Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THE WOLF

THE WOLF*

In the Old Testament, Jeremiah talks about the godlessness of Jerusalem.

Run…through the streets of Jerusalem,

…If you can find a man, 

…who seeks the truth, 

…I will pardon her.

Though they say, 

‘As the Lord lives’, 

Surely they swear falsely. 

…You have stricken them, 

but they have not grieved;

You have consumed them, 

but they have refused to receive correction.

They have made their faces harder than rock;

 they have refused to return.

…they do not know the way of the Lord, 

the Judgement of their God.

Therefore a lion from the forest shall slay them,

A wolf of the deserts shall destroy them;

…Because their transgressions are many;

Their backslidings have increased. 

(Jeremiah 5:1-4,6)

Wild animals such as lions and wolves have long been associated with evil and evil activities. This is why Peter compares Satan to a lion when he says:

Be sober, be vigilant; 

because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, 

seeking whom he may devour. 

(1 Peter 5:8)

And the same with regard to the wolf when John states:

But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, 

one who does not own the sheep, 

sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; 

and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 

(John 10:12)

John, of course, is referring to the Israelites as being as a flock of sheep, helpless without a shepherd, i.e. Christ, to lead and guide them. Without a true shepherd, they are, like all of us, prone to evil and to be scattered either by wolves or lions or whatever. It is interesting that perhaps the most dramatic instance of the near destruction and scattering of the Jewish people occurred during the Holocaust under the Nazi regime. And it is even more interesting to note that Hitler’s first name Adolf means “The wolf”.

In addition, Hitler apparently named one of his military headquarters ‘Wolfsschanze” which means “The wolf’s lair” and another “Wolfsschuct” which is “The wolf’s gorge” and even a further one was named “Werewolf”.

Even centuries earlier, John wrote about a wolf being the predator that will catch and scatter the Jewish flock. It is noteworthy to realize that in modern times it is still a wolf that has caused the greatest misery and grief to the Jewish nation. It is apparent that one should not ignore the warnings of old in the Bible.

And it is really something to think about. 

*Adapted from The Book of Mysteries by Jonathan Cahn pg 252