The Rebellious Goat Heart

The Bible refers to many types of hearts but there are three that really stand out, goats, wolves, and sheep.  Out of these types of hearts, the goat can be one of the more interesting when studied from the Bible.  The sheep type of heart is the one that follows God, is submitted, and remains in the flock under the shepherd.  Naaman was a captain of the army of Syria (2 Kings 5) who became a leper.  Leprosy is an infectious disease that affects the skin and nerves creating paralysis and deformities.  This disease creates a segregation between the leper and the healthy public.  Naaman takes a large amount of treasures with him for the man of God.  When he goes to the prophet Elisha the prophet sends out his servant to give Naaman instructions to wash in the Jordan River 7 times to be clean.  After some frustration and a change of heart Naaman obeys and becomes clean from his leprosy (2 Kings 5:8-14).  Naaman attempts to give Elisha some of the treasures, but the prophet chooses to not receive them.  After Naaman leaves, Gehazi sees the opportunity to obtain some of the riches Naaman offered Elisha (2 Kings 5:15-24).  The importance of this passage is Naaman receives the message of the man of God and is made free from the object plaguing his life while Gehazi allows his mind to change his heart to fall into rebellion and lawlessness separating him from the man of God had called Gehazi to.  In Gehazi chasing Naaman’s treasures, he receives the curse that Naaman was made free from (2 Kings 5:27).  Rebels are like goats who believe in God to some extent, but are not satisfied with the things of God or the Word of God.  Natural goats like to have free range and not be limited to what they cannot do.  They like to feed on everything around them due to curiosity even if it is dangerous to their health.  Goats are vocal from loud calls to screams.  Goats display playful behavior in leaping, head-butting, and chasing games.  So one may ask, “What is the big deal about this?”  According to the Bible, goats are not a good allegory, especially when discussed by Jesus Christ.  Jesus said that He would separate like a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:32-33).  The sheep on the right hand of God will enter into Heaven (Matthew 25:33-34) while the goats on the left hand of God will enter into Hell (Matthew 25:33,41).  Until this separation takes place the sheep and goats are together but there is a stark difference in their behavior due to obedience to the Word of God.  Spiritual goats like to have free range because they do not want to be told what to do or how to live even how to live for God.  These goats like to feed on everything in the world and not the things of God even though what they feed on from the world can bring their own destruction.  They are vocal about their rebellion and voice their disagreements with church leaders and the Word of God as opposed to seeking the truth in Jesus Christ.  The playful behavior of spiritual goats reflects leaping from one sin to another, butting heads with Christians, and chasing sin.  Jesus Christ is not satisfied with goats due to their lack of obedience to Him and their unwillingness to live for God (John 14:15).  Everyone should strive to be a sheep to be in the right standing with God.  ​