More Power Struggle: Daniel 8:1-8
God deserves to be our focus, not the ebb and flow of human power. Because human civilization is quite literally in our face, it is easy to become impressed and even enamored with it. It is easy to overlook God and His omnipresence. In the end, though, human civilization constantly slips away while it is God who remains.
As this chapter opens, we have a new vision with an old message. A ram with two horns reigns, one slightly larger than the other. In the coming verses, Daniel will learn this ram is the Persian Empire, with the smaller horn representing the Medes. The ram will be the dominant force for a while.
Although this vision happens during the rule of Belshazzar, Daniel does not see Babylon in this vision. Either Belshazzar cared so little about God he wasn’t worth mentioning or he had offended God so badly God had already moved on in His grand plan.
Returning to the vision, after the ram has its day another power comes along. Next up is a goat with a single horn. Daniel will learn later this goat represents the Greeks. The single horn likely represents Alexander the Great, who is broken at a young age. When Alexander dies, his Empire is divided into four smaller kingdoms, each of which is significantly weaker than the united empire under Alexander.
In many respects, this vision parallels the vision of the beasts in the prior chapter. Given Daniel is a collection of prophetic works, it makes sense for these two visions to be placed in proximity. They help tell the same tale. They support one another.
As for what can be derived from these passages, God uses time to be the great equalizer against humanity. As Solomon declares in the book of Ecclesiastes, there is a season for everything. One empire rises as another one falls. People who crave power grow strong until the next person comes along and defeats them. Human history witnesses nation rise against nation in an ever-increasing arms race. Populations come and go. Technology comes and goes. The human capacity to war against one another remains.
The most powerful and cunning don’t always win, though. In Daniel’s vision, the powerful horn of the goat is broken and replaced by four smaller horns. In reality, Alexander’s Empire is destroyed not because some other empire defeats him but because of mysterious circumstances. As Alexander sets up his throne in Babylon, some suggest he dies from poison. Others suggest he dies of pancreatitis. Others suggest he dies from a disease like West Nile virus. The Greek Empire topples with a whimper of circumstance rather than in the roar of defeat.
Time is the great equalizer. As human empires rise and fall, only God remains supreme. God is the only being who can be counted on to be here now and to forever be present. God deserves to be our focus, not the ebb and flow of human power.
