Leviticus. 9:3a, & 15
“3a And to the children of Israel you shall speak, saying, ‘Take a kid of the goats as a sin offering…” “15 Then he brought the people’s offering, and took the goat, which was the sin offering for the people, and killed it and offered it for sin, like the first one.”
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This Major constellation has to be one of the strangest in our heavenly story. Here again we find two completely different species incorporated into one: The head and upper body of a goat and the tail of a fish. 😳 Capricorn is the opening scene of Act 2 in this three-act play. It introduces us to the Resurrection Life we receive from the One Who gave His life for all of us: Jesus!
The Goat.
The goat part of this star grouping is portrayed with its head down and one leg tucked underneath as though injured. Its body culminates in the tail of a fish. These two creatures combine into one to depict the dual nature of God’s Great Champion, who is both God and Man.
“Why a goat,” you ask? Great question! Goats in ancient Israel were sacrificed to atone for sins, a practice instituted by God Himself. They would carefully prepare the animal according to His instructions, offer it on the altar, which had the effect of reminding Him of what Jesus would do in the distant future.
The part of the animal with its head down portrays Jesus’ dying on the cross for us so that we might have eternal life with Him. The foot is tucked under as though injured reminds us that Jesus was injured in saving all of us. His heel was bruised in crushing our enemy, the devil. But why does it end with the tail of a fish?
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The Fish.
Whereas the goat was symbolic of Jesus’ sacrifice, the fish is a symbol of the Church. It brings to mind the scriptures below:
Matthew 4:18-19 “And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Mankind is clearly being compared to fish here. Jesus also said in John 3:5: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
Fish, of course, are creatures that are born in water. They live in the sea which, biblically speaking, is a typology of the nations of the world. Even in the Hebrew Language we see this fish symbolism. Their letter, “Nun: [ו],” means “Fish,” and symbolizes the believer!
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Ministry Of Reconciliation.
We are told to go into all the world and preach the Gospel, and to reconcile the world to God. That is our primary task: The ministry of reconciliation, NOT JUDGMENT. The scripture below bears witness to that fact:
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”
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Think about it: When you go fishing, you don’t go and grab your fish with your net. You don’t yell at or berate it for being a bad fish. You don’t point out that other fish that are better than it, do you? No. You simply load your hook with the appropriate bait, cast it out into the water, reel it in when the fish takes the bait, scoop it up into your net, and toss it into the boat.
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Ancient Names For The Sign.
The Hebrew name for this constellation is “Gedi” meaning “Kid” or “Cut off. It brings to mind the verse in Isaiah 53:8b which says: “For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.“
The name, “Capricorn,” by which this sign is known today, was given to it by the Romans who called it, “Capricornus.” It means “The Goat.” The Arabian and Syrian peoples were also familiar with this star grouping. They also called it “Gedi” like the Hebrews.
As usual, the Egyptians had a completely different take. Their name for it, “Hupenius,” means “The Station of Bearing (or the Place of Birth),” not quite the meaning one would expect. Think of it though: Out of Jesus’ death came life: He birthed the Church! This brings to mind the scripture below:
John 12:20: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”
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Ancient Names Of The Stars.
Many ancient names of the stars have been preserved for us, though not all of the locations of these stars are known. The brightest, located in the left horn, is called, “Al Gedi” (Arabic). It means, “The Kid or Goat.” Another star for which we have a name is “Al Gedi.” Also an Arabic name, it means “The Lord, Judge, or Sacrifice Cometh,” located in the tail of the fish. (See picture above.)
There are several other stars for which we have names. Though their positions are uncertain, their meanings are no less illuminating. These are all from the Arabian people along with their meanings: Al Dabih, The Sacrifice Slain; Al Dshabeh, The Slaying of the Sacrifice; MaAsad, The Slaying, The Destroying; and “Sa’ad al Naschira, The Record of the Cutting Off.”
The message is clear: Jesus was cut off from the land of the living, dying a death we should have had to die. In dying, He gave birth to the greatest institution of all time: The Church.
Jesus is the first born among many brethren and, because of Him, we now have access to God. We will live and reign with Him for all eternity!
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You may follow the link below to part 12 to continue this series. We’ll expand on the story of Capricorn in Sagitta, the Arrow:
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