SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/23/2019
9:18 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-2 “The Slaughter at Ramah”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
2:16-18
Message of the verses: “16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked
by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children
who were in Bethlehem and in all its environs, from two years old and under,
according to the time which he had ascertained from the magi. 17 Then that
which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, 18 "A
VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER
CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE.’”
We
begin today with a quote from John MacArthur:
“Thumoo (to be enraged) is a
strong word, made still stronger by lian
(very, or better, exceedingly). The
Greek is in the passive voice, indicating that Herod had lost control of his
passion and now was completely controlled by it. His senses, and what little judgment he may
have had, were blinded. He did not
bother to consider that, because the magi did not return to him, they probably
had guessed his wicked intent and that, if so, they surely have warned the
family. The family, in turn, would have
long fled Bethlehem and probably the country.
In light of Herod’s perverted mind, however, he possibly would have
taken the same cruel action—out of the same senseless rage and frustration—even
had he known that the primary object of his hatred had escaped. If he was not able to guarantee killing Jesus
by killing the other babies, he would kill them in place of Jesus.”
Herod’s
rage may have been vented through the killing of those little ones and this
shows us how terrible a man that he was.
To make things clear Herod did this because he wanted to do it and not
because it was prophesied that he would do it.
The same was true of Judas in his betrayal of Jesus. Another thing that I want to point out as far
as the killing of these baby boys is that it is certainly my belief that all of
these babies went directly to heaven. I
believe that the Bible teaches that there is an age of accountability and that
in some cases when a person is not capable of even understanding the gospel,
and could be old, that they too will go to heaven when the pass from this
earth. John MacArthur has written a
wonderful book on this subject entitled “Safe in the Arms of God.”
We
are not sure exactly how old Jesus was at this time, but it could have been
that He was around six months old, but Herod did not want to take any chances
when it came to trying to kill these young boys from two years old and
younger. Someone asked me why was Joseph
and Mary, and the baby Jesus still living in Bethlehem and I don’t have an
answer with the exception that it was God’s will for them to stay there until
the magi came to worship Him, and then give Him those gifts.
Herod
knew that the child that he sought was the Messiah because of what was spoken
of by the Scribes, and the irony of all of this was that even though the
Scribes knew where to find the verse as to where the Messiah would be born,
they didn’t believe the Scriptures they studied. People today who read the Christmas story too
have a hard time in understanding it.
Not much has changed.
Perhaps
Matthew included this early story of Jesus to show of things that will come
when He begins His ministry as again, not much will change, but will grow
worse, as many other Scribes and Pharisees will have the same hatred of Jesus
as Herod had. John MacArthur writes “The
slaughter in Bethlehem was the beginning of the tragedy and bloodshed that
would result from Israel’s rejection of her Savior and true King. Those innocent and precious babies of
Bethlehem were the first casualties in the now-intensified warfare between the
kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God’s Christ, God’s Anointed. Within two generations from that time (in A.
D. 70) Jerusalem would see its Temple destroyed and over a million of its
people massacred by the troops of Titus.
Yet that destruction will pale in comparison with that of the Antichrist—a
ruler immeasurably more wicked and powerful than Herod—when in the Great
Tribulation he will shed more of Israel’s blood than will ever have been shed
before (Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21-22). All
of that bloodshed is over the conflict with the Messiah.”
We
will continue looking at this section in our next SD, Lord willing. One more note and that is that I have a
special SD that I have been putting onto my blogs each Christmas day and on
that day that will be the only thing that I will post on both of my blogs.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I understand that this battle that goes on
between the forces of this world over the Messiah will continue to go on until
He returns, and it is my desire to continue to study and put my studies where
many people can read them to understand the truth.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To continue
to remember what the Lord has taught me and continues to teach me about
humility.
Today’s quotation from “Love in Action”
comes from Exodus 2:15; and 3:1-4.
Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and
dwelt in the land of Midian.
Now Moses was tending the flock of
Jethro his father-in-law, the
priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the
desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of
God…
Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside…”So
when the Lord saw that he turned
aside…God called to him.
12/23/2019 9:57 AM
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