Day 10- Herod the King Heard This and Was Troubled
I can understand why Herod the king was troubled, but was EVERYONE in Jerusalem troubled too? I can’t answer for everyone, but I also can’t help but think that some were excited and expecting the arrival of a Messiah. Matthew is probably referring to the Jewish council, leadership and those in authority.
Nevertheless, king Herod, or as he was also known—“Herod the Great”, was definitely troubled. King Herod wasn’t all bad—as of matter of fact, he did some noble deeds at times. However, it was his worst character traits that gave him such a bad name and distasteful reputation. His bad traits were, he was suspicious and insecure, and these were terrible traits for a leader.
These traits were what made him kill anyone or anything that was a threat. And Jesus, in his mind would be no exception to that rule. Jesus was already being hailed as King of the Jews and this was definitely a threat to Herod and his reign. However, we know that Jesus came to serve, not to rule or to be served.
In verse five of Matthew chapter two, the Magi told king Herod that Jesus was born in Bethlehem because it was written in scripture by the prophet Micah (Micah 5:2). This scripture again links Jesus with David. And, the knowledge of this scripture and the prophecy shows the Magi’s knowledge in regard to both. As a side note, verse six of Matthew two is that actual verse from the book of Micah.
Herod now secretly tries to trick the wise men from the east in to telling him the exact location of Jesus, the young child. This passage just states that they heard him (Herod), but the wise men continued to follow the star and it eventually led them to where Jesus was. Matthew says that the star stood over where the young child was and when they (the Magi) saw the star they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
This passage continues by saying that when they came into the house they saw the young Child with Mary His mother and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened up their gifts that they had brought to Him, which were: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Take Away: You can’t help but notice that Matthew consistently uses the word worship when describing the attitude and posture of people that were encountering Jesus. And lastly, the three gifts were symbolic: 1. (Gold) for a King, 2. (Frankincense) symbolic of Priestly Access, and 3. (Myrrh) used to prepare bodies for burial. Jesus is the King of Kings in whom we access to God the Father because He died for our sins and rose again on the third day.
