|
Powered Circuits |
WHYBy Dr. Jack CanadyDear Leaders Chosen of God,
As an old man he is the one who had the infants slain when he heard that a child from David's line had been born to be king of the Jews. Such slaughter meant little to Herod. He had already had three of his own sons murdered because he heard they were plotting against him. In the age of 70 he came down with a loathsome, mortal disease. He realized he was dying and that that the people would rejoice at his death instead of mourn. He was not going to let that happen so one of the last acts of this ruthless man was to imprison several of the leading Jews. They were to be slain the moment he died so the people would go into mourning. This is one of the few times his plan did not work. The moment he died the prisoners were released and the celebrations began. One of his sons who survived became Herod the Tetrarch. He is the man who stole Herodias the granddaughter of Herod the Great from his half-brother Philip to satisfy his lust. A climber and manipulator, she was a willing "victim" and became the evil genius behind this immoral but weak man. He became a tool in her hand much as Ahab was in Jezebel's hands. God's faithful prophet John the Baptist openly confronted Herod with his sin. From that moment on Herod the Tetrarch hated John. Herodias despised him even more. At her urging he was pushed into having him arrested. The Bible says he would have had John killed on the spot but he feared there would be an uprising of the Jews. He did not want trouble with Rome. One of his brothers already had done that and had been deposed. But Herodias was not done. She used the lustful dance of her daughter Salome to get drunken Herod to do what she wanted. In one of the most gruesome acts in history John was immediately decapitated and his head presented to Herodias on a platter. This bloody act was the crown of her infamy. Shortly after that Herod began to hear about a man named Jesus who was doing amazing things. His reaction to the news was bizarre and revealing. The Bible puts it this way, "At that time Herod the Tetrarch heard the news about Jesus, and said to his servants, ‘This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him'" (Matthew 14:1, 2). Those were words of fear. Though evil to the core as was his father and the two Herod Agrippas after him, it appears he was a man haunted by what he had done. I think he both hated and feared John the Baptist. Two troubling questions come to some when the read of situations like this. The Herod family was evil through and through yet they remained in power for generations, destroying countless lives. Herod the Great passed his power to his sons, to his grandsons to his great grandson Herod Agrippa II. Question number one: Why would a holy and righteous God allow that, worse, let it go on for so long? Question number two: Could God have saved John the Baptist; kept that terrible evil from happening? Most who believe in a Sovereign, Almighty God would say a resounding YES. Then why didn't He? No doubt some of you have a personal stake in this. You or those you love and respect have gone through terrible things, even tragedy at the hands of individuals like Herod. We live in an age of instant everything; quick fixes. At least that is the way it has gone for a long time in much of western culture. You realize, don't you, that, with the present economic situation, that may drastically change? Be that as it may be we are not far enough down that road for most to like the answers God gives to these dilemmas. You are not the first to ask WHY. The man who wrote Psalm 73 felt the same way.
"THEN I PERCEIVED THEIR END;" (Emphasis mine). "Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form." My friend, do not let bitterness take over your soul. Do not be senseless and ignorant of God's plan and workings. His ways are not yours. His timing is not like your timing. Sure God could have saved John the Baptist. At any time He could have taken out the family of Herod and he finally did. But He had other plans; perfect plans; best plans. This I know - the second after that blade touched John's head he stepped victoriously into the presence of His Savior and Lord where he is to this day. Herod, Herodias, her daughter Salome, live on for a few years. That was long ago. Where are they now? Where will they be for all eternity? No one who walks with God down here will lose.
You can subscribe to Pastor Jack's e-mailings. Click Here |
Copyrights: Content (c) 2010 Circuit 'Riter Ministries. |