The Wicked Flea

“The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1).

     Revelation 21:8 says the fearful shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Therefore we do not want to be like the wicked who flee when no man pursueth. We want to be like the righteous who are bold as a lion.

     When Christians describe a believer as “bold,” many think of a person who is very outspoken about his faith. A believer who tries to proselytize total strangers, or who does open-air preaching on the street is called bold.

     Such a person is indeed bold.  And there is certainly nothing wrong with proselytizing. The Lord expects us to talk to people about our faith, even if it is not politically correct. However, the boldness spoken of in Proverbs 28:1 is a boldness that entails more than just a loud voice and courage to confront strangers and a willingness to risk rejection and ridicule. A loud voice, courage to confront strangers, and the willingness to risk rejection and ridicule are helpful tools, but the boldness of the righteous is a boldness that is based on trust, not on human courage, loudness, natural eloquence, and a willingness to be rejected. I say that because the Hebrew word translated “bold” is a form of the verb batach, which means “to trust.”  Some English translations (Stone Tanach, Rotherham’s) say the righteous “are confident.”

     So having the boldness of a lion does not mean having an arrogant, boastful boldness that speaks to people in a proud, condescending manner. Rather, the righteous are those who boldly face life and its challenges with quiet confidence. They are not like the wicked, who flee when no man pursueth. They are bold as a lion because their confidence is in the Lion of Judah, not in their own abilities.

     The lion is sometimes called the king of the jungle. Proverbs 30:30 describes the lion as “A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away from any.”  The lion walks through the jungle unafraid and unchallenged. He does as he pleases.

     Yeshua, the Lion of Judah, is more than just the king of the jungle. He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. If the Lion of Judah walks beside us and lives within us, we can be bold as a lion.

     Furthermore, the Lion of Judah is not an old, weary, toothless lion. Even though He is called the Ancient of days (Dan. 7:22), He is nonetheless forever young, still as powerful and scary as He was in eternity past.

     Our mortal bodies might grow old, weary, and toothless, but even in an old, weary, toothless body we can still have the boldness of a young lion. I say that because the Hebrew text in this verse does not use ariyeh, the typical generic word for “lion.”  It uses the more specific kaphir, a word which refers specifically to a young lion. The Stone Tanach translates it as “a young lion.”

     So even if you are old, weary, toothless and bald, you can still have the boldness and confidence of a young lion with its full strength, all its teeth, and a full mane of hair, because the Lion of Judah is with you. You do not need to fear the wicked flea or any other parasite when you walk with the King.

| DB