Mensa Otabil - HEROD'S Deception
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We’re still following the Christmas story. Jesus has been born, but what is happening thereafter? Wise men have come from the East; they are looking for the king of the Jews. They go to the palace of Herod the king, and in Matthew chapter 2, verses 7 and 8, it says, «Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared, and he sent them to Bethlehem and said, 'Go and search carefully for the young child, and when you have found him, bring back word to me that I may come and worship him also.'»
Herod is the king at the time he hears the wise men declare that they’ve seen someone whom they think will be the future king of the Jews. The scribes make a search into the Scriptures and conclude that the Messiah is supposed to be born in Bethlehem. Herod then speaks to the wise men, and there we see Herod’s deception. He secretly called them to ascertain from them where this is supposed to be happening, and if you look at it, he seems like a very pious, devotional person. He acknowledges God, he acknowledges the Messiah of Israel, and he’s ready to worship, but that’s far from what is in his heart. The reason is that Herod is a very insecure person. He’s not a true Jew and is definitely not from the line of David. He has come into kingship by political desire, and so he’s very threatened by anyone who has the right credentials.
There are people like that in our world who are very insecure and uncertain about their roles. They lead groups, they lead organizations, but there is a lot of insecurity in them because they are not sure of their own credentials. They probably got to the top, but they didn’t get there by merit, and anyone who gets to the top without merit has deep insecurities. That’s where Herod is; he’s not where he is by merit. Then he says to them, «Go look for the child, and when you find him, come and tell me so I can come and worship him.» Look at the words he’s using; he uses the word «worship,» but his intention is not worship. His intention is destruction.
Sometimes, you can have people who say the right things; everything they say may be right, but in their hearts are hidden insecurities and motives that are more destructive than the eye can see. On the other hand, the wise men also use the word «worship,» but they mean it. So, two people are using the same word, but the intentions are different. How do we tell the difference when people say the same thing but mean different things? That’s why we need God’s guidance and the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Eventually, the angel of the Lord helped the wise men to know the difference between the intentions behind those two words; worship doesn’t mean the same to everybody. Sometimes, even in the church, we have people who say, «Oh, we’re here to worship God,» but they are not there to worship God, or people say, «Oh, God is the one who told me,» but that’s not the case.
We don’t have to fall for words; we have to seek meaning, we have to seek intention. The one who knows the thoughts and intents of people’s hearts is the Holy Spirit, and that’s why we have to rely on him every time to show us what people truly mean by the words they use. In the meantime, Herod is saying " worship,» but he means destruction. Let’s pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, I yield my heart to you. Let the words I speak truly reflect the intentions of my heart. In Jesus' name, amen and amen.»