The Word This Week
Matt 2:1…
Satan sought to destroy Jesus from the day He was born.
Had he not been born to parents who were so devoted to God’s plan and God’s instruction, Satan may have succeeded in ending His ministry before it began.
Since the creation of man, the spirit of antichrist has been in the world. Satan had come very close on occasion to cutting off the genealogical line of Christ’s descendancy, but he had not succeeded.
We can only imagine that now the Christ has been born into the world, all the enemy forces would be arrayed against Him. It began immediately.
This was an occasion when those who were unaware of Christ being born were made greatly aware.
It came through a desire of gentile wise men to come and worship the king of the Jews. They were following a supernatural star in the sky. It led them to Jerusalem, and into a meeting with the man who thought he was the king of the Jews. Herod was a vile and murderous madman who had been appointed by Rome to govern this territory. He was a Hellenistic Jew, familiar with Jewish religious custom. But he seemed very unaware of the coming of the Christ, which can only be explained by the dullness religion produces. Herod was a pawn of Satan.
These gentile visitors had rocked his world. He desired to know where this ‘king of the Jews’ may be found? He must destroy Him. (The religious leaders had an awareness of where, (Bethlehem,) but not when.) That information had just been supplied by these wise men, but the Jewish leaders apparently had no interest in seeking Christ for themselves. Again, religious dullness.
Herod’s plan to learn exactly where the Christ could be found was foiled when the wise men left without telling him. And so, in his bitter complicity with Satan, he had all the male children below two years of age in Bethlehem and its precincts killed.
Had Joseph not been immediately obedient to God, Christ’s escape may have been thwarted. Instead, it was Satan who was once again defeated in his efforts by a simple man listening to and following a glorious God - without really knowing why.
Pastor Bill
Satan sought to destroy Jesus from the day He was born.
Had he not been born to parents who were so devoted to God’s plan and God’s instruction, Satan may have succeeded in ending His ministry before it began.
Since the creation of man, the spirit of antichrist has been in the world. Satan had come very close on occasion to cutting off the genealogical line of Christ’s descendancy, but he had not succeeded.
We can only imagine that now the Christ has been born into the world, all the enemy forces would be arrayed against Him. It began immediately.
This was an occasion when those who were unaware of Christ being born were made greatly aware.
It came through a desire of gentile wise men to come and worship the king of the Jews. They were following a supernatural star in the sky. It led them to Jerusalem, and into a meeting with the man who thought he was the king of the Jews. Herod was a vile and murderous madman who had been appointed by Rome to govern this territory. He was a Hellenistic Jew, familiar with Jewish religious custom. But he seemed very unaware of the coming of the Christ, which can only be explained by the dullness religion produces. Herod was a pawn of Satan.
These gentile visitors had rocked his world. He desired to know where this ‘king of the Jews’ may be found? He must destroy Him. (The religious leaders had an awareness of where, (Bethlehem,) but not when.) That information had just been supplied by these wise men, but the Jewish leaders apparently had no interest in seeking Christ for themselves. Again, religious dullness.
Herod’s plan to learn exactly where the Christ could be found was foiled when the wise men left without telling him. And so, in his bitter complicity with Satan, he had all the male children below two years of age in Bethlehem and its precincts killed.
Had Joseph not been immediately obedient to God, Christ’s escape may have been thwarted. Instead, it was Satan who was once again defeated in his efforts by a simple man listening to and following a glorious God - without really knowing why.
Pastor Bill