A leader of pure evil
Daniel’s vision in chapter 8 is of a ram and a goat. The ram has two horns of different lengths and runs this way and that.
No animal could stand against it, and none could rescue from its power. It did as it pleased and became great. Daniel 8:4
The a goat with a prominent horn attacks the ram furiously and the ram has no hope. The goat becomes powerful and at the height of its power, the horn breaks off and four smaller horns grow in its place. And then out of one of those horns, another horn grew – more powerful and far-reaching and desecrating than all the rest.
The angel Gabriel appears to Daniel to tell him what this vision means. The animals are nations and the horns are rulers. The ram represents the kings of Media and Persia. The goat represents Greece and the four horns the four kingdoms emerging from Greece. The final horn represents a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue –
He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. Daniel 8:24-25
A leader of pure evil. I’ve watched a few programmes recently where the writers have successfully created leaders of pure evil. Ramsey in ‘Game of Thrones’ is one. The best example currently is Negan in ‘The Walking Dead’. He specialises in breaking people – even the heroes like Rick and Daryl. It’s impossible to stand against him without losing all those you love. There is no good, no compassion within him to appeal to. No truth to reason with. He can do whatever he wants just because he wants to and everyone will kneel to him, powerless to stop him. Not dissimilar to the ruler described in this chapter, then.
And Daniel’s response?
I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhausted for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding. Daniel 8:27
He’s suffering from trauma. That is, damage caused as a result of a severely distressing event. I think as a society, we can tend to underestimate the power of trauma. We raise our game and cope at the time, but afterwards, we have to allow ourselves time and space to recover – for our body and minds. If we don’t take trauma seriously, it will continue to affect our lives long after the actual event that triggered it in the first place.
I experience a very physical reaction when faced with certain triggers – people and places that take me back to the trauma itself. My blood runs cold, my lips tingle, I become rooted to the spot, I can’t speak, I tremble, my mind goes completely blank. You get the picture. It used to happen every time I drove past the old maternity hospital in Colchester (which has since been knocked down, thank goodness). After my mum died, it happened every time I visited someone in hospital. It happens every time I hear a news broadcast about legal highs. It happened yesterday when I came across a website called ‘Holes in the walls’ about Child to Parent Abuse. However uncomfortable it is, we have to listen to what our bodies are telling us and show compassion and kindness to ourselves.
Which is why I am still in bed.
