LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Tuesday 27th December 2022
HEROD’S CONSPIRACY
Scripture Reading: Matthew 2
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.” Matthew 2:7-8
King Herod heard about the wise men’s intentions and decided to respond. King Herod was apparently familiar with the star symbolism in prophecies about the Messiah. He did not doubt nor challenge the assertion of the wise men. Herod was troubled by the mission of the men who came to his palace to look for the newborn king.
• Herod’s deception. Upon hearing about the intention of the wise men to come and worship Christ, Herod summoned them secretly so he could learn about Jesus and kill Him.
Herold’s pious posture was only a ploy to get information about Jesus. He acted as someone who was also looking for the birth of the Messiah but his real intentions were sinister.
• Herod’s insecurity. Herod was not a true Jew. He became king of Judea through political patronage. This made him an insecure ruler. The news of the wise men looking for a newborn king of the Jews was a major threat to Herod’s throne. Although Jesus was not going to be an earthly king, the mere fact that He was a king imperiled Herod’s rule.
Like Herod, our world is full of leaders of groups and organizations who are daily on the lookout for potential threats they must eliminate.
• Herod’s real intention. Under a pretext of a desire to “worship” the new King, Herod sent the wise men to Bethlehem as his representatives with orders to report what they found to him. Herod used the word ‘worship’ but his real intention was to ‘destroy’. His words were far from his motives. Both the wisemen and Herod spoke of worshipping Jesus, but their hearts were not in the same place. The wisemen were sincere; Herod was insincere.
We have those two expressions in the church today. There are those who speak of worshipping the Lord sincerely and those who do so deceptively. Which of these are you?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I yield my heart to you. Let the words I speak truly reflect the intentions of my heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen!