So, What Are You, A Goat?

I’ve recently discovered food. I gobble up any grub that comes my way—well, except goat meat. Curiously, I don’t know the word for it, if indeed there’s one. I know mutton is for sheep, beef for cow; pork for pig; venison for deer.... Before you start constructing mental portraits of a 190kg Yokozuna with convoluting layers of fat tumbling down a 600 gallon waistline, let me add that to balance the appetite for bread is a healthy thirst for the Word. There comes a season when, “man shall not live by bread alone,” becomes a present reality for you. If you haven’t reached that season, just wait.

For me, it’s the season. So I bought a gleaming copy of Our Daily Bread, rather belatedly, and purposed to go through the Bible in a year. It has been my long-term dream.

A month into the devotional and enthralled with the erudition of the ‘Carpenter’s Son’, in Matthew, a word caught my attention: goat! And for good reason too: In the evenings—when NEPA allowed—I usually put on my NIV DVD Audio Bible and listen to the Old Testament. Even there, in Leviticus, goats featured prominently in the grand wilderness opera.

In Matthew 25:31-46, I see Jesus separating the sheep from the goats in His Kingdom. “Hey, goats!” I imagine Him shout, “come on, go to the left! Sheep to the right.” Goats to eternal damnation; sheep to, “inherit the kingdom prepared for [them] from the foundation of the world.” In the Torah, God, through Moses, instructs Israel to deliver goats to the priests’ knives to be mutilated and sacrificed a sin offering for the transgressions of the people (Lev 4:23&28; 5:6; 23:19). Goats were literally scapegoats. An unlucky one—chosen by lot in a pool of two!—carried the sins of all Israel on its head and was set adrift in the sandy sea of the ancient wilderness (Lev 16:8). Poor goat! 

Goats were the item of trickery in the plots of grand deception in the pristine theatre of the early Old Testament. They took centre stage in Sarah and Jacob’s plot to usurp the firstborn’s birthright (Gen 27:9; 27:16), Jacob’s tricky payback against his father-in-law (Gen 30:32-32:14); and his sons’ wicked cover-up of the sale into slavery of their dreamy brother, Joseph (Gen 37:31).

After reading these verses, I pondered for days seeking illumination for this goat tale. Why were they used for sin offerings? Why did Jesus use the goat metaphor to portray the condemned sinner at the great judgement? We’ll have to examine the character of the goat and that of the sheep.

I admit I’m approaching this issue with a great bias against goats. They deserve the dishonourable mention in the scriptures. I mean, they are stubborn! Self-willed and hardy, they approach disobedience with a single-mindedness that is both amazing and infuriating. Plus, their meat stinks. If someone calls you a goat, you’re indeed insulted.

I remember when I was a child. My neighbourhood was still suburban and had a free wilderness feel to it. There were long stretches of bushes we kids played Scouts, shot birds with twig catapults and chased lizards. Some folks kept goats. How destructive they were. So hardy, they ate everything: grass, the neighbour’s vegetable garden, even polythene bags. They would do anything to get at food. Chase them away a thousand times—with all kind of missiles—they’ll come back a thousand times to nibble at the sliced okra, tomatoes, yams—whatever—you were trying to sun-dry! Goats! Arrrrh!

Sheep on the other hand are docile, loveable creatures. They will follow the shepherd anywhere he leads them. Plus, they produce milk, wool, and tasty mutton. Sheep! Hmmm!

Ironically, when the ‘world’ calls you a sheep, it means to insult you. It says you lack courage, self-assertion or leadership qualities. But it’s the sheep that God is looking for to populate his kingdom: Those who’ll cede their will to conform to His and walk with Him with an ovine obedience and a God-kind of faith. Satan, the god of this world, wants us all to be goats...have caprine self-will and a stubborn determination to get at bread—no matter whose bread it is!

In Matthew 25:31-46, I see the sheep obeying the Jesus Commandment: “...that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34. See also Matt 22: 37,39). Goats clearly don’t, and are unaware of their transgressions. Disobedience and living by their will is their second nature. In God’s eyes, all unbelievers are goats, and perhaps some (carnal) ‘Christians’ too?

I’ve been a goat all of my pre-conversion years; and most of my friends are goats still, their ‘Christianity’ notwithstanding. In spite of the doctrine of the Security of the Believer, most ‘Christians’ are caprine-ovine hybrids: both goat and sheep, serving both mammon and God. 

   

I see these hybrids everywhere; sometimes in my own actions or inaction. My former colleague would do anything for a penny. She would inflate any receipt that would fatten her purse. When it comes to money, she says, unabashed, “abeg, put Christianity aside jare!” And she’s a respected member of her church band and choir.  She recounts stories of how her former bandleader ‘camped’ a girl for seven years. In between near-death beatings, he put the girl through school, just for her to dump him and marry someone else on graduation. Good riddance! He had stayed on as bandleader these seven years, only abstaining from the Holy Communion as concession for his goat-like life. 

Then there’s one of my friends who is perennially unforgiving (Matt 6:12; 6:14-15) and always has an opinion which is always contrary to the scriptures (Prov 3:7). And there’s this man I know who is into construction. He refused to pay the full due of one of his subcontractors, even though they are members of the same church (Lev 13:19b). I also know of an Elder in a certain church who kept two mistresses (Mark 2:19). How about materialistic ‘Men-of-God’ who openly show deference to wealthy parishioners? (Lev 19:15; James 2:1-11). 

Before I get flak for struggling with the speck in other people’s eyes (Matt 7:3-5), I’d better expose the plank in mine: My eyes dwells more than a little on Coca-Cola-bottle figures.  What? I’m a young man, and I only look. Perhaps I should pluck out my eyes then? (Matt 18:9). Maybe I should. So should the men who were reported to have submitted a petition against a young usher (in a certain church in town) for the bizarre crime of having, “too much hips.”

I don’t know about you, but I’ll rather not be a goat.

“How?” you may ask.

Here is how: “...lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness [like the sheep] the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:21,22 NKJV). It’s not as hard as you think. Jesus himself said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart [like the sheep], and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt 11:29-30 NKJV).

If you’re the Christian you say you are you’ll live like Christ lived. You know what? As Paul joyfully declared, “I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13 NKJV), and so can you!

This is the season to live, “not on bread alone, but...by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD” (Deut 8:3; Mark 4:4; Luke 4:4 NKJV). Only then will we build the faith to trust and obey His commands. Then in the Kingdom to come, we’ll escape the fate of the goat. In the meantime, let me attempt to cure my bias against goats with a steamy bowl of isiewu [goat head pepper soup]. So, what are you, a goat? If not, please, join me. Bon appétit!