A Lesson from King Herod (Part 1)

You don't hear many sermons on King Herod's example to us. I've never heard one. But I have a thought to ponder. The kings from the East studied the stars and the literature they had. They observed, reasoned, and concluded that the King of Israel was being born. Even without the Scriptures, they believed this to the point where they risked life, fortune, and reputation to travel hundreds of miles or more on some sort of foot -- theirs or an animal's. And when they arrived in Jerusalem they heard the prophecy of Micah and trekked down to a little, dirty town -- seeking that King. Because they believed and rejoiced.
King Herod heard the words of the Magi together with the words of Scripture. He put two and two together, and he believed, but did not rejoice. Based on that belief, King Herod, whether he knew it or not, fulfilled the prophecies of Scripture, slaughtering the babes of Bethlehem. Because King Herod believed and rebelled.
When we believe those are our two options -- we can believe and rebel against God or we can believe and rejoice...

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