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Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Slaying the Innocents
Herod saw that the wise men had fooled him. Herod was very,
very angry. So Herod gave an order to kill all the boys in
Bethlehem and in all the area around Bethlehem. Herod had
learned from the wise men the time {the baby was born}. It
was now two years from that time. So Herod said to kill all
the boys that were two years old and younger. So the thing
God said through the prophet Jeremiah happened: "A sound was
heard in Ramah. It was bitter crying and much sadness. Rachel
cries for her children; and she cannot be comforted, because
her children are dead."
-- Matthew 2:16-18 (ERV)
KEY THOUGHT:
I don't know about you, but I don't like this story. It spoils the
sentimentality of the birth story of Jesus. But, at a more primal level
of truth, this story of Herod's brutal paranoia shocks us awake, and
helps us understand why Jesus had to come. Without a reverence for God
and his Word, we human beings have shown a remarkable propensity for
brutality, as culture loses sight of the preciousness of each person
created in the image of God. The slaying of the innocents reminds us of
how easily we slip into a mentality that puts personal protection,
reputation, and position above the rights of those who are vulnerable
and powerless. Just because Jesus is Immanuel, God with us, doesn't
mean he came to a safe and pristine world, or was somehow insulated
from the realities of evil unleashed among us. This brutal world
awaited him. That's the core of the story. Even the innocents are not
protected, even if that Innocent is God among us -- as later events in
Jesus life will reveal.
TODAY'S PRAYER:
O God, please forgive us for the slaying of innocents today -- this is
especially true when we do such things to maintain appearances while we
extinguish any unexpected and unwanted "surprises." Thank you for
sending Jesus in a time and in a way that exposed him to the brutality
of the world, a brutality that still haunts us to this day. Thank you
that his blood will cleanse any repentant sinner, even those who have
been a part of the brutality. Father, please forgive me for the times I
have looked at others without your love for them in my heart. In Jesus'
precious name I pray. Amen.
>> NEW: Phil's What Jesus Did devotional is now
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>> The WJD! web page has related scriptures and the
>> full text of today's key passage. Read it at:
http://www.heartlight.org/wjd/matthew/0114-wjd.html
>> For further study of today's passage, use our
>> online Bible study site: SearchGodsWord.org!
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Matthew+2:16-18&sr=1&t=erv
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