by Arthur W. Pink
by Arthur W. Pink
Philologos Religious Online Books
Philologos.org
by Arthur W. Pink
December, 1934
Goats
A few months ago we published some notes upon goats sent us by a Brother in Australia. Several have written to say they were helped by the same. Not long since we wrote to Bro. Klooster, who is engaged in Gospel work in Holland, a land where goats are quite common among the poorer people. In the course of our letter to him, we mentioned that it was our growing conviction “the goats” of Matthew 25:33 etc. are professing Christians who are devoid of the life of God in their souls. His reply has still further strengthened our conviction, and from it we here extract some thoughts concerning these animals, as being an adumbration of those bearing the name of Christ who are strangers to His salvation.
Read Matthew 25:31-33. “It is plain from Scripture that the 'sheep' mentioned here are God's chosen people, who are washed in the blood of the Lamb, and have followed the great Shepherd (John 10:26-29). It is equally plain from the Scripture that the 'goats' are not atheists and others who repudiate the existence of the eternal God, but are those having 'a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof,' people ever learning and 'never able to come to the knowledge of the truth' (2 Tim. 3:5-7). Looking now at Matthew 25:44 we read that the goats shall answer Christ 'saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered?' Only those spoken of in 2 Timothy 3:5; Jude 11 etc. will (even as the sheep, God's children) address Him as 'Lord.' Hereby they show their 'form of godliness' or outward resemblance to God's children, as at a distance goats resemble sheep in appearance and in the sound of their bleating. In Matthew 7:21-23 we read of this same religious people, with their 'form of godliness.'
“In Scripture the 'right hand' is always used as a symbol for the place of might, power, honor, protection and fellowship: read carefully Psalm 16:8, 9, 11; Mark 15:27; Galatians 2:9; Exodus 15:6. But the 'left hand' is a symbol of the place of inferiority, dishonour, folly. 'A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left' (Eccl. 10:2). Ehud (Judg. 3:15-22) was left-handed, and a sneaking assassin. The seven hundred men spoken of in Judges 20:16 were all left handed, and brought certain destruction when used in fighting. In Ezekiel 16:46 we read of religious by apostate Samaria dwelling at Jerusalem's left hand—Sodom as her 'right hand' is to be exalted above her: Matthew 11:20-24.
“In connection with Matthew 25:33 we read in Ezekiel 34:17, 'Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle,' that is, between sheep and goats, for the very next sentence adds 'between the rams and the he-goats.' Reading the whole chapter carefully through, there is no doubt that the 'rams' speak of the teachers, leaders, pastors of the sheep; while the 'he-goats' are the false prophets (2 Peter 2:1-3), the 'hirelings' (John 10:12, 13) who catch and scatter the sheep.
“A ram has the same nature and taste as the sheep, only he is stronger, and their natural protector. A ram will never attack a man or animal, except he, or his sheep, are attacked. So the true undershepherd only attacks when the honour of his great Shepherd and His sheep are assailed: then, like the ram, he will fight even unto death. The he-goat has the same nature as the goats, only he is more fierce and destructive, and will attack without any provocation or need: so the false shepherds are constantly making onslaughts on the Truth, on Christ, and on His people.
“'Therefore will I save My flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle' (Ezek. 34:22). 'He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats . . . and those (the goats) shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous (the sheep) into life eternal' (Matt. 25:32, 46)”!!
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