Avoiding Evil

In 40 B.C. the Roman Senate appointed Herod as king of Judea and in 37 B.C. Herod gained control of his province. Herod was a ruthless man who was called ‘Herod The Great.’ He murdered his wife and her two brothers suspecting them of treason. He also murdered his three sons, his mother-in-law, his brother-in-law, his uncle and many others. To him nothing could stand in the way of his rule or prevent him from satisfying his own evil desires. “He was a heathen in practice, and a monster in character” (Unger’s Bible Dictionary). Herod was married at least nine times (some say 10) in order to appease his evil lust and strengthen his political ties. Herod was not a Jew, but in fact he was a Idumaean, a descendant of Esau! Could the struggle between Herod and the baby who would be the king of the Jews possibly be a picture of the old struggle between Esau and Jacob that began even before the boys were born?

One day (possibly a year or more after Jesus was born) a group of magi came to Jerusalem looking for a baby. They saw the star in the east and followed it. Knowing that the messiah had been born they were searching for the baby so that they could worship the king of the Jews. After hearing this King Herod was disturbed and called together a group of chief priests and teachers to ask where the Christ was to be born. The priests, in their knowledge of the scriptures, told Herod that according to the word He would be born in Bethlehem. The priests and teachers knew the facts about the messiah and the place where He would be born, and yet they did not bother going to Bethlehem themselves. The gentiles went to the savior, but the Jews did not. Before they left, Herod met with the Magi in secret and asked them to report back to him immediately after they found the child, so that he could come worship Him as well.

The Magi went on their way and when they found the baby they bowed down and worshiped him and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. They returned to their country by another route, so that they would not have to report to Herod, after being warned in a dream to stay away from him. Joseph and Mary were also warned in a dream to take their baby and flee to Egypt, and they set out immediately.

When Herod realized he had been tricked by the Magi he became furious and the blood of the innocent was spilled because of his great anger. He gave orders to kill every boy in Bethlehem and in its vicinity who were two years old and under. Hundreds of children were slaughtered, and yet the one who Herod had set out to destroy was safe in Egypt. Though Herod was a man who allowed nothing to stand in the way of his plans, he could not thwart the plans of God. Regardless of the ‘power’ Herod thought he had, he could not stop the coming of the King of the Jews. When Herod died God sent Joseph, Mary, and their son Jesus back to the land of Israel where they lived in a town called Nazareth. This is where the very Son of God spent the days of His childhood.

Too often we become like Herod, in that we think we can control the way things are. We get this desire to be the “king” of our life and we’ll do anything to keep that desire satisfied. The quest for authority and power is great in the lives of men, and yet the fact is we have never really been in control. We cannot spoil the plans of God, nor do we have the authority to make God do what we want! Even in the church we can become power hungry thieves more concerned with our own well being and comfort than the purpose of the church being fulfilled. Count the number of times the church gets together to eat and fellowship compared to the number of times the people get together to evangelize, do mission work, or simply pray together. Hundreds of people will come to stuff their face, and 4 or 5 will come to pray! Are we like Herod, in the business of making ourselves comfortable, fulfilling our own wills and desires, and when God’s plan comes along do we attempt to squash it in order to do our own thing? Are we like the Priests, knowing the scriptures, knowing what we should be doing for the kingdom of God, knowing where the savior is, and yet not going to Him or doing what is required of us? Are we like the Magi who see the signs of the divine Son of God and immediately go in search of Him no matter where He is?