Posts Tagged ‘Matthew 14’

Someone once told me that the Bible reports many things that it does not recommend. Here is one of them.

It is a repulsive family situation. King Herod has taken his brother’s wife, Herodias, as his own wife. She had a fifteen year old daughter that must have been pretty attractive. Herod has the daughter dance for him and a whole party of men at his birthday celebration. My guess is that this was not ballet. Herod was very pleased by the dancing. (Matthew 14:6).

Because of his pleasure, King Herod promised this young woman whatever she wanted. She consulted her mother, came back, and asked for John the Baptist’s head on a platter. John was in prison because he had confronted King Herod about taking the wife of his brother. Luke 3 says that there were other evil things he had done for which John boldly confronted the King.

These verses show what a powerful influence parents have on their children. Herod and Herodias were wicked people. Though the Bible doesn’t give us a great deal of information about them – secular historians give some. Herod and his ancestors killed their own sons if they thought they were a threat to the throne, they took each other’s wives, and intermarried within the family. They did what they thought necessary to protect their individual reigns when on the throne.

It doesn’t seem relevant to us until you look at the generational consistency. Each generation did what the last one did. They didn’t serve one another and their top priority was protecting their own turf.

Herodias’s daughter could have asked for “anything” and she asked for the head of an innocent, godly man. This was an act of vengeance on the part of her mother. What was she teaching her daughter?

That’s the question faithful parents need to ask:  “What are we teaching our children?” And, what example are we setting by the actions we take and the decisions we make?

Herodias was not considering anyone more important than herself when she prompted her daughter to ask for an innocent head on a platter.

Herod showed no courage and the fear of man by not stopping that request in its tracks. The passage says that he “was distressed, but because of his oath and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted (Matthew 14:9).” The fear of man leads to terrible things. He was distressed because he knew he was wrong. He went ahead and did it because he was afraid of what others – including his wife – would say.

Three questions come to mind for today’s wife and mother.

1. Are we so critical of our husbands that they are afraid of our reactions to their actions?
2. Is our behavior setting a Biblical example for our children?
3. What are we asking our children to do that might lead them to sin against God?