When We Are Led by Tyrants



Matthew 2:16-18
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.”

Jesus' place in history stands right next to one of the truly most evil men ever placed into leadership, King Herod the Great. While Rome was the true power in the region at the time, Herod was the ruler over Jerusalem, placed there at the leisure of the Romans. While he was probably highly intelligent, he was also ruthless and prone to evil because of his paranoia. He even had many members of his own family, including several of his 10 wives and even his own sons, murdered rather than see them take his throne. While he struggled with his great distrust of everyone around him, he was also a brilliant and accomplished engineer. He was responsible for the construction of the port at Caesarea, the citadel of Herodium (just south of Jerusalem), the fortress at Masada, and the restoration of the temple in Jerusalem. Had he not had such a hate-filled heart, he may have been a great leader, such as his self-imposed title (Herod, the Great) might suggest.

Into a world ruled by this cruel man, the Savior of the world is born, within 2 miles of Jerusalem where Herod lived. The words of Jeremiah that are quoted in Matthew’s rendition of Jesus’ birth are an interesting choice as he makes the connection between Herod’s attempt on the Infant Jesus’ life and the weeping that took place over the capture of God’s people by Nebuchadnezzar.

Nebuzaradan, commander of Nebuchadnezzar’s imperial guard, gathered the captives at Ramah before taking them into exile in Babylon. Ramah lay north of Jerusalem on the way to Bethel; Rachel’s tomb was at Zelzah in the same vicinity. Jeremiah 31:15 depicts mourning at the prospect of exile; Rachel is seen as crying out from her tomb because her “children,” her descendants (Rachel is the idealized mother of the Jews, though Leah gave birth to more tribes than Rachel) “are no more”—i.e., they are being removed from the land and are no longer a nation
Carson, D. A. ©1984. Matthew. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 94). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

But even Herod is no match for God the Father's will. While Herod's paranoia caused him to order the murder of every male infant under the age of 2 because of his fear of this newborn King, God is able to protect Jesus and send Him into Egypt (fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy found in Hosea 11:1), thus thwarting the plans of Herod. While Jesus and his family are in Egypt, Herod dies (for no one, not even Herod the Great can escape death) and his son, Archelaus is placed into power. While he is no saint, he doesn't have the same need to destroy babies. Joseph is told by God to move his family north of Judea, to Galilee where they might be a little further away from the reach of the Herods. God's plan holds firm.

As we examine all of the details in the story of Jesus’ birth, what we see is that God is firmly in control at all times. He is never having to make a mid-course correction because of something done by man that He didn't see coming. Herod may have considered himself "great", but he was no match for the God of the Universe. Our times of mourning can be the same way. If we run into the shelter of the Lord, He can and will take our pain and carry it with us. Death indeed separates us from those we love, but they are not separated from God and we take all comfort in that peace that passes understanding.

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