SCRIPTURE: Then Herod, when he realized that he had been tricked by the magi, was extremely angry, and he sent [soldiers] and put to death all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that area who were two years old and under, according to the date which he had learned from the magi. Matthew 2:16 AMP
The first advent of Jesus brought a lot of light into the world, but many people missed it. Light is helpful, even miraculous the way it exposes everything — from the beautiful, to the mundane, to the downright evil. Journey with author and blogger Amy Clemens as she explores the advent of one who said he was the light of the world…a light that shines in darkness…that exposes. A light that will make a second advent, with a power and glory no one will miss.
THOUGHT: It’s almost humorous (in a dark sort of way) that Herod claims he has been ‘tricked’ by the magi, when in fact it is he who is up to trickery, pretending he wants to know where to find Jesus so he can go and worship too. His murderous rampage fully informs us what was in his heart, and it didn’t look like worship (unless maybe self-worship).
This is why God didn’t send a heavenly choir of angels to kings and rulers, but to humble shepherds working the night shift; this is why Jesus didn’t come claiming to be a king, but readily called himself the good shepherd, aligning more with the humble and despised than the proud. Kings and religious rulers don’t much tolerate competition. They want to keep their position at the head of the table; their lust for holding life and death in their hands; their pride.
Jesus’ humble birth flies in the face of all that pomp. To bow before someone in nicer clothes with a more expensive crown than you is one thing – to bow before a baby in a feeding trough is quite another. Somehow, the Magi weren’t put off by what they found in Bethlehem and fell down on their knees immediately. But Herod didn’t even bother to look. He just gave the order he was certain would take care of the nuisance of all babies, not just one, and let poor soldiers do his dirty work for him.
But God, who knows the contents of all hearts, had a plan to save Jesus…and the world.
PRAYER: Although it means you see every misstep of my own heart and mind, God, I’m so glad you know it all, because you are committed to my good, to my shaping and forming, and to forgiveness when I’ve blown it and come seeking. I trust you as the only God – the one way out ahead planning a way around anything and anyone whose will is pitted against your own. In that, I rest and pray: relieve me of that tricky little thing called pride.
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ABOUT ME:
Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.
Check out Walking When You’d Rather Fly, and learn more about the book and Amy’s other ministries. You will also find her devotional work at Words of Hope.
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