Warriors Arise: June 9, 2023
Matthew 2:16-18 (NKJV) Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”
I would guess that "exceedingly angry" would be on the verge of going mad, so much anger something in the mind clicks and you may not be able to control what you are about to do. It is someone who is lit up, enraged, livid. Their emotions are beyond what they can control. It would take an act of God or the intervention of the Holy Spirit to stay in one's right mind.
Herod has followed the prophecy of the coming King of the Jews. He can't identify the time, but something in him knows it will be in his time. He is in pursuit to find him. Mary was pregnant with Jesus with they traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Now, Jesus is around two years old.
Then the wise men show up looking for the new king of the Jews. Their seeking of this new king of the Jews had Herod and everyone in Jerusalem troubled. He sent the wise men on their way to find this new king of the Jews, with directions for them to return so he can go worship him. His response when he feels deceived by them, pushes him over the edge. For years he had been searching for the new king of the Jews. He is so close to securing his position and his family line as the authority in this country. But the wise men do not return.
Hurt people, hurt people. Wicked people, do wicked things to people. Herod doesn't care about the people he governs. He only cares that his position is threatened. People ask all of the time, "How can God allow bad thing to happen to good people? What did they do to deserve what happened to them?" None of the little baby boys, 2 years old and younger, in Bethlehem deserved to die this horrible death. None of the mothers, fathers, or siblings deserved to suffer the loss of the little one. So why did God allow it to happen? Wicked people do wicked things. Herod had a chance to know God, but instead he chose to oppose God. He had read through the Scriptures and knew of what God had done. Yet, for his position, he set himself up to oppose God. That was his choice.
God gives people a choice, otherwise we would not have free will. If we do not have free will, we cannot choose to love. Love is a choice. Love can never be forced. Every time Herod searched Scriptures for this king of the Jews that would come, he had the opportunity to embrace God. He saw how God could take down every king that stood in against Him and yet, Herod would not. He was arrogant and full of pride. He had been given a position and would not have it taken from him. He would do everything to protect his position. If he had only known that the king of the Jews would not be sitting upon a throne on earth, maybe he wouldn't have made himself mad over the prophecy of the coming king. This atrocity he caused didn't have to happen, except for the the fact God already knew what Herod would do which is why the prophet could prophesy the devastation. God knows the heart and mind of every person. Just maybe when Herod was investigating the Scriptures to find where and when the new king would be born, God was giving Him the opportunity, an invitation to know Him. Maybe God was trying to get his attention, "Stop fighting this. This has to happen. Enjoy the rule you have had. Stop worrying about your future here on earth and start worrying about your future in the afterlife. Find Me; don't hunt My Son."
The more Herod seemed to know about the coming king of the Jews, the harder his heart got and the tighter His grip on holding onto everything that was his. This drove him to be out-of-his-mind, mad. This drove him to giving the order to have every baby boy 2 and under to be killed. This was devastating.
Father, all those times Herod read Your Word and he missed it. He missed You. I want Your Word to be living and breathing into every fiber of my being. I want to know Your Word and find You in every Scripture. I want to receive understanding; however, I want to receive Your love, compassion, peace and joy even more. I place my trust in You and seek to know You in a way that I can give You honor, praise and glorify Your name. I will worship You and trust Your word. It will come to fruition in Your time. I have nothing to fear and place my faith in You in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
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