Sermon #1146 Herod Family Tree

Transcription

1 Sermon #1146 Herod Family Tree We noticed several descendants of Herod the Great recently in our sermon on John the Immerser. King Herod makes quite an impression in this tumultuous time. But who, exactly, is King Herod? When we talk about King Herod it can be confusing because a number of men, all related, go by this name. The name Herod means heroic (ISBE), but Christians do not see these men as heroes; they did not favorably impress the Jews either. Henry E. Dosker writes in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, The entire family history is one of incessant brawls, suspicion, intrigue and shocking immorality. Dosker adds, The Herodians were not of Jewish stock. Herod the Great encouraged the circulation of the legend of the family descent from an illustrious Babylonian Jew (Ant., XIV, i, 3), but it has no historic basis. It is true the Idumeans were at that time nominal Jews. through an enforced circumcision. Dosker continues, History tells of few more immoral families than the house of Herod, which by intermarriage of its members so entangled the genealogical tree as to make it a veritable puzzle. ( First among the Herods is Herod the Great, so-called King of the Jews. He gained his so-called greatness through building projects like the temple in Jerusalem and the seaport of Caesarea. His brutalities, however, tainted these achievements. We cannot but marvel at Herod the Great s reaction to the introduction of the greatest blessing to the human race. The Bible says in Matthew 2:1-7, Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel." Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also. " Join us on our journey to explore the Herod Family Tree, after our song Why did heartless Herod order the massacre of all male children age two and under near Bethlehem? A little background makes this tragedy less surprising. In addition to his obvious extreme control issues, Herod s slaughter of innocents fits the paranoia non-biblical history attributes to him. Although he would die soon after the massacre, Herod felt compelled to eliminate the rumored rival to the throne. During his lifetime he showed little love even for his heirs. Augustus Caesar says of him, "I would rather be Herod's hog than his son." Why? The Herods behaved more like animals than humans. Herod killed two of his OWN sons. Dosker writes further, Antipater, the oldest son and heir presumptive to the crown fell into the grave he had dug for his brothers. Another source reports, He was a brutal man who killed his father-in-law, several of his ten wives, and two of his sons ( We read of Herod s wicked scheming in Matthew 2:13-17, Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him. When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the 1

2 Herod Family Tree by Brett Hickey, sermon # of 5 prophet, saying, Out of Egypt I called My Son. Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men." Shortly after ordering the genocide of Bethlehem s baby boys in 4 BC, Herod the Great died and his son Herod Archelaus (a half-idumean, half-samaritan who lived from BC 23 to AD 18) inherited the largest portion of the kingdom as ethnarch of Judaea. His brutalities lead to his expulsion by Rome only ten years later (BC 4 AD 6). The only mention of this Herod is found in Matthew 2:22, But when [Joseph] heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. Herod Antipas, Archelaus younger brother, lived from BC 20 to 39 AD and ruled from 4 BC till 39 AD as "tetrarch" of Galilee and Peraea. We read of him first in Luke 3:1, Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee Herod Antipas was an ungodly, immoral man, and not averse to violence, but his father, Herod the Great, showed greater brutality. Herod Antipas leaves an indelible mark on believers in Matthew 14:1-10, At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him. For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. Because John had said to him, It is not lawful for you to have her. And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. Therefore he promised to give her whatever she might ask. So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter. And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her. So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. Follow carefully as Dosker explains John s rebuke: (Herod Antipas ) first wife was a daughter of Aretas, king of Arabia. But he sent her back to her father for the sake of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had seduced at Rome. Herod Antipas wife was the daughter of one brother and wife of another brother! Herod Antipas is also the ruler Jesus calls a fox in Luke 13:31-32, On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You. And He said to them, Go, tell that fox, "Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. ' Herod Antipas was also the ruler under consideration in Mark 8:15, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." J. W. McGarvey said Jesus uses the phrase the leaven of Herod to refer to Herod s political corruption. Burton Coffman writes, The Herodians were a prominent sect of the Jews who were willing to give up their sacred inheritance and accommodate with the military power of the Romans, whose vassal Herod Antipas was. They became willing traitors to Israel in order, they thought, to save their own skin. Our final exposure to Herod Antipas is when Pilate sends Jesus to him to be tried. Later, in 39 AD, Herod Agrippa I, Antipas nephew and Herod the Great s grandson, accused Antipas of conspiracy against the Roman emperor Caligula. As a result, Rome exiled Antipas and Herodias to Gaul where they died in shame. 2

3 Herod Family Tree by Brett Hickey, sermon # of 5 Herod the Great s grandson, Herod Agrippa I, lived from BC 10 to AD 44 and ruled after his uncle Antipas exile in 37 AD. Acts 12:1-4, Herod the king (Agrippa I) stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. Escape looked impossible for Peter, but God intervened to the embarrassment of Agrippa I. Acts 12:5-16, Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, Arise quickly! And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, Gird yourself and tie on your sandals ; and so he did. And he said to him, Put on your garment and follow me. So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. And when Peter had come to himself, he said, Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people. So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peter's voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. But they said to her, You are beside yourself! Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, It is his angel. Now Peter continued knocking; (Peter can t get in!) and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. That s how we pray at times, isn t it? We pray and then we are surprised when our prayers are answered. Agrippa responded in fury in Acts 12:18-19, Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers (read panic ) about what had become of Peter. But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. We read of Agrippa s bizarre death in Acts 12:21-23, So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, The voice of a god and not of a man! Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of God grew and multiplied. Josephus, the Jewish historian, provides confirmation and additional details (Antiquities ): (Agrippa) put on a garment made wholly of silver and came into the theater early in the morning. There the silver of his garment, being illuminated by the fresh reflection of the sun's rays, shone out in a wonderful manner, and was so resplendent as to spread awe over those that looked intently upon him. Presently his flatterers cried out that he was a god Upon this the king neither rebuked them nor rejected their impious flattery. A severe pain arose in his belly, striking with a most violent intensity. He therefore looked upon his friends, and said, I, whom you call a god. am immediately to be hurried away by death. When he had said this, his pain became violent. And when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly for five days, he departed this life." 3

4 Herod Family Tree by Brett Hickey, sermon # of 5 You may remember in Acts 9:15 that the Lord told Ananias, Paul "is a chosen vessel to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings..." This prophecy is fulfilled in the most magnificent way when Paul preaches to Agrippa II, Felix, and his wife, Drusilla, and Bernice all but Felix were the greatgrandchildren of the baby-killing monster, Herod the Great. Encyclopedia Judaica writes of Herod Agrippa II, Like his father he was educated in Rome and he was there when he learnt of his father's death. The emperor Claudius refused to let him succeed on account of his youth. His uncle, *Herod II of Chalcis, died in the year 48 and Agrippa received this small kingdom two years later. Claudius entrusted to him the supervision of the Temple in Jerusalem and gave him the right to appoint the high priest. At the Jewish revolt against Rome in 66, Agrippa hurried back to Jerusalem to try to convince the people of their helplessness against Rome. His mission failed and he supported Rome in the war that ensued. Around 59 AD, Agrippa II entertained Paul in Acts 25:13-15, 18-22, King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus. When they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying: There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix, about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, when I was in Jerusalem, asking for a judgment against him.18when the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I supposed, but had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. And because I was uncertain of such questions, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there be judged concerning these matters. But when Paul appealed to be reserved for the decision of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I could send him to Caesar. Then Agrippa said to Festus, I also would like to hear the man myself. Tomorrow, he said, you shall hear him. " Isn t it amazing that despite their wretched, barbaric family history, that God granted this evil elite family the opportunity to hear the gospel? Paul says in his defense before Agrippa in Acts 26:8-11, Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead? Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. Down to verse 19-23, "Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come--that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles." Then, we witness a fascinating development in Acts 26: Paul confronts his judge, the greatgrandson of the one who tried to kill his Lord as a young child, King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe. Then Agrippa said to Paul, You almost persuade me to become a Christian. And Paul said, "I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.. 31and they talked 4

5 Herod Family Tree by Brett Hickey, sermon # of 5 among themselves, saying, This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains. " We ll tell you how to get a copy of King Herod, after our song Thank you for watching Let the Bible Speak. Contact us for a free copy of The Herod Family Tree, (#1146). Also call to receive our free Bible study course you can complete at home. We welcome your comments and questions. Join our facebook page to receive weekly updates of the message in your area. Visit LetTheBibleSpeak.com to watch videos, hear audio, or read transcripts of the program. Finally, we echo the sentiment of the apostle Paul when he wrote in Romans 16:16, the churches of Christ salute you. Until next week, goodbye and God bless. Are you searching for the truth of God's word and have a sincere desire to learn about the Bible? Do you want to know what the Bible says about salvation and about Christ and His church? If you are looking for Bible Founded discussion on these topics and many others, then please accept this invitation to explore "Let the Bible Speak" and then contact us for additional studies. We are members of the church of Christ as found in the New Testament. We are not members of a denomination or earthly religious organization. We are a brotherhood of believers, joined by a common bond, Jesus Christ. We try to live and worship following the patterns found in the New Testament. (For manuscripts of other sermons visit: COPYRIGHT Let The Bible Speak. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. IMPORTANT COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Express permission is granted to distribute any video, audio, or transcript of any broadcast message as long as the material is: unedited and attribution is given to Let The Bible Speak; a hyperlink to LetTheBibleSpeak.com is included for electronic distribution; a text reference is included to for printed distribution; and the original author receives attribution. An irrevocable, world-wide, royalty free license for distribution is granted as long as such distribution has the intent of: supporting the truth as presented; giving glory and honor to God; and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. 5