Herod Unleashed

“Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.” Matthew 2:16-18 (KJV)

(It’s my hope you only reflect with me and not think harshly of me for what I am writing about this morning. I pray that I am following the Lord’s leading with this Freedom Fighter)

I recently received a texted devotional from a close friend from Brooklyn and what he covered made me zoom in on what has recently taken place in Newtown CT. It spoke about how Herod the Great conducted himself during his reign in Israel. Might have made Caesar proud but none of what he did was very pretty. For example, even though King Herod was known for expanding the reconstructed temple in Jerusalem, he was also known for his evil deeds such as ordering the execution of his wife and sons.

If you were to go into Josephus’ book “The Antiquities of the Jews” (17.6.5) you can read how “Herod the Great” was concerned that in his final days no one would grieve his death. “I shall die in a little time, so great are my pains; which death ought to be cheerfully borne, and to be welcomed by all men; but what principally troubles me is this, that I shall die without being lamented, and without such mourning as men usually expect at a king’s death.”(He knew he was hated by the Jewish people) Then this paranoid man of pure evil ordered that when he died, a group of principled men should also be killed (Herod had them held hostage at the Hippodrome), so that displays of grief would take place. His family did not carry out his wishes.

(borrowing the words from my friend from Brooklyn)

“Matthew 2:13-19 describes the actions of the desperate king trying to hold on to his earthly power in the face of a heavenly rival. After the Magi left, an angel again appeared to Joseph in a dream. This time the angel warned that Joseph, Mary, and Jesus should leave Bethlehem and go to Egypt to hide. Foiled by the lack of cooperation by the Magi in his first attempt to locate this young King, Herod now took more drastic measures to end any competition for his throne. His next actions were horrific: he ordered the slaying of all boys age two and under, hoping to eliminate any chance of survival for this promised King (v. 16). The Bible tells us that this action on Herod’s behalf was actually a fulfillment of prophecy (v. 17). How could anyone destroy the lives of children to protect his own ambition?”

And then I got to thinking about Newtown .As a father, who has been saved by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, I can’t put my head around this tragedy at all. I wanted to cry so very hard then I got angry at all the media blitz that had to happen over it. I personally felt it my duty to wipe out the name of the one who did this…but that’s not my job is it? God was there when Herod did his terrible act and He was there during this terrible act. My job is to pray for the children…then remember that evil will never ultimately prevail. We must hold fast to this promise: God is greater than Satan—and He will triumph. – Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and is a regular blogger on Freedom Fighter

Daily Bible Reading: Haggai 1-2;  Proverbs 26; Revelation 17

Quote of the day:  Some businessmen are saying that this could be the greatest Christmas ever. I thought the first one was!

Bible Memory: Level 1: James 5:12  Level 2: James 5:13-18

Prayer Quotes:  The reason for intercession is not that God answers prayer, but God tell us to pray. Oswald Chambers