King Herod was a very wicked man. He could not stand the thought that there was a baby born who might replace him as king. Remember the Magi had referred to the baby as “the King of the Jews.” What Herod did to protect his position is an example of the great evil people are capable of committing when they don’t fear God. Jeremiah 17:9-10 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? ‘I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.’” In the end Herod received the due punishment for his evil.
Matthew 2:16-18
Herod Kills the Children
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:
What did Herod do when he realized the Magi had outwitted him? (16)
Why do you think he did that?
What had Jeremiah the prophet said about that? (18) (Note: Rachel was the Patriarch Jacob’s favorite wife. She was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. From Joseph came the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, which were the two most prominent and powerful tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel. The use of the name Rachel would personify the nation of Israel.)
THOUGHT QUESTIONS:
What drives men like Herod to be so cruel?
What happened to him when he faced God in judgment?
How can you relate what Herod was like as a person to the reason Jesus came to earth?
PRAYER:
Thank Jesus for coming to cleanse our hearts so that we can follow after God rather than give in to our own wickedness. Pray that Jesus would work in your heart, cleansing it of all that would hurt you and others.
FOCUS VERSE: Jeremiah 17:9-10
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? ‘I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.’