Don’t Be a Quatermain

(Pro 20:2 KJV)  The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul.

I was drawn in by a post on 100 books I should have read.  As I went through two things impressed me, first that I had already read many, and second, based on that and the titles I saw, I was not feeling any need to comply with the choices.  One I did read was King Solomon’s Mines.  I have often heard the title and I think there is a movie.  Why bring that up?  The main character, Allan Quatermain, is a professional hunter.  He talks about all the elephants he has shot and about hunting lions.

Which brings us to this verse about kings and lions.  As a general rule it is best to avoid lion country.  When you hear the roar, lock the door or go the other way.  Of course when you hear the roar it may be too late to retreat.  The advice in this verse is that when dealing with the government it is better to avoid them altogether.  I would add that it would help us to learn ways of avoidance and do some thinking about how to respond if the lions decides we are his lunch.

So?  Face it.  There will be times when you have to become the hunter but it is best to avoid that role.  Keep your head down and your mouth shut.  Also, keep your powder dry.