Satan's Subtle Tactics and Warnings from 1 Peter 5:8
Rewinding the VHS
I grew up in the 90s. That makes me perfectly acquainted with what might be the heyday of animated Disney movies. Beauty and the Beast with its ‘tale as old as time’. Aladdin with Robin Williams’s comedic genius. Pocahantas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, and then on top of that come two other legendary soundtracks from Mulan and Tarzan. The nostalgia is hitting me just writing the list.
The best of them was beyond a shadow of a doubt The Lion King. This movie dominated my childhood. When my brothers weren’t letting me “play” video games with them (there’s photo evidence of me holding an unplugged controller – I still love them), they humored me by joining in and singing “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King.” The soundtrack, written by Hans Zimmer, paints the African landscape and captures the joys of childhood.
This same soundtrack includes the peril, fear, and tragedy of the wildebeest charging through the gorge. I don’t need to say much more for those familiar with the film. It has been ingrained in our minds since childhood. If you haven’t seen it and want to be brave, give it a watch here.
I apologize for bringing up past trauma or the tears shed. Without fail that scene makes me cry. The thought of losing a father, especially one who has saved you from danger and harm and taught you many lessons, overwhelms me. Now that I have a child of my own the scene still makes me cry albeit for different reasons. It reminds me that the precious moments we share now will one day find their end when I die.
As I recently rewatched Simba cuddling up into his father’s lifeless body I wept. But what struck me clearer than ever before was what followed shortly thereafter. In his most vulnerable moment, the villain appears and condemns Simba. He heaps the guilt of his actions on his shoulders. He makes the situation destitute and forces him away. And then he plots a further tragedy by ordering his henchmen hyenas with the vile line: “Kill him.”
Satan’s Prowlings
Friends, there is still a lion at work today that breathes these same lies and condemnation. There is a lion at work that desires nothing more than our death and the further subjugation of those in bondage to sin and shame. The conjunction of this scene along with studying 1 Peter 5 evoked the biblical truth that we face today. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8 ESV)
A roaring lion is a lion with purpose. It might be for communicating, it might be for mating, or it could be to assert control over what they deem is theirs. Peter reminds us that the devil believes we belong to him. The unsaved and those in the bondage of sin are in this very place. Paul describes this reality as those “following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” (Eph. 2:2) Using similar spatial language, Paul describes the reality that we once belonged to “the domain of darkness.” (Col. 1:13)
Under sin’s curse, condemnation reigns. We stand guilty before the Almighty and Infinite God of all creation. But these actions are not involuntary: We have disobeyed, disregarded, and attempted to de-throne the Lord. When we disobey God’s Word and prioritize our own thoughts or feelings we sin. When we consider ourselves the kings of our own castle, we sin. Sin’s condemnation remains, but it is self-inflicted.
The Good News is Greater than the Accuser
But the good news of the gospel is that God loved us and sent Jesus to die for our sins. This voluntary act of sacrifice serves as the deepest expression of God’s love. The very One who was wronged and hurt by our actions was the One who cancelled the debt we owed by paying for it Himself. God’s forgiveness is ours by placing our faith in Jesus as Lord and repenting – or turning away – from our sins. It is cause for eternal joy and praise - as one familiar hymn reminds us: “My sin – O, the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin not in part but in whole, Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more: praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul.”[1]
Jesus not only died for our sins but offers His life for ours in the most one-sided exchange of all history. He took our sin, our rags, and our frail existence, and gave us His righteousness, His spot-less white robe, and will invites us to share in His life eternal. That invitation is freely given to all who would lose their lives to find life in Jesus alone.
This good news is a daily occurrence, a reminder that we all must regularly find refuge in. We need this because we are a people quick to forget. But we also need this because there is one who seeks to accuse us. The Greek word for devil reveals further the schemes of accusation and slander.[2] Those false accusations can give rise to doubt or insecurities about our worthiness of receiving anything good from the Lord.
Beware the False Lion
It is these devilish tactics which are so clear at the end of that clip from the Lion King. Scar’s manipulative efforts to drive Simba away and place the blame on him – though he has certainly played a part in the tragedy – ignore entirely his schemes and betrayal which led to Mufasa’s demise. Satan would have us believe that our sin, which lead to Jesus’ death on the cross, makes us unworthy of ever receiving anything from God. In doing so, Satan would ensure that many would remain in the bondage of sin so that they can be devoured.
Praise God these lies are not true! Yes, we confess that our sin led to Jesus’ death. Yes, we admit that we are not worthy to receive any gift from God because of our own goodness or merits. But yes, praise God, we also declare that “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8) and this free gift is ours to receive and believe.
The Lion King is a film known to many. There are many who dread the gorge scene and the trauma Simba endures. It evokes fears we have for ourselves and our lives. But perhaps it also touches upon something we don’t readily admit: Scar’s words of condemnation and accusation break our hearts because we feel similarly. We feel weak. We feel responsible for the failures around us. And we feel as though the brokenness in the world is our fault and the only solution is to run and hide. It’s telling that another hit from the movie, “Hakuna Matata” describes the mantra of “YOLO” (You Only Live Once) many of my generation (myself included) would say before doing something foolish or dangerous.
However you find yourself reading these thoughts, I want you to know that God’s love is greater than your condemnation and sense of guilt. There is no sin that Jesus has not paid for by His blood. (Hebrew 9:14) Though the false lion lingers and seeks to convince you of your shame and guilt, know that Jesus has paid for it.
For those who trust in Jesus, take heart. Peter charges his readers to “resist Him, firm in your faith.” (1 Peter 5:9) I think Peter has Daniel’s story in mind here. It’s the powerful story of deliverance from false accusations and hungry lions’ mouths. (Daniel 6) When others condemn you for your faith, when doubt assails you and seeks to overwhelm you, resist, be strong, stand upon the rock of your salvation.
Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, commends “everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24) It is Jesus who offers life when others, especially the devil, seek our death. (John 8:11) Jesus is the source and fullness of the life he offers us. It is only He, the greater lion, who will one day conquer those pretender lions. (Revelation 5:5) He is worthy of all things, trust in Him. Don’t let the false lion have the final say, trust in Jesus for life, hope, and provision.
[1] “It is Well with My Soul,” words: Horatio G. Spafford, 1873. Hymns of Heritage & Hope #628.