Stopping the Mouths of Lions

In Heb. 11:33, we read that certain of "the elders" (v. 2) "stopped the mouths of lions."  In context, this may refer to more than Daniel's night in the lions' den (Dan. 6), since both Samson and David are mentioned in this passage, both of whom slew lions (Judg. 14:5-6; 1 Sam. 17:34-37), along with  Benaiah, the captain of David's guard (2 Sam. 23:20, 23).

While the lion slayers all have help from God, even miraculous help (Judg. 14:6), there are two instances where God literally stops lions' mouths from devouring things fully in their power, even before the millenial reign, when they will all "eat straw like the ox" (Is. 11:7).  The first I've already mentioned above: Daniel's night in the lions' den.  Not Dan. 6:22, where the language is nearly exactly the same as that in Heb. 11:33, "My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths..."  A genuine miracle, since two verses later these same beasts break all the bones of Daniel's false accusers and their families "or ever they came at the bottom of the den" (v. 24).  In other words, they charge, leap on, and overcome these newcomers quickly, true to their ferocious nature (Gen. 49:9; Deut. 33:22).

But what is the second instance?  Remember the man of God who was sent to prophesy against the altar that Jeroboam had erected at Bethel (1 Kings 13:1-6)?  Remember his fate: slain by a lion for disobeying the word of the LORD (13:20-26)?  Did you notice what the lion didn't do after slaying the man?  (1) he didn't devour the man; (2) even more remarkable, he didn't devour the ass that the prophet was riding on!  Another genuine miracle and demonstration of God's power, even over the "strongest among beasts" (Prov. 30:30)! 

One more thought on stopping the mouths of lions.  All of these passages are found in the prophetic/Hebrew scriptures (Hebrews is not written to the body of Christ, which is "neither Jew nor Greek"; cf. Gal. 3:28).  But even Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles in the church age, is "delivered out of the mouth of the lion," in some sense, during his second imprisonment in Rome (2 Tim. 4:17).  I take this literally, i.e. that he could have been thrown to the lions immediately, upon preaching (v. 17) to Caesar, but the Lord spared him that.  Tradition has Paul being beheaded, I believe, certainly a less painful way to die than being torn by lions! 

In conclusion, then, God has no trouble at all taming lions, the strongest among beasts, nor for that matter, commanding whales, the largest of beasts (Jonah; Mt. 12:40).  "God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God" (Ps. 62:11).