewis wants to call out – the fact that God is wild. Not wild in the sense that His actions are base and we need to fear them. Quite the contrary as we approach even the smallest non-domesticated animal carefully and with great deliberation, how much more so the King. Thankfully He is good, and there is but a tinge of safety in that, but to His enemies, and they are numerous, He is a terror. Sheer terror. I need to remember that He is wild in that there will come a day when He will have no mercy. The full number of the Gentiles will enter into the Kingdom and there will be a hell here that no one has ever seen whether they be dead or alive.
Tremble before Him my soul for He will be brutal with you as He destroys the sin that you so readily embrace. John baptized with water but then there came One who baptizes with the Spirit. And with fire. Neither of which hold attraction to you? See how far you are; and how great your pain will be!
"He is good." It dawned on me one day how very fortunate we are that the
ReplyDeleteSupreme Power of the universe, THE God of Heaven and Earth IS good. How terrible it would be if that supreme power was evil.
I completely agree. I long for the benevolent despotism that He will usher in when he finally reigns in sheer goodness and power. Until then...well...
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