The God We Fear: The Leonine Imagery in Hosea and Amos
“The God We Fear: The Leonine Imagery in Hosea and Amos” is a capstone research project that solely focuses on the God that we as Christians should not only love, but fear just as much. In the Old Testament, Hosea and Amos present God as a roaring lion that not only warns the rebellious Israelites of their coming destruction brought upon them because of their sin with his roar, but also demonstrates his justice, majesty, power, boldness and patience as the alleged “king of beasts” that doesn’t hesitate to hunt down His prey. Leonine Imagery such as this resonated with the Ancient Israelites due to their experiences with lions terrorizing them as the incredible predators they are. Therefore, having God being depicted as a roaring lion that shows no mercy once provoked instills an even greater terror in those that broke their covenant promise with Him and worshipped others but Himself. With Israelites repeatedly turning to sin and their own destruction, God knew that the only way to rescue Israel from dooming themselves was to secure the nation’s heart through force, which is exactly how a lion deals with its prey. This grotesque imagery shocks and reminds the readers of any era that God is not only known for His love and forgiveness, but for His justice and righteousness. However, even after demonstrating His omnipotence and punishing Israel for their crimes, this is not the end of the story. Both books speak of a rising hope that will deliver Israel from certain death at God’s hands, because God cannot resist loving His people despite their glaring flaws. For those who repent, God portrays Himself as a loving father who always has His arms open in acceptance. God, as the lion, allowed Himself to be tamed by humanity due to His unfailing love. The “king of beasts” will make Himself gentle for those who submit to Him, since the reason He is a roaring lion was to win us back to Himself. This was accomplished through righteous fear from us and divine love from Him working in tandem, which should remind Christians that God is not only to be loved but to be feared and revered as the roaring lion He is. After all, as C.S. Lewis simply puts it, “He isn’t safe…But He’s good” (The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”, p.146).
CM 499 – Senior Capstone
Agam Iheanyi-Igwe
3:00pm – 3:30pm P103