The Lesson of King Herod

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. (Matthew 2:16) Rome had been a power to reckon with for almost 500 years before Christ came to earth. Now Roman legions marched the length the breath of the civilized world in an endless quest to conquer new territory -- by peaceable means or by force if necessary. Conquered lands were then divided into provinces. Each Roman province had a governor. The Jews of Palestine, however, had a king as well as a governor -- the infamous Herod The Great.
Herod's enemies said that "he stole the throne like a fox, ruled like a tiger, and died like a dog." Caesar Augustus once remarked that it was safer to be Herod's pig than Herod's son (a veiled insult to Herod's "Jewishness"). Herod is remembered primarily for the plot to murder the infant Jesus and, when the Wise Men betrayed him, ordering the slaughter of the innocents in and around Bethlehem -- a bloody rampage that had been foretold by the prophet Jeremiah.

"Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not." (Jeremiah 31:15)

How did Herod enter the story of the birth of Jesus? A chance visit by foreign dignitaries provided the catalyst. The Magi had followed a new and very bright star, thinking that it was an omen of a kingly birth. According to Matthew the star stopped directly over the town of Bethlehem, located less than five miles from Jerusalem. The Magi, not knowing where the king had been born, apparently thought a palace would be the logical place. The closest one belonged to Herod.
Herod had ruled the Jews since 37 B.C. and had come to power under the grace of Rome. Palestine was a rebellious country -- the Jews loved their freedom more than anything else -- and Rome believed it would be better managed by a king as well as a governor.

Herod was only half Jewish and did not follow the Law of Moses. He was despised by his subjects -- especially the temple priests. True, he had rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem and had directed the construction of many other beautiful buildings. But he had also built temples to foreign gods, including those of Rome. He was also a ruthless tyrant who doled out inhuman punishment to all those who opposed him. And he was not above murdering members of his own family if he believed they were part of a conspiracy against himself or his throne. Herod protected his monarchy with all the ferociousness of a she-bear protecting her cubs.

When the Magi appeared, Herod was in his late 60s, suffered from dropsy, an ulcer, fever, convulsions and, because of his many physical afflictions, a roaring case of halitosis. He was a bitter, paranoid old man who imagined the whole world was against him (and most of it probably was). The Magi's inquiry about the new king must have taken Herod by surprise. Still, he had the presence of mind to lay on the charm and pump his wealthy visitors for more information. Then he asked them to return to Jerusalem when they found the child so that he, too, could worship him. The wily old king totally fooled them with his mock sincerity. (This is a lesson in itself about how the devil can fool even the most intelligent of people.) Only Divine intervention set the Magi straight about Herod's true intentions, and dispatched them for home by a different route.

When Herod found that he had been tricked by his visitors, he went mad with rage. No squalling infant was going to take his throne away from him! So he took matters into his own murderous hands and ordered all boy children under the age of two put to the sword. Of course, Joseph and Mary had already taken the Christ to Egypt, having been warned in a dream of Herod's infanticidal intent.

As far as most scholars can determine, Jesus was born about 4 B.C., the same year as Herod's death. Herod died in agony just five days after having his own son Antipater, whom he had jailed a short time before, murdered.

Herod had used all of his considerable might to try to kill Jesus, even to the point of killing every male child in the neighborhood. It might have worked, but God intervened. The lesson of Herod is simple. No one -- not even a powerful earthly king -- can alter God's perfect plan of salvation.

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Ed Price spent 35 years in print and broadcast journalism. He is author of 15 books. After becoming an ordained minister he settled with his wife on a farm in the mountains of Southwest Virginia, to study God's word and to write. Ed and Patty are the parents of three girls, have one grandchild, and cater to the every whim of two spoiled cats.
© 2008 Ed Price - All rights reserved. Visit his website, The Loving Heart.

This column is used with permission.