Herod caught my eye as I read today. Eventually he would perpetrate a dastardly crime, being considered, in our time, a mass murderer. What fascinated me was watching the sin-idea grow.
It seems for Herod that jealousy was the initial seed. I am certain from my own life that thousands of emotions can birth a sin but for Herod this time, it seems to be jealousy. Herod was disturbed that a potential rival –another king- was born in his realm.
Jealousy simmered for a while as Herod listened to the rumors bounce around the court. A murderous idea hatched. What if I can find this rival king? I could kill him. So, on the pretense of state business, he invited the Magi for an audience. These unsuspecting foreign dignitaries are pumped for information and asked to continue their search. “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him" (8). It was a rouse, and it almost worked.
The Magi were warned not to return to Herod so Herod’s single murder grew into mass murder.“If I can’t find and murder my rival then I can kill all the children his age in his birth region of my realm.” And so another mass murdering tyrant is added to history’s list.
Here in brief is Herod’s sin-recipe:
üStart with an initial sin-filled seed (jealousy)
üSimmer the seed until you create a good stock
üMake adjustments to taste, add ‘spice’ and other ingredients until the ‘stock’ thickens into a dastardly ‘stew’…
I’m not Herod, nor have I become a mass-murderer. However, I can, all too easily, follow the same recipe, allowing sin to brew in my life. Sometimes through a wound, other times a human nature flaw, I allow a negative thought to plant a sin-seed. Rather than nipping it in the bud, I let this seed simmer. It seeps into different areas of my life and the sin-seed thought becomes a sin-filled action. I am not immune from this.
Pondering Herod, I sense a strong warning from the Spirit, “Bill, the best opportunity to overcome is to interrupt the recipe at the early stage. Don’t allow yourself to simmer the seed into stock. This is one way you can grow more faithful in Me.”
Lord God, forgive me. Too often I allow a sin-seed to stay and simmer in my life. Nothing good comes from this. Help me, Lord, to recognize these situations and Lord, please give me the faith to act appropriately, to confess the sin-seed and seek your forgiveness early.
O, Holy Spirit, I cannot do this on my own. Help me to listen for Your voice, Holy Spirit, so that I may walk in the way of righteousness for Jesus and the Father’s sake, in Whose name I pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment