King Herod AKA Herod the Tetrarch
King Herod AKA Herod the Tetrarch
In my post on the Herodians, I mentioned Herod the Tetrarch who ruled in the Galilee region of Israel in Jesus’s day. Today, we will focus more on him.
Check out my post on the Herodians here.
King Herod’s wife Herodians had left her previous husband Philip who was King Herod’s brother. Had Philip died then it would be legal but Philip was still alive so he was at odds with what God had said.
“When brothers live on the same property and one of them dies without a son, the wife of the dead man may not marry a stranger outside the family. Her brother-in-law is to take her as his wife, have sexual relations with her, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law for her.”
Deuteronomy 25:5 HCSB
“You are not to have sexual intercourse with your brother’s wife; it will shame your brother.”
Leviticus 18:16 HCSB
So John speaks up and tells Herod that he is in the wrong. So King Herod did what all self-righteous kings do. He locked John up in prison. But this guy was different and Herod liked to listen to him. And I time Herod began to even fear John. But all the while Herodians was nagging him to put John to death. Until one fateful day. Herodians’ daughter danced before Herod and his generals and nobles. In his excitement, he promised her any request up to half the kingdom, that must have been some dance. So at her mother’s prompting she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter. Due to his oath, he had to fulfill her request.
But now rumors have reached his ears about a man who is John risen from the dead named Jesus. And once again he wants to listen to this man Jesus. But will he listen and obey or will he just be entertained by some good words?
Both John and Jesus spoke the truth of God's word to Herod. Are the people you are listening to speaking the truth of God’s word to you? What about you are you speaking the truth to those who are listening to you?
“You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires; you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; you put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.
Since you put away lying, Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another.”
Ephesians 4:22-25 HCSB
“When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was a Galilean. Finding that He was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days. Herod was very glad to see Jesus; for a long time he had wanted to see Him because he had heard about Him and was hoping to see some miracle performed by Him.”
“King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe.”
Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Are you going to persuade me to become a Christian so easily? ”
“I wish before God,” replied Paul, “that whether easily or with difficulty, not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am — except for these chains.”
Acts 26:27-29 HCSB
Just as Paul almost persuaded King Agrippa to follow Jesus, maybe John almost persuaded King Herod to believe in God. Maybe we will have a voice to persuade those who listen to us to also follow Jesus!
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