Matthew 2:16-18
Jeremiah 31:15 This is what the Lord says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
In God’s mighty provision He has removed His promised Child and the family He was placed in from the danger of an angry Herod.
When Herod realized that the visitors from the east had given him the slip he knows that he can take no chances of the child taking away his kingship and since he doesn’t know the identity of the special child or the specifics of where he is living the only thing he can think to do is kill all the boys of that age, not just in Bethlehem but in the area around it too. He couldn’t let this child grow up and take his place.
With the order given, the soldiers descend on the small town and start the awful massacre. This was a very dark day for the people of the region and particularly for the families of the young boys. It was reminiscent of the streets of Egypt that had been filled with wailing many years before on the night the Lord passed over the land looking for the blood of the lamb on the doorposts. Just as the angel of the Lord was looking for those who were His children, destroying the oldest sons of those who weren’t, Herod looked for the Son of God and killed the boys that weren’t. But the reasoning differed greatly.
The king of Israel was trying to protect his own throne and legacy. He knew about the God of heaven but didn’t care about His plans as much as he did his own desires. Like the pharaoh of ancient Egypt, Herod wanted his kingdom to go on the way he wanted it to go, in ways that would benefit him. But God’s plans are much larger than a single earthly kingdom. The Kingdom of God is not limited to time and space.
The families of the murdered boys weren’t concerned about kingdoms at the moment. They were heartbroken. Devastated by the loss of their son in such a horrific way. They had known the joy of watching their sons playing and knew the softness of their cheeks under a mother’s tender kiss. They would miss ruffling the boy’s hair and seeing where God took him in life. The same thoughts that would be going through the mind of the only mother from that area that didn’t lose her son that day. 30ish years later she would be watching as other soldiers killed her Son as the Savior of His Kingdom.
Making It Personal
Which kingdom holds your heart and desires? How does that choice reveal itself in your life? What are some things that changed in your life when God’s kingdom became most important to you?
Making It Personal Kids
What does it look like when you live for Jesus’ Kingdom? Do you live like that? What can you for Jesus’ Kingdom today?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for the gift of Your Son and the way You protected Him so that He could fulfill all the prophecies written about Him. Help us know how to properly live for Your Kingdom even while on this earth. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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