KING OF KINGS
By Christy Lowman
Burke County
Did you know there is an animal that we refer to as the king of the jungle and king of the beasts? I’m not sure why we say the jungle because they don’t actually live there. This animal is also used as a symbol and reference to God. Do you know what this animal is?
The lion. This big cat is the second largest cat in the world. The lion can be found in the grasslands, and savannahs in Africa along with a small group located in India. Lions can grow up to 8.2 feet long and weigh as much as 550 pounds. However, the lions that live in India are much smaller. Lions are mostly yellow and brown but every so often a white one is born. Lions can run up to 50mph for short distances and can jump as high as 36 feet. They are also great climbers and can scale a wall with ease.
Their diet usually consists of zebras, giraffes, wild boars, cape buffalo, wildebeests, and antelope. Sometimes they steal other animals and kill them instead of catching their own meal. They eat so much at one time that they can go a few days without eating.
Most of the time the lionesses (females) do all the hunting for food for the entire group called a pride. A pride can have as many as 30 members. Lions are considered the most social cats because of how large their family group is.
While the females are out hunting the males are busy protecting their territory. The territory can stretch up to 100 square miles.
Lions spend most of their time sleeping and resting because they do not have sweat glands. This makes them tire quickly. They sleep and lay around 16-20 hours. Lions hunt mostly during the day but can change their hunting schedule tonight if there is a better chance of catching a meal.
A lion’s roar can be heard 5 miles away and can last as long as 40 seconds. All lions in the pride will roar in unison to warn intruders to leave. They are equipped with unique voice boxes that allow them to make many other noises including squealing, purring, screaming, and grunting. Can you imagine if you were out in the tall grass walking around, not being able to see what was around you then suddenly hearing a bunch of lions roar solid for almost a minute? How eerie would that be? The hairs on my arms would stand up!
Only the male lions have a mane but not all males have one. Some just grow a fringe around their neck. The color of a lion’s mane shows how old and experienced they are. A younger male has a lighter mane, while older males have a dark brown one. A dark, long mane symbolizes good health and a great fighter. Most males will choose to fight a male with a light-haired, short mane before a darker-colored one. Scientific experiments show that female lions prefer a male with a dark long mane.
The mane will grow up to 16 centimeters long. It protects the lion’s neck and makes the lion look bigger than it is to intimidate predators and rivals.
A lion’s toenails are made of keratin, which is the same thing as ours. They have 5 toes on their front paws and 4 on their back.
Lions walk on their large toes and the pads of their feet. This allows them to walk around quietly and sneak up on their prey. Their heels never touch the ground when they walk.
Lions have been a symbol of strength, royalty, courage, valor, and nobility. Lions have been mentioned many times in the Bible. Do you remember the story of Daniel in the lions’ den? Or Samson and the lion?
Lions may be known as the king of the jungle and the king of the beasts, but did you know that God is known as the King of Kings? What do you think it means to be the King of Kings? It means God reigns over every person, every beast, and every living and non-living thing. He is God, there is no one mightier or higher than Him. He is the ultimate being.
God is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! He is the giant alpha Lion so to speak. He will reign on high forever and ever. Doesn’t it make you feel good that you are part of the family of God? He wants you to be His family and cares deeply for you because He is your heavenly Father. I can’t imagine what it would be like to not know God. It must be hard to live on earth if you don’t know Him. I talk to Him, pray to Him, and rely on Him every day. Do you? If you don’t know if you are a part of the family of God but want to be, contact me, at christyssoaps@yahoo.com, or the newspaper. We will help you or send you to someone who can.
Dear God, I pray with all of my heart that everyone who reads this newspaper will get saved and become part of the family of God. I pray that you will guide this paper to the hands of non-believers. Help it reach as many people as possible. I pray that more and more people will realize that you are the alpha lion and that they need to get to know you. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.
“But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore— the LORD above is mightier than these!” NLT Psalms 93:4
“The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God.” Psalms 104:21
Bibliography
https://davidshepherd.org/species/lions/
https://www.trvst.world/biodiversity/lion-facts/
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Christy Lowman is a Christian author and illustrator that lives in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with her husband and two children. She enjoys writing and illustrating books for all ages. Some of her short stories are published with Guideposts and HCI. Christy gives all the glory to God in everything she does. A portion of every book sold from the Small Bible Character Series will be donated to battle human trafficking. If you enjoy her books, “like’ her author page on Facebook and let her know! You can buy her books at //www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AChristy+Lowman&s=relevancerank&text=Christy+Lowman&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1. You can reach her at //www.facebook.com/authorChristyLowman/
or christyssoaps@yahoo.com
You can read more Christian news from Christy here.
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