Matthew 14:1-12. 1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2and he said to his attendants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him." 3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, 4for John had been saying to him: "It is not lawful for you to have her." 5Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet.
6On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much 7that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist." 9The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10and had John beheaded in the prison. 11His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12John's disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
In this passage Herod makes 3 mistakes that ultimately moved him even further from God’s will and blessings. These same 3 mistakes are being made by many today. I hope you will take the time to consider and reflect upon these things, so that you don’t make the same deadly mistakes yourself.
Mistake #1. Herod depended upon popular ideas of right and wrong instead of unchanging Scriptural truth about right and wrong.
Herod had convinced his brother’s wife (Herodias) to divorce Philip and marry him. This liberal view of marriage and divorce was not considered a problem by the majority of people. The culture considered Herod’s actions acceptable. Herod followed those popular ideas of right and wrong in his own life. The Bible teaches that that divorce in such circumstances is wrong. (Matthew 5:31-32.) The Bible teaches that it is forbidden to marry the wife or ex-wife of a living brother. (Leviticus 18:16.) Herod chose to follow the crowd instead of the Bible. This is a serious mistake that is being made by many today in areas like sexuality, abortion, marriage, honesty, revenge, foul language, and so forth.
Mistake #2. Herod was angered by biblical preaching/proclamation instead of being humbled and convicted.
God sent John the Baptist to warn Herod that his actions were immoral despite the approval of the masses. This warning was an act of love, just like a doctor’s warnings about the dangers of smoking. Herod should have responded with humility, confession and repentance, then he would have been forgiven. Instead Herod became angry with the messenger and had him thrown in jail. The Bible specifically tells us that becoming angry at the preaching of God’s Word does not bring about the righteous and blessed life that God desires. (James 1:19-22, especially verse 20.) Today many people are like Herod in that they become angry at any preaching or proclamation that does not agree with what they want to hear. I hope that you will not make the same mistake as Herod.
Mistake #3. Herod allowed his concerns for the opinion of others to dictate his decisions, when he should have been solely concerned about God’s opinion of him.
Herod went through with the execution of John the Baptist even though he knew it was wrong. He did this because of his concern for the approval of others. (Verse 9.) How many people today, including Christians, are more concerned about the opinion of others instead of the approval of God? Rarely will the crowd be in favor of doing the right thing, so every Christian must be prepared to be disliked and unpopular. The applause of Heaven is far more valuable that the applause of man.
6On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much 7that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist." 9The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10and had John beheaded in the prison. 11His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12John's disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
In this passage Herod makes 3 mistakes that ultimately moved him even further from God’s will and blessings. These same 3 mistakes are being made by many today. I hope you will take the time to consider and reflect upon these things, so that you don’t make the same deadly mistakes yourself.
Mistake #1. Herod depended upon popular ideas of right and wrong instead of unchanging Scriptural truth about right and wrong.
Herod had convinced his brother’s wife (Herodias) to divorce Philip and marry him. This liberal view of marriage and divorce was not considered a problem by the majority of people. The culture considered Herod’s actions acceptable. Herod followed those popular ideas of right and wrong in his own life. The Bible teaches that that divorce in such circumstances is wrong. (Matthew 5:31-32.) The Bible teaches that it is forbidden to marry the wife or ex-wife of a living brother. (Leviticus 18:16.) Herod chose to follow the crowd instead of the Bible. This is a serious mistake that is being made by many today in areas like sexuality, abortion, marriage, honesty, revenge, foul language, and so forth.
Mistake #2. Herod was angered by biblical preaching/proclamation instead of being humbled and convicted.
God sent John the Baptist to warn Herod that his actions were immoral despite the approval of the masses. This warning was an act of love, just like a doctor’s warnings about the dangers of smoking. Herod should have responded with humility, confession and repentance, then he would have been forgiven. Instead Herod became angry with the messenger and had him thrown in jail. The Bible specifically tells us that becoming angry at the preaching of God’s Word does not bring about the righteous and blessed life that God desires. (James 1:19-22, especially verse 20.) Today many people are like Herod in that they become angry at any preaching or proclamation that does not agree with what they want to hear. I hope that you will not make the same mistake as Herod.
Mistake #3. Herod allowed his concerns for the opinion of others to dictate his decisions, when he should have been solely concerned about God’s opinion of him.
Herod went through with the execution of John the Baptist even though he knew it was wrong. He did this because of his concern for the approval of others. (Verse 9.) How many people today, including Christians, are more concerned about the opinion of others instead of the approval of God? Rarely will the crowd be in favor of doing the right thing, so every Christian must be prepared to be disliked and unpopular. The applause of Heaven is far more valuable that the applause of man.
