Monday, August 23, 2010

Monday Muggings--What are horns for?

This Monday's Mug is for pondering about horns: specifically The little horn in the book of Daniel.
We were watching a preacher's YouTube last night and he was preaching about the horns in Daniel and he said--like all other preachers that I have heard preach about it--that this little horn is the antichrist, or some leader of some sort, or some form of power, etc. I was pondering about horns...and began to go on a 'rabbit trail' in my head.

Knowing about the 'rule' of interpretation, which is, the "law of first mention" the horns are first mentioned in Genesis: the ram caught in the thicket. Then it is in the next 3 books as the horns of the altar. Then it is mentioned as a pushing force. Then as Media and Persia.

Then I was thinking about actual horns of animals and which animals have horns. Goats, sheep, deer, elk, moose (those may be antlers, but bear with me) oxen, buffalo, Narwhals (probably the biblical unicorns--which probably means north whale, since they only live in the northern waters) And how they use their horns.
These thoughts and ponderings about horns must have been chewed-on by Bible readers for centuries and centuries. But here is my partial and temporary surmising: Horns are typically not a weapon of prey or destruction. I'm thinking that horns are self preservation instruments, or even defense instruments, i.e., a deer is eating a shrub, minding his own business, and suddenly some other stalking critter appears and threatens this deer's space. The deer flees or turns toward the 'evil' critter and, horns first and forward, goes after the invading critter. He may use his hooves for stomping also.
He may engage another buck in a challenge for the herd, but it is always pushing, pushing, pushing--although in the case of rams it may be a charge-and-BANG!-CRASH! confrontation--like in Wild America--the wilderness show.

I do not see any of the horned (or antlered) animals stalking their pray, and slicing the unsuspecting 'meal' with their horns. What I observe in the animal kingdom is that horns are more of a "leave me alone, I am POWERFUL" kind of thing.

Must chew on this a lot more before I agree with the preachers' varied descriptions of the 'little horn' before I agree with any of their surmisings.

"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."" Psalms 18:2

"All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted."
Psalms 75:10

These are only two that looked up. Horns are in my Bible 67 times and Horn 36. I may be the only one who ponders these things with such interest. I will study these verses in more detail, I know that the Lord will bless me and open my understanding regarding this.

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Well, heavy stuff for Monday morning, but the coffee was so good, I had such a good time looking these verses up.
I enjoy knitting and crocheting with Galway wool, from Plymouth Yarns. It is relatively inexpensive, and quite soft. It is also lofty--a must for winter things. They have lots of colors.

These green and gold pieces will become a teapot pad. I copied the one that one of my aunts made for me, umpteen years ago. I'll show you these and that one when these are completed.

Got some 'big' heirloom tomatoes that the Boy's Scouts had planted, tended and harvested. The tomatoes are so sweet that I can eat them as apples. One of our friends is a Scout leader and he oversaw the entire operation. A very yummy treat indeed.


These tomatoes on the sill are ours, still little, but flavourful.


My DH brought these in on Saturday and still had a little green on one side...not anymore. It is a HUGE bell pepper, next to the little jalapeno.



Gotta go do some stuff, like laundry...vacumming...naah, start dinner preparation, yup.
I'll leave you with this:
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2Timothy 2:15
In His hands, ^__^

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