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Thursday, December 30, 2004
I'm not much into politics. I try to be informed. I read about the issues. But I get the feeling that it's a system that works around the ideals set forth regarding itself and the people within it take themselves very seriously...and try to keep their political careers afloat more than serving their constituency and eventually getting "real jobs." It's supposed to be, in my way of thinking, a temp job.
Some things have always been...and polticians concerned about their reelection or popularity or whatever. And Matthew 2 shows us that as we begin to wind down our study on Christmas and the "after" portion of that story.
In 2: 1 & 2, we get a new group of people: "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea i the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him."
Enter Herod the king. Also known as Herod the Great. He actually built the temple in Jerusalem which Christ knew.
Enter the magi. Wise men. We don't know how many of them there were but they were highly educated and wealthy.
They have a question while they visited Herod: Where was the King of the Jews born? A miraculous sky scene has been going on and we followed it, and we're here and we're ready to worship the King. The Messiah.
Note his reaction in verse 3: "And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him."
He was troubled. Why? Wouldn't it be great news? The Messiah was born! Mankind would be redeemed! Oh, wait. He doesn't know about these things yet. He hears the word "King of the Jews" and knows they were already a thorn in his side anyways and now if they get all fired up about a new king...a new leader...they'll be more difficult to govern than they already were and that's very bad for my political career.
So, he gets a bunch of Old Testament experts together and asks them to do some research. Find out about where this king is prophesied about and give me a full report.
They do. Born in Bethlehem. In Judea. About 5 miles south of here. The ruler shall come out of the tribe of Judah.
Herod summons the scribes. He finds out when they started following this star in the heavens. Tells them to go to Bethlehem to find the Child, and when you do, come back to me and get me so I can worship Him, too.
They did. They went to Bethlehem, found the Child (and note they found Him in a HOUSE, now, in verse 11, and they saw a toddler...so they obviously couldn't have been at the stable on the first Christmas) and worshipped Him. They gave him some incredibly expensive gifts, too. Amazingly expensive for a poor peasant couple from the wrong side of the tracks.
And in a dream, God tells the wise me not to go back to Herod, but go home another way.
Isn't it interesting that the words Herod told the wise men were precisely what his reaction should've been? He should've had his scribes go over more details. Find out more about the person and work that had been born in his province. It would've filled him in on an awful lot...and besides, if Scripture is right about this, it's going to be right about the details on the Messiah, right?
But he didn't.
The threat of a new "king" was certainly horrible news. A 36+ year run as leader isn't going to fall by the wayside because some little baby was born that stirs up the stupid masses...not if Herod can help it.
Nope.
He's going to put a stop to this before it gets any further...and more on that tomorrow.
But, at the bottom line, it comes down to Herod thinking he knows better about how to handle things than God does. That he can put a stop to the work of God in the world by getting information from the wise men and be proactive. He thinks he's more powerful than God. It's pride. Pure and simple.
And we have to admit that in many ways we're a lot like Herod. We're threatened by the work of God in our lives. We like to think we have a better handle on the person we date, the way to do the job, the friend we're talking about behind their back, the anger we have at our parents, the education we're getting, the thoughts we're entertaining...whatever...
...than God does.
Truth be told: We don't.
Spend some time today thinking about those areas of your life that "threaten" your "political safety" and take some proactive steps to renew how you think...because God is God and we aren't. And, if He is at work in our hearts and minds and lives and history, well, we can go hard against Him or go easy with Him.
It really is that simple.
Brent 4:30 AM
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