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Lamb and Lion

God spoke and caused a great commotion,
putting time and space in motion.
Nothing is now, or was ever
not a part of His endeavor.
That’s why He’s the Great I Am.

The stars proclaim His boundless glory,
but instead, it’s our small story
that’s the core of our existence.
God is kept at arm’s length distance,
if He’s seen, it’s as just lamb.

When sure the world revolves around us,
we think God lives to astound us,
so the lamb who perished for us,
rose just so He could serve poor us,
so we’ll call Him “Great I Am.”

He’s viewed as loving, meek and gentle,
tolerant and not judgmental,
seeking out the lost and lowly.
All true but He’s also Holy,
so much more than our pet lamb.

But if we glimpse His stunning power,
like the prophets, we will cower,
then we’ll know to truly fear Him,
and not casually go near Him.
then He’ll be our Great I Am.

The fear of God is the beginning,
and true wisdom’s underpinning.
We must learn that David’s scion
is a massive, roaring lion
and a silent, gentle lamb.

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Warren Bonham is a private equity investor who lives in Southlake, Texas.

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15 Responses

  1. Roy Eugene Peterson

    This is a great poem that shows both the tender loving God and one who will protect his sheep like the good shepherd. Too often we forget the power He demonstrated in the Old Testament and the fact that God hates the evildoer as it mentions in one Bible verse. Well done and I like the rhyme scheme.

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham

      I’m glad you enjoyed this one. It was a good reminder for me. It’s very easy to forget about His Lion side.

      Reply
  3. Brian A. Yapko

    A very well-crafted poem, Warren, which zeroes in on God’s duality — the lion and the lamb, and you do this not only in your imagery but in the clever way you alternate “Great I am” with the “lamb” rhyme at the end of every other stanza. This calls forth all sorts of dualities which are not contradictions but complements — the Alpha and the Omega, the Resurrection and the Life. Or, in the terms described in your own poem, a source of both awe and comfort. Well done and a beautiful poetic springboard into the Holy Holiday Season.

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham

      Duality is something our human brains don’t handle very well. I very often get stuck in lamb-mode. We can all use a jolt every once in a while to get dislodged from our comfort zones.

      Reply
  4. Cynthia Erlandson

    I, too, like this rhyme scheme, and the way you’ve used it as a structure with which to emphasize your theme of God being both “gentle”, and also “judgmental” (since, as the Creed tells us, He will “come to judge the quick and the dead”.)

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham

      I’m glad you liked this one. Being a parent gives a sense for what it means to be simultaneously gentle and judgmental but it’s ridiculously hard to get it right.

      Reply
  5. Danae Garriga

    Love it! I have always loved the imagery of the lion and the lamb together. Isaiah 11 paints this picture of unimaginable peace in an amazing way as well.

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham

      I just went back and reread Isaiah 11. Thanks for pointing me in that direction!

      Reply
  6. Rusty Rabon

    Warren, what a great contrast between Christ as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” and “the Lion of Judah.” You also make an important comparison between the greatness of God that should captivate us and “our small story that’s the core of our existence.” Thank you for writing this!

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham

      My small story seems pretty important sometimes. I need frequent wake-up calls.

      Reply
  7. Margaret Coats

    “O how great is the multitude of thy sweetness, O Lord, which thou hast hidden for them that fear thee!” Psalm 30:20 or 31:20, depending on your version of the Bible. Another way, Warren, of making your Scriptural point that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (i.e., fear should come sooner rather than later, just as the “Great I Am” appears first in your alternating rhymed refrains). Your meter is, as usual, so practically perfect I’m emboldened to suggest improving line 12, which seems to need another syllable: we THINK [that] GOD lives TO asTOUND us. The poem well depicts the contrast of proper fear and love to respond to the classic images of lion and lamb, both representing God.

    Reply
    • Warren Bonham

      Thanks for the thoughtful comments and I always welcome constructive feedback. It’s amazing how easy it is to read something numerous times but only be able to see it anew through someone else’s eyes. I like your version of line 12.

      Reply
  8. jd

    I love this poem and will save it in a special book I keep for that purpose. Thank you, Warren.

    Reply

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