There are bears, and then there are bears. We have the cuddly ones we tuck our children in with at night, and then there are the ones that will eat us if they can find us, so that they can fatten up on whatever good thing we have to offer them.
Amos 5:19 tells us about the coming judgment of the Lord. People will run from their calamity as if fleeing a lion, and the hand of God will be upon them. They will run from a marauding lion into the clutches of an even more fearsome bear.
They will crash into the fist of God, with claws like a bear’s, and he will come upon them as the morning sun, burning brightly with the truth of his Word; as the morning sun that washes the landscape, burning the fog of deception aside, they will know him.
Hosea 13:8 warns us about offending those whom the Lord claims as his children. It says more, though. If we as his children turn from him, we have stolen from the Lord, just as surely as a hunter takes the bear’s cubs as his trophy. God is the mother bear, and in the light of the rising sun, he will bare his claws, ripping the life from those who have offended him.
Yet, as fearsome as these examples are, Proverbs 17:12 tells us there are worse things we must fear. A bear robbed of her cubs is preferable to a fool bent on his folly. Having the Lord correct us with a mighty roar is a better fate than to be hoodwinked into believing in a foolish man.
Why is the foolish man to be feared? Because he not only stumbles on the truth of the Lord, he falters intentionally, with the goal of taking others with him. He wants to bring those around him down. He looks for any opportunity to do evil to those to whom he has promised good. He is the one leading us into the dark places and away from the glory of the rising sun.
He is the start of our desolation, and if we follow him, we will be cast down forever, and there will be no hope for us in that final day of the Lord.
Yet, the word “bear” has another meaning. It suggests that we display something proudly. We carry it with us, and in the transporting of our burden, others see where we’ve been, where we are, and the goals we hope to achieve.
Galatians 6:17 pleads the case of the penitent, for we bear the marks of Jesus on our bodies. The scars we carry are our badge of truth: that we follow the cross, and the name of Jesus is our victory cry.
The cuddly God modern man wishes to espouse from the pulpits of our finest and best is not the truth of his nature. He loves us as his children, and that is something we can place our trust in, but when he is offended, his claws come out. If we do wicked deeds hidden in the dark, the morning sun will reveal the truth of the Lord. His is the coming judgment, and we must remain true to him.
The Lord loves us, and he will bring to justice those who work against us.
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