The Building Site Dog.

I remember when I left school and started work. The first building site that I worked on was already well underway with it’s tradesmen, cement mixers, diggers and dumper trucks. It was a new and daunting experience for me being thrown into the maelstrom of hard working men who took no nonsense and were very quick to put a young upstart like me in my place.

But these men were my teachers. They would teach me how to wire houses, mix cement. How to stay warm in the outdoor cold rain and how to fry eggs and sausages over a campfire using a shovel as my frying pan. It was an education into working life that no school or schoolteacher could ever provide.

But one small memory came to me a few weeks ago about this particular building site. The building site guard dog.

I use the word “guard” loosely since the dog just wandered about sniffing at everything and everyone. The first time I saw this rough, wirey, unkempt animal roaming the site it came over to me and started sniffing. I locked myself into the back of the work van. Everybody laughed.

The site foreman was a rough-as-nails and heart-of-gold man. Davy was his name. A day or two later he was walking past me and he said, “Don’t be afraid of the dog. It has no teeth. I have to feed it milky cornflakes and mince meat because it can’t chew food.” And then he wandered off up the building site. I never let the dog annoy me again and just shouted hello when it came near. But I never once stroked it. You never know what you’d catch from it’s rough, unkempt fur.

The Bible talks of a roaring lion.

In Psalm ch22 v13  David is in fear of his enemies….

             They gape at Me with their mouths, Like a raging and roaring lion.

 Proverbs ch28 v15 talks about poor leaders...

             Like a roaring lion and a charging bear is a wicked ruler over poor people.

And 1 Peter ch5 v8 talks about the Christian church needing to be vigilant against temptations…

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

But we need to remember that ever since Jesus rose from the tomb this raging, roaring lion has had no teeth.

But that’s not the end of the story. When Jesus came into this world the first time He came in likened to a lamb. And when He returns again He is being likened to a lion.

Revelation ch5 v5 reads…

“…one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David…”

Revelation ch5 v12

“⁽¹²⁾Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing...”

Every time I think of that old dog with no teeth I smile and think of Jesus who has conquered all our enemies and overcame death for us. He has made the Devil as a roaring lion, but a lion with no teeth. No more locking myself away in the back of a van.

Hear the cries of those shackled from the onset of time,
From the chains of defeat there’s no key.
See the tears of those broken, hear the cries of the slaves:
Is there no one worthy to set us free?

Then the crying is stilled as the chorus rings out,
Those shackled released from their chains.
And thousands of voices are swelling the song:
Worthy the Lamb that was slain.

Worthy. Worthy. Worthy the Lamb that was slain

Then all the archangels, the saints of all time,
Holding their crowns in their hands,
Fall down before Him joining the song:
Worthy, worthy the Lamb!

Worthy, Worthy. Worthy the Lamb that was slain.

(Lyrics by Gaither).

 

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