[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during June 2020]
Catalogue (def): a dialogue with a feline focus.
Recently we were treated to an ingenious presentation of the Biblical story of Daniel in the lions’ den[1]. It set me wondering which of our ten cats could play the central role of Albus Dumblepaw. Ten cats? I suppose that ten cats is about the right number if you want to get rid of some corrupt state officials with dubious motives. In a somewhat similar way, our cats are not house pets – they are expected to earn their keep by controlling the local vermin.
Initially, there was just one cat but someone dumped two kittens at our gate, no doubt thinking that the Englishman will look after them. Then a neighbour’s cat decided that we were offering better facilities so she moved in too. The two older cats are familiar with the instruction in Genesis 8 v17 and have set about complying; each had three kittens and they are both happy to nurture each other’s offspring.
Domestic cats are not often mentioned in the Bible. By implication, their ancestors are included in the process of creation and similarly in Noah’s floating menagerie but otherwise it is their wilder cousins who take pride of place. We think of lions as the magnificently-maned layabouts of the savannah but the middle-eastern concept is more like a mountain lion. Fiercely protective of both their family and their territory, they symbolise strength, cunning and aggression. They inspire fear in those who encounter them although some, like Samson and David, were able to defeat them.
In 1 Kings 13 we have the curious story of a prophet who disobeyed God and was attacked by a lion on his way home. His body was found with the lion standing on one side and his untouched donkey on the other. Later, in 2 Kings 17, we are told that the people who resettled Samaria after the Israelites were exiled were themselves attacked by lions under the hand of God because they did not know what “the god of that country requires”. The key to survival is obedience to God.
The apostle Peter warns us: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Failure to heed this warning is likely to be catastrophic.
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[1] HBC Sunday morning online service, 21/Jun/2020, from 27:58
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © the Author
