“Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NET).
Many of us are familiar with wildlife documentaries that explore the lives of untamed animals in their natural habitats. Such films often include sequences that capture the interaction between predatory animals and their unsuspecting prey. These scenes build dramatic tension as each predator carefully stalks its next meal with calculated precision.
1 Peter 5:8 evokes this imagery in comparing our spiritual adversary to a predatory animal who “…prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (NIV). As one commentary reminds us, “Someone besides God has an eye on the Christian’s progress.” (1)
This metaphor is important for another reason. You see, the devil is commonly portrayed as a comic individual with a red suit, horns, and a pitchfork. However, those who are “sober and alert” know that the Biblical portrait of this enemy is far removed from the caricature of a cartoonish troublemaker. For instance, the Scriptures identify the devil as an intelligent, deceptive, and relentless entity. He can also assume different forms as needed (2 Corinthians 11:14). In fact, 1 John 5:19 tells us,“…the whole world is under the control of the wicked one” (NIV).
In addition, the Biblical Scriptures refer to the devil as…
- “The evil one” (Matthew 6:13).
- “The wicked one” (1 John 2:13).
- “A liar and a murderer” (John 8:44).
- “A deceiver” (Revelation 20:10).
- “The ruler of this world” (John 12:31).
Therefore, this passage encourages us to remain alert, and self controlled. These concepts should not be foreign to us, for a dedicated student, athlete, or business person must often take a similar approach in his or her profession. Those who act in this manner are usually well-positioned for success, and the same idea is true spiritually as well.
We can implement these important qualities when we seek to read and internalize the Scriptures each day. In addition, we should prayerfully seek to adopt the following attitudes to circumvent the strategies employed by our spiritual adversary…
- Be forgiving: “A further reason for forgiveness is to keep from being outsmarted by Satan, for we know what he is trying to do” (2 Corinthians 2:11 TLB).
- Be humble: “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7 NLT).
- Exercise self-restraint: “If you get angry, do not sin; do not allow the sun to go down on your anger and do not give an opportunity to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27 Mounce).
Image Credit: “Male lion” by Arno Meintjes Wildlife is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
(1) New International Bible Commentary general editor G. C. D. Howley, consulting editors F. F. Bruce, H. L. Ellison. Copyright© 1979 by Pickering & Inglis Ltd [p. 1562].