Herod the Great Was a Cranky and Greedy Man

By Mary Vee
Matthew 2

From Matthew's Notes

My name is Herod, I am the appointed king of Israel by the Roman emperor.

Since my early twenties, I have work hard to impress the Roman emperors. I held no allegiance to any one of them. Whichever man was in power was the one I wanted to impress. Not holding allegiance to past emperors has saved my life at least once.

Let me first make it clear that I am not a Jew.

I have a very inventive mind. I see how things work and immediately think of ways to make them better. Nothing is good enough as it is. There is always room for improvement.

For example, water was needed in the area of Joppa and north. Fresh water. By studying the area, I figured out that if aqueducts in these areas were angled on a one degree slope, water would continuously flow. I had two aqueducts constructed, side by side, each nine miles long, to meet the needs of the cities.

This is only one of the my many inventions.

I find myself to be a giving king, but also demand obedience and hard work from those around me. I wanted to please the Jews. Realizing they didn't have the mind for construction that I had, I trained the slaves to build the structure with the highest caliber of craftsmanship.

I was a very busy man with endless projects going at one time. When a group of wisemen came from the East, I was duly impressed. They wanted to know where the new king of the Jews had been born. 

I had no knowledge that one had been born and didn't like the fact that my throne stood in jeopardy. I called in my advisors who determined that Bethlehem was the location the wisemen wanted. I sent them off to continue their journey, but pretended to have interest in worshiping this new king. I asked them to come back and tell me where they found the king so I could go too.

Days had passed and the wisemen had not returned. I was furious. I paced back and forth in my chambers trying to come up with an idea what to do about the situation. Then the idea came to me. A devious one.

I called for my captain and ordered all boys two years old and younger living in Bethlehem to be executed. "No, wait, I want the surrounding area included in these orders." I told him. 

The captain bowed and left the room. I knew my order would be carried out to perfection.

I felt better already. It didn't matter which boy was the new king. He wouldn't be alive by sundown the next day.


Author's note: Matthew 2:16-18 says: Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 

"A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted because they are no more.

Rachel is mentioned here because Bethlehem is in the area known as the tribe of Benjamin. Benjamin was Rachel's second son born to Jacob.

Come back for the next story.

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sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary

* Jewish History.org
*Jewish Virtual Library.org

My research in Israel.

The Search for A Special King

By Mary Vee
Matthew 2

From Luke's Notes

Photo Courtesy

My name in Herod. I am king in Jerusalem. The story I am about to tell you stirs my anger.

I woke to a nice day. The sun had been shining and there weren't any major issues to attend. A servant came to my chambers and announced visitors who were not from this area. They had requested to speak with me. I was curious so I invited them to my chambers.

The servant led the men in. They wore different clothes that we did, their manners were different, and they spoke a different language. I approved them to enter and offered them a place to sit. "Bring our guests something to drink." I ordered my servant.

The men sat. Dust and sand coated their clothes. They must have traveled a long ways. "So, tell me what brings you here."

"We are learned men who have studied the stars. We have discovered that a new king has been born and have come from the east to worship him."

A new king? What were these men talking about. And how is it that they learned this information by looking at the stars? I didn't understand any of it. "I will ask my advisors and find an answer for you. Please go with my servants. They will make you comfortable."

Once the men left, I called for my advisors. This baby king must be found and killed. But, I must be crafty about it to learn the details. The advisors assembled in the room. I told them about the visitors and their question.

At first the advisors were uncertain. They spoke among themselves and asked each other questions. 

"Sire," the eldest said. "This baby king was born in Bethlehem of Judea. It is written by the prophet: And you Bethlehem, land of Judah are in no wise least among the princes of Judah. For out of you will come forth a governor which shall be shepherd of my people Israel."

Really? I am to be replaced? I don't think so. I sent the advisors away and called for the wisemen to return. "I have an answer for you. My advisors tell me that such a baby has been born in Bethlehem. Go there."

The men stood. But I couldn't let them leave until I learned the details. "Wait. When you find this king, come back and tell me where he is so I may go and worship him also."

The wisemen bowed and left.

I will find this king. And I will have him killed. 

I will not be replaced that easily.


Come back for the next story.

*********************************************************************************************

sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary

* Jewish History.org
*Jewish Virtual Library.org