In my last post "The Wise Men", King Herod made his appearance.
Now, you get to see his narcissistic and paranoid behavior after hearing of Jesus' birth.
The Magi Visit the Messiah
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod,Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b]”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with giftsof gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
The Escape to Egypt
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.“Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”[c]
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”[d]
King Herod was the the Roman appointed king of the Jews. When he heard about the "new" King (Jesus), he was afraid of losing his throne. After he was betrayed by the Magi (wise men), he ordered all the boys that were two years old and younger to be killed.
Thankfully, an angel came to Joseph and warned him of Herod's plan and told him to take the baby to Egypt.
Isn't this an exciting story. It's like "Lord of the Rings" but BETTER!! And it's a true story!
Do we look at the Bible and its teachings as King Herod took the news of a new king? Is living a Christian life going to put a damper on my plans of success, money, fame, whatever I see as my perfect plan for my life? We may not go to as drastic measures as Herod did, but do we believe Jesus is our savior or a ball and chain dragging us down and sucking all the fun out of our life?
I can attest to the fact that God's plan for my life and yours is so much more exciting and rewarding than any we can picture on our own. I would have never imagined being the mother of six children, traveling around the world to adopt two beautiful girls, to be a married to a wonderful, kind, selfless man for almost thirty years. Yes, I've been through some awful things. But every awful thing has made me depend more on God for the answers and not to rely on my own strength. I wouldn't be able to do it by myself. That I'm sure of.
As you celebrate this Christmas season, see what is important to you. Is it the presents, the tinsel, the shopping, or is it something deeper, more important. Whatever you decide, I hope it brings you the same joy that the birth of Jesus has brought to me.
Love y'all,
Linda
