The actions of Herod the Great in executing all the male children under the age of two in and around Bethlehem certainly fit this paranoid, megalomaniacal ruler (Matthew 2:16). Herod's father was an Idumean, a descendent of Esau, but he courted favor with the Roman leaders. The Roman empire was interested in two things from their client kings: maintaining order and keeping the money flowing to Rome. Herod the Great fit the bill, but he was terribly paranoid.
After giving Herod permission to execute his two sons, Alexander and Aristobulus, and knowing his Jewish dietary concerns, Octavian (Caesar Augustus) made a pun on the Greek words pig and son: "Better to be Herod's pig (ὗς hús) than Herod's son (υἱός huiós)."
What do you do when dealing with someone like Herod the Great? The Lord sent his angel to speak to Joseph in a dream four times in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 1:20; 2:13; 2:19; 2:22). He must leave.
Over and over again, we are warned to avoid conflicts. 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 presses us to mind our own business and avoid anything that might be construed as disturbance of public order.
Peter writes the same thing to citizens and slaves in 1 Peter 2:13-18, stressing we are to be obedient "not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are perverse."
He cites the example of the Lord Jesus Christ who suffered without complaint (1 Peter 2:21-23).
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After serving Grace Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Louisiana, Bob was honorably retired on Sunday, September 27, 2015, and given the title "Pastor Emeritus." This was forty years to the day after he became their pastor.
He now works for the Presbytery of the Gulf South as...
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