In the book of Daniel, Daniel said, “I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great”, and in chapter eight and verse five of his book Daniel shared how he saw, “an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth” where we read,
And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.
The verse reads, “And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, …” Daniel began with the words, “and as I was considering” or “and during the time I, Daniel, was cogitating and thinking about the ram”, “behold” which means “lo, look and consider”, “an he goat came from the west” or “a male goat animal arrived from a westward direction” “on the face of the whole earth” which means “upon the surface belonging to the entire world”. Daniel shared how he was thinking about the “ram” that appeared on the earth, and he saw a male “goat” arriving from a westward direction on the surface belonging to the world.
The verse goes on to say, “… and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.” Daniel continued with the words, “and touched not the ground” or “and did not reach, strike or extend itself to the land or earth”: “and the goat” which means “and the male goat animal” “had a notable horn” or “possessed a striking and conspicuous protrusion” “between his eyes” which means “in the middle of his, the goat’s, physical eyes for seeing”. Daniel shared how this male “goat” arrived over the surface of the world, but in no way struck the land, and possessed a conspicuous protrusion in the middle of it’s eyes.
When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we learn through Daniel how this “male goat” arrived from a westward direction over the entire world, and it never extended itself to the earth. The “he goat” possessed a conspicuous protrusion coming from it’s head, and we shall learn more about what that means as Daniel receives an explanation. God was showing Daniel the empires that would reign throughout the world, and when the Grecian empire took over between 336 and 323 B.C., the actions of Alexander the Great were swift and powerful. God wants us to realize He is in control of the nations and powers in the world, and He uses them according to His perfect will and plan. Although people may seem to be ruling, God limits them and allows them only so much time before He intervenes. God wants us to humble ourselves and submit to Him through His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and was raised from the dead after three days. When we yield to Him as our “Savior and Lord”, we release our imagined sovereignty to Him and are forgiven of our sins, granted everlasting life and given His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and assure us that He is always directing the affairs of man.
Next time Daniel says he saw how the goat, “came to the ram that had two horns … and ran unto him”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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