“A living dog is better than a dead lion.” – Ecclesiastes 9:4

IT IS NOT often we come to seriously consider biblical texts such as the above; many of us may give it a thought perhaps for a few seconds, but to actually sit down and really grapple with the meaning of this verse is quite another thing.

While following the daily Robert Murray M’Cheyne Bible reading plan, this actual verse caught my attention like no other time, and there was no letting go until clear understanding came.

There are many ways to look at this surface-impressive verse; I mean let’s be honest, it’s one of those lines that most of us would automatically state it belonging to the book of Proverbs if we were asked, but Ecclesiastes with all of its incredible literature, this one seems to really jump out. Contemplating the above quotation reveals far more than just surface impression; there’s a huge depth to it that holds many other impressive facets.

It’s imperative that we understand the culture of Solomon’s time who wrote this, especially when compared to our day as many owners have drastically domesticated their pets to where they are almost ‘human’; oftentimes animals are elevated and treated higher than human life in the eyes of many. To have a dog of a particular breed has become a serious vogue say in the last twenty years or so; decades ago a dog was looked upon as a companion in the home; now it’s mainly about image, whether it be a Pit Bull, Dalmatian, Yorkie or a Husky, and what kind of dog one now has reflects on the person they imagine themselves to be to where the dog ‘gives’ their owner worthy identity! How different to hundreds even thousands of years ago. Particularly in Solomon’s era, a dog was looked upon as an unclean scavenger. They were viewed with reproach and contempt among ancient society, and to call any person a dog was deemed as a serious insult that implied someone as being worthless or having a very low social status. There are numerous references in the Old Testament that associated dogs with filth and disease and the licking of blood (1 Kings 14:11, 21:19); symbolising worthlessness (1 Samuel 17:43); of low status (2 Kings 8:13; Deuteronomy 23:18; 1 Samuel 24:14, 2 Samuel 3:8; Proverbs 26:11). In the New Testament, calling a person a dog implied that the person was deemed evil (Philemon 3:2; Revelation 22:15). However, this does not negate that some dogs were used for service to benefit man (Job 30:1; Isaiah 56:10-11), and through time many of us see what an amazing companion dogs can be and how in tune they are as part of family lifestyle.

Having such a background in understanding the culture of Solomon’s time really adds a profound depth of perspective when such a word as dog was used. It was no random choosing of the author for the sake of it but rather deliberate to emphatically state a point that really draws out the significance of comparing a living dog to a dead lion. Needless to state the majestic prowess of a lion, how it rules, dominates and towers amongst the animal kingdom. A deceased lion no doubt will be remembered and that is as far as it goes; a lifeless lion has way zero power, use and influence compared a living dog; a dead lion has no impact on other life than a living dog can. What a comparison which isn’t using mere hyperbolic speech to make a point; its implications can be applied to all eras of past, present and future. As long as there is life there is hope. Death pronounces something and someone as having no influence to change things or to help as in their living years. Solomon used the lowest of creatures in the negative sense to extract hope of their influence, although being small; equating that to human beings elevates the scenario incalculably higher. Not every one of us shares the same equal status socially, nevertheless in God’s eyes that makes absolutely no difference; a life consecrated to God is what counts in His eyes whether such influence be small or big in society, yet in regards to the kingdom of God is a completely different scenario (Matthew 25:14-23, 34-40).

It is indisputably true that God gives varying measures of His grace to His children, purely of His own prerogative; some are unusually endowed with extraordinary giftings according to their calling in fulfilling God’s will. When taking into account the life of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, and of all that he, along with his wife, Susannah, accomplished is literally breathtaking. It was almost bordering on superhuman levels; one imagines, how is it even possible for any person to undertake so much and fulfil them in ways of excellence that continues to mesmerise our generation of Christians. That is just one example among so many with our past church leaders and missionaries. The key to all of this is to dwell much upon the words of the apostle Paul who wrote, ”For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that He works powerfully in me” (Colossians 1:29). In looking over the life of Spurgeon, one cannot help but think of a lion. We have the same connotation with John Knox, Martin Luther, George Whitefield and John Wesley who roared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with great and unusual power. These men laboured tremendously; they fought, toiled, agonised and persevered with the surpassing grace God lavished upon them. It is the same with any leader throughout the corridors of Church history; men endowed with unusual gifting – intellectually, their oratory skills, and their breadth of astounding spirituality. Reduced to its very raw elements leaves all the glory to God alone Who chose to enrich His servants with unusual ability and capacity for His purposes. It was mentioned of Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones that while in the pulpit he was a lion; out of it he was a lamb. Similar can be said of lesser known preachers who were quiet and timid in nature, but then the Spirit of God would rush upon them to where they were lion-like in nature for a season as they preached with a heavenly authority and power until God accomplished His work; after such seasons these men were left according to their natural disposition as they faithfully continued to minister. One cannot help but be reminded of the operations of the Holy Spirit, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes” (John 3:8); we know that such a verse pertains to being born of the Spirit, nevertheless the same implications are the same in regards to when He moves with usual power, either in individual or widespread revival. Have we not encountered that in our own lives when all of a sudden the Holy Spirit moves in ways unannounced, unexpectedly and we are changed, refreshed and lifted to unusual degrees? This is not something psychological; this is of another realm, a heavenly realm, and its beauty leaves us enthralled with God Himself; an intense longing is dynamically increased to be nearer to Him as we sense Him drawing near – and nothing else satisfies!

Men of old were as lions, and no disrespect, without God, weak, mere lambs – more so as dogs if God were not in their lives. We have all fallen from the glory of God and everything that we deem as righteous in our own eyes is nothing but vile, putrid rags of filth in the eyes of God. Paul Washer astoundingly uttered such truthful words, “There is no such thing as great men of God. Only weak, pitiful, faithless mean of a Great and Merciful and Almighty God.” Respect where it’s due, but we easily fall into the snare of over-elevating men. I would say that the calibre of such men as Whitefield, Rowland, Harris, Edwards, Spurgeon, C.T. Studd, Lloyd-Jones… would issue a rebuke for unduly raising them up to such a high standard as it takes away from the glory of God. “I am the LORD… I will not yield my glory to another” (Isaiah 42:8), and these men knew it and wouldn’t dare take as such an atom of it unto themselves. I believe that is why God could entrust some of his servants to be endued with such power. Spurgeon, prior to going into pastoral ministry, was led to this scripture – “Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them” (Jeremiah 45:5). How different to so many who enthusiastically run into ministry today. It should always come as a warning for anybody that is overly eager to enter leadership. For anyone that is initially inclined to run away from undertaking such heavy and serious responsibility makes one take note of sober-minded judgement, and just as the apostle Paul stated, “And who is equal [sufficient] to such a task?” (2 Corinthians 2:16).

On the other hand there is also the other extreme to where we disregard such God-centred men and women, and their history of ministries. They witnessed and knew the glory and power of God to such an extent that some of them would ask God to stay His hand as they felt their frame crushing under the weight of it. Some of whom were unusually gifted with abilities way above the average, but it was all of God. Although passed on to glory such servants of God still speak; their works still have life in the sense that the fruit of their labours has eternal value and impact. Take the Puritans for instance whose writings remain unmatched to the present day. Such an era was a golden period pertaining to the elaboration of Biblical doctrine; their insights were sharp as the Holy Spirit moved in unusual measure. That is not denying or discounting many sound theologians active today; the difference is that there was a boom of astute Biblical thinking four hundred years ago as the Holy Spirit gave measure. It remains unparalleled in its vast quantity, and as current day theologians state, “We stand upon their shoulders.” That being said does not entail there shall never arise another time of rich spiritual blessing if God so chooses. As Leonard Ravenhill once said, “God has not finished writing Church history.”

We may feel weak, inadequate, insignificant, and as a mere living dog in obscurity, but our status makes no difference to God. Think of Old Testament Gideon when God addressed him as, “Mighty man of valour” despite Gideon feeling the very opposite; the entire scenario appeared absolutely absurd, and of course as man looks at the outward appearance and surrounding reality, while God looks at the heart. The family despised shepherd, David hadn’t even dreamed that one day he would shepherd Israel as king, neither did anyone else until the Lord revealed His secrets unto Samuel. The same principle applies to when Seth Joshua prayed for years, prior to the 1904 Welsh revival, that God would indeed raise up a young nobody to lead the revival. That unknown young man was Evan Roberts whom God had drawn forth from working in the coal mines. Seth Joshua’s motive for praying such a prayer was that God would be ascribed all the glory in using such a ‘nobody’.

God’s men, the ‘lions’ of yesterday that left behind an eternal legacy have gone from this life – bearing in mind the few who have recently passed on such as John MacArthur and Voddie Baucham who spoke powerfully and authoritatively in our generation – yet, and most importantly, Jesus Christ, The Eternal Living Lion of the tribe of Judah, the very God of those lives remains eternally alive, omnipotent here, and omnipresent, for He is not limited or restricted by time and space; the Spirit of God still intimately hovers over His new creation. God is still sovereignly working out His redemptive plan and purposes inaugurated, especially since the Son of God died and rose again. God remains immutable and His purposes established before time commenced shall surely come to pass through days of extraordinary and ordinary movements of His Spirit; they are all equally and inextricably linked as He has willed, that no man or woman, nor demons or principalities can interfere with or thwart what He has eternally decreed of things that were, are, or shall be.