Matthew 2:16-18
There are times throughout history when we are confronted
with an utterly evil ruler. A certain
combination of power, pride and a complete absence of regard for human life
converge on a person and the result is horror beyond our imaginations. Several historical figures come to mind as we
consider those characteristics but Herod certainly is one of them. God has already taken the necessary steps to
make sure that Jesus has been taken to safety but now Herod unfurls his
sinister plan to attempt to eliminate Messiah.
This is a frightening glimpse into the potential for evil that lodges in
the heart of man. It also shows us the
lengths to which Satan is willing to go in order to prevent God’s mission in
this world from taking place. We must
beware of our own hearts and be prepared to stand firm in the face of any level
of suffering that might come our way.
HEROD’S MASSACRE: As soon as Herod realizes that the Magi
are not going to return and tell him where he can find Jesus he begins to
seethe with anger. He cannot imagine
that someone would dare to disobey his request.
His anger stems from a root of pride that is mixed with fear which
becomes a deadly combination. His
solution was simply to give an order that all male children under the age of
two in and around Bethlehem were to be slaughtered. Such an evil edict seems unfathomable. It is hard for us to imagine a person with
this kind of indifference towards countless children and their families. His hopes of being able to make a precision
strike to take out only Messiah had been hindered. So instead of using his unlimited resources
to make further inquiry about the location of Jesus; he hatches this “scorched
earth” approach to trying to resolve his problem. Perhaps what is even harder to imagine than a
king giving this order; is the soldiers who had to carry it out. Warriors who go into battle and kill an enemy
combatant in order to protect or expand their country often suffer and struggle
with coming to grips with what they have done.
The thought of invading the homes of families and taking the lives of
multiple innocent children is scary to even think about. Since Bethlehem was still a very small town
at the time of Christ, the number of male children under the age of two was
likely to be a relatively small number but no matter how many were killed this
seems to be an unthinkable solution. As
horrified as we are about this account, we must not ignore that all over the
world parents are choosing to kill their own unborn children because they
consider their child to be an inconvenience or a threat to their own
health. This selfishness and pride that
we see in Herod is really not that foreign to any of our hearts.
ISRAEL’S MOURNING: There are few sorrows that can even been
compared to the sorrow over the loss of a child. We expect and prepare for the reality that we
will burry our parents, grandparents and even siblings but in is completely
against the natural order of life to think of burying our children. The grief and sorrow that accompanies those
who face this reality is immense. This
was the reality of all of the families with male infants in and around
Bethlehem. The prophecy of Israel’s
women weeping and mourning without accepting comfort was fulfilled at this
time. The impact on the entire community
must have been devastating. Perhaps one
of the shepherds who had witnessed the birth of Jesus and rejoiced at the
angle’s announcement was now weeping inconsolably as he had to face his own
son’s death. The truth is that sin
always carrying devastating consequences.
Sin not only inflicts our own hearts but will inevitably spread to
others around us. What should amaze and
astound us beyond the evil in Herod’s heart is the grace and love in the heart
of God. He was and is fully aware of
this terrible evil that lurks in each of our hearts. Herod’s wickedness did not take God by
surprise; just like my wickedness and your wickedness is fully exposed to
God. The amazing truth in all of this is
that despite our great wickedness; God loves us and send His Son to die in our
place so that we might be forgiven and feed from this infection of sin that has
cursed all of our hearts. Sin generates
sorrow in our hearts but even more so in the heart of God. However, God’s response is not pride, fear
and violence; it is love, grace and forgiveness. That is the reason Jesus came to earth and
that is the reason that Satan so desperately wanted to kill Jesus.
APPLICATION: We must guard our hearts from the pride, fear
and anger that can lead us to levels of sinfulness that we might never think
possible. Satan will spare no amount of
effort and evil to try to thwart God’s mission; we must be prepared to face any
kind of hardship or danger even to the point of losing our lives or the lives
of our children. Worship God for His
grace and love that is so profound in light of the depth of our own wickedness.
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