"King Herod's Heart of Darkness"
("We
Like Our Saviors Bleating")
"....he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul."
(Psalm
23: 2b,3a)
"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time
of King Herod, the Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is
the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and
have come to worship him.'
"When King Herod heard this he was disturbed....and gave
orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years
old and under..." (Matthew 2: 1-3a...16a)
*********
Consider for a moment the name "Herod". According to
Strong's Concordance it is a name derived from the combination of two
Greek words:
'heros'
+ 'eidos' = 'Herod'
Of course, we are familiar with the meaning
of the Greek 'heros'. It implies one who is
honored and admired, someone to be set apart and glorified. But when
'heros' is joined to the word 'eidos', a
somewhat different picture begins to emerge.
The Greek 'eidos' means 'appearance',
'fashion' or 'shape'. The word 'eidos' carries
with it the implication of something being false, counterfeit and/or somehow
inauthentic. In fact, if we dig a bit deeper, we discover that our
English word, 'idol' actually comes from the
Greek 'eidos'.
In the Christmas story (the Gospel of
Luke, Chapter Two), the Wise Men from the east, go directly to King Herod
in Jerusalem and ask about this one 'born king of the Jews'.
In other words, they confront the counterfeit king and ask him
where the Authentic King might be found.
Herod's reaction? He was disturbed.....('tarasso'
in the Greek: to stir, to agitate,
to roil the water).
*****************
The Bible teaches that because of Sin, mankind lives under a universal
spiritual delusion. The Bible also teaches that this snare of
delusion causes us to imagine vainly that we are in charge and in
control...that we are, in fact, sovereign and that "Self" is King. As such,
fallen humanity is involved in an illegal coup attempt...a proud
rebellion of cosmic spiritual proportion against the True and Living God.
We have climbed God's throne and pronounced ourselves "autonomous". We have
declared ourselves "The Boss". (Genesis 3:4)
East of Eden we are all Herodian 'kings', fools...deceived and insane
pretenders to the throne.
But then.... we see Jesus, God's gracious and Merciful Gift who
'disturbs' the wayward spirit in us. He roils the stagnant waters of the
fallen human soul. As such, He rocked King Herod's boat two thousand
years ago, and He's still making waves today. (see Matthew 8:23-27)
Darkness is always 'disturbed' by light. Deception is 'disturbed' by
Truth. Idols are always disturbed by news of God. The guilty
are disturbed in the presence of a discerning and righteous judge. The
sinful heart is disturbed by the threat of being exposed by a Holy Standard
of Absolute Goodness.
When fallen man....Herodian Man.... is confronted
with news about Jesus the King, the waters of his soul are naturally
agitated. When this happens, the honest and "wise man" will seek...with
all his heart... to find out exactly why this is so. But others...like
Herod...will respond foolishly to the agitation by trying to eradicate or
ignore the authentic King of Promise. Eventually, though, Herodian Man will
come to realize that Christ the King, the Lion of Judah, is not now and
never has been an idol threat........
"Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the
earth;
for I am God, and
there is no
other.
By myself I have sworn,
my mouth has
uttered in all
integrity
a word that will
never be revoked;
Before me every knee
will bow,
by me every tongue
will swear.
They will say of me,
'In the LORD
alone
are righteousness
and strength.' "
(Isaiah 45: 23,24a)
"King Herod's Heart of Darkness"
("Tiny Lamb...No Idol Threat")
Christ the Lamb came to Judea,
When they wanted Christ the
King.
('We need The Lion of Judah!...
Not this tiny little thing!')
But today....
O Lord, how different!
'Baby Jesus' fits our bill.
'Season's Greetings" is our mantra...
Christ the King we'd rather to kill.
Little Lamb?.....
Well, sure.
That's kosher!
Baby! We can
handle that!
Tiny Lamb's a whole lot better
Than some Mighty Holy Cat!
****
Like King Herod, we have 'issues'...
Pride's imbedded deep within.
In our idol conversations
We reveal our hearts of Sin.
Yes, we like our Savior's bleating,
Not returning in the clouds...
No righteous Lion of Judgment,
Can dethrone
this Herod-Crowd!
So, we stroke the Baby Jesus
Like a pet we keep around....
This way WE
stay High 'n' Mighty!
And Christ?.....
Somewhat less profound.
Friend, just keep him in the stable...
Such a cuddly thing!....My Word!
In the manger He can't harm us...
See The Sign?
'Do Not Disturb!'
We enjoy the infant Jesus...
Truth be known,
He makes our day!
Tiny tots can never judge us...
And we like it
just that way!
****
Don't let Jesus roil the water;
Or disturb the stagnant pool.
He makes waves in hearts of darkness...
He's The King who
really rules!
But Narcissus now ensnares us
Mesmer eyes his foolish prey...
We're Self-worshipers deluded
By the world and Satan's way.
But again then... we see Jesus!
Agitation from on High,
Who dethrones the Herod in us...
Royal Self?...He'll crucify!
********
Yes, Good Lord, we flock to see You!
O Good Shepherd, give us Grace!
Help us know which way to follow
As we travel through this place.
Lead us not into temptation;
Take us to
Your quiet pool!
Set us on The Rock of Ages,
Not King Herod's throne of Fools!
By God's Grace and Mercy...rescued!
Now in Him we owe no debt......
Jesus Christ appeared to free us,
God in flesh...
No idol threat.
Lead us, Lord, beside still waters
Where reflecting we may see
Father God, your Face of Mercy.....
At Moriah's Calvary.
********
"The attempt to not face the face of God or face
ourselves as we are begins the process of idolatry....An idol is
something within creation that is inflated to function as a substitute for
God...Since an idol is a counterfeit, it is a lie. Deception is its very
identity." --Dick Keyes
**************
"A pleasant illusion is better than a harsh
reality."--Christian Nevell Bovee
************
"Truth only irritates those it enlightens, but does not convert." --Pasquier
Quesnel
******
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock
and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who
seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
(Matthew 7:7) |
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