HOWNOTTOHANDLETHEWORDOFGOD 6 7 [Jesus]calledtheTwelvetohimselfandbegantosendthemouttwobytwo.Hegave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He instructed them not to take anything alongontheirjourney,exceptastaff nobread,nobag,nomoneyintheirbelt. 9 They weretowearsandals;butwerenottotakealonganextratunic. 10 Hesaidtothem, Wheneveryouenterahouse,staythereuntilyouleave[thatcity]. 11 Ifanyplacedoes not welcome you and does not listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a witness against them. 12 So they went out and preached that men should repent. 13 Andtheycastoutmanydemons,andanointedmanysickpeoplewithoiland healedthem. 14 Now King Herod heard [about this], for[jesus ] name had become well known. Somepeopleweresaying,JohntheBaptizerhasrisenfromthedead;thatiswhythese powers are at work in him. 15 But others said, It is Elijah. Still others said, It is a prophet,justlikeoneoftheprophets[ofold]. 16 ButHerod,whenheheard[aboutit], said,john whomibeheaded heisrisen. 17 NowHerodhimselfhadgivenordersto havejohnarrested.hehadhimchainedinprisonforthesakeofherodias,hisbrother Philip swife,forhehadmarriedher. 18 JohnwastellingHerod,Itisnotlawfulforyouto haveyourbrother swife. 19 SoHerodiassetherselfagainst[John],anddesiredtokill him.butshecouldnot; 20 becauseherodfearedjohn,knowingthathewasarighteous andholyman,sohekepthimsafe.whenever[herod]heard[johnpreach],hewasvery perplexed; but, [nevertheless], he heard him gladly. 21 [Finally] an opportune time came,whenherod,onhisbirthday,gaveabanquetforhishighofficialsandmilitary commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 [On this occasion] the daughter of Herodias came in and danced. She pleased Herod and those who sat at dinner with him;thereforethekingsaidtotheyounggirl,askmeforwhateveryouwish,andiwill giveittoyou. 23 Hesworetoher,WhateveryoushallaskIwillgiveyou,evenasmuch ashalfofmykingdom. 24 Soshewentout,andaskedhermother,WhatshallIrequest? Andshesaid,[Askfor]theheadofJohntheBaptizer. 25 Thensheimmediatelyhurried backtothekingandmadetherequest,iaskthatyougivemewithoutdelaythehead ofjohnthebaptistonaplatter. 26 Nowthekingwasgreatlydistressed;but,becauseof his oaths and because of those who were present at dinner, he would not deny her [request]. 27 Soimmediatelythekingsentoutasoldierofhisguardwiththecommand tobring[john s]head.hewentandbeheaded[john]intheprison; 28 [then]hebrought his head on a platter, and gave it to the young girl. The young girl gave it to her mother. 29 Now when [John s] disciples heard [about this], they came and took his corpse,andburieditinatomb.(mk.6:7 29) Introduction An archaeological excavation team, digging in the ancient ruins of old Jerusalem, uncovered a small copper scroll; on it was an inscription from the Bible. Chief archaeologist Gabriel Barkay took the brittle little copper scroll to his laboratory. There he worked with unbelievable patience and care in an effort to unroll it without destroying its sacred content. The Bible is God s holy Word, and we must
handleitstruthswiththesamecarethearchaeologistdemonstratedwhenhandling thatlittlecopperscroll.(ourdailybread,6/8/94). InthepassageofScripturebeforeus,wefindanexampleofhownottohandleGod s Word.ConsiderthefactthatKingHerodwasbeingconfrontedwiththeWordofGod throughtheministryofgod sprophet,johnthebaptist.thewayherodresponded tojohnthebaptist theonewhospoketohimthewordofgod maybetakenas anexampleofwhatnottodowhenconfrontedwiththewordofgod. I.DoNot Toy withthewordofgod(mk.6:19 20) We are told, Herod feared John, knowing that [John] was a righteous and holy man; andconsequently, hekepthimsafe (6:20.)HerewasareverenceforJohn in his capacity as a prophet of God, a representative of God. Here, also, was a convictionofthetruth,oftherighteousness,andofthedivineanointinguponthis manandhismessage. WhenHerodheardJohn, hewasveryperplexed;but,[nevertheless,]heheardhim gladly. The Word of God troubled his guilty conscience. The text literally reads, whenheheardjohn,hedidmanythings hereisthesignofarestless,troubled, burdenedsoul.atthesametime,herodfoundtheconvictionofthewordofgod to be delightful (he heard John gladly), because of its truth. Consider the same complex reaction evidenced in the life of the wicked king, Ahab. He hated the prophet,micaiah,becauseofhisconvictingmessage,ashehimselftestifies, But Jehoshaphat asked, Is there not a prophet of Jehovah here by whom we mayinquire? 8 ThekingofIsraelsaidtoJehoshaphat, Therestillisonemanby whom we may inquire of Jehovah, Micaiah the son of Imlah. But I hate him; becausehedoesnotprophesygoodconcerningme,butcalamity. (1Kg.22:7 8) YetAhabinsistedthatMicaiahutternothingbutthetruthofGod: Whenhecametotheking,thekingsaidtohim, Micaiah,shallwegotowar againstramoth gilead,orshallwerefrain? Andheansweredhim, Goupand bevictorious;forjehovahwilldeliveritintothehandoftheking. 16 Thenthe kingsaidtohim, HowmanytimesmustImakeyouswearthatyouwillspeak nothingbutthetruthtomeinthenameofjehovah? (1Kg.22:15 16) Herod recognized the divine character of John the Baptist and his message. He foundthatmessagetobebothconvictingandappealing.butheneversubmitted himself to the divine authority of the Word of God. He held himself back from acceptingitandrespondingtoitwithfaithandobedience.herod toyed withthe WordofGod.
WhenweareconfrontedwiththeWordofGod,letusnotbelikeHerod;letusnot toy withthewordofgod.wemustnotviewthewordasmerelyasourceof spiritualentertainment,aswastrueofthepeoplewhoheardthepreachingofthe prophetezekiel: Asforyou,sonofman,yourcountrymenaretalkingtogetheraboutyoubythe wallsandatthedoorsofthehouses,sayingtoeachother,comeandhearthe messagethathascomefromjehovah. 31 Mypeoplecometoyou,astheyusually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice.withtheirmouthstheyexpressdevotion,buttheirheartsaregreedy forunjustgain. 32 Indeed,tothemyouarenothingmorethanonewhosingslove songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your wordsbutdonotputthemintopractice.(ezek.33:30 32) LetusnotconsiderthemerehearingoftheWordofGodasthefulfillmentofyour obligationtoit;adangeragainstwhichtheapostlejameswarns: Donotmerelylistentotheword,andsodeceiveyourselves.Obeyit. 23 Anyone wholistenstothewordbutdoesnotobeyitislikeamanwholooksathisface inamirror 24 and,afterlookingathimself,goesawayandimmediatelyforgets whathelookslike. 25 Butthemanwholooksintentlyintotheperfectlawthat givesfreedom,andcontinuestodothis,notforgettingwhathehasheard,but doingit hewillbeblessedinwhathedoes.(jas.1:22 25) ConsiderPaul sresponsewhenconfrontedbythewordofgodintheveryperson of the Lord Jesus Christ; he responded by asking,"what shall I do, Lord?" (Acts 22:10.)InthesaywaydidthepeoplerespondtothepreachingofPeterandthe otherapostlesonthedayofpentecost,"brethren,whatshallwedo?"(acts2:37.) WheneverweareconfrontedwiththeWordofGod inpreaching,inteaching,in personal Bible reading it is good to ask such questions as these: Is there a promise to believe? Is there a commandment to obey? Is there some counsel to heed? II.DoNotResisttheWordofGod(Mk.6:17 18) AsJohntheBaptistpersistedinconfrontingHerodwithhissin,theWordofGod was continuously being brought to bear upon Herod s guilty conscience:"john was telling Herod,'It is not lawful for you to have your brother s wife'"(vs. 18.) The form of the Greek verb, levgw, to speak, or, to tell, is in the imperfect tense, indicating a continuous action. The Word of God was specifically being broughttobearuponherod sdisobedientconduct:"johnwastellingherod,'itis not lawful for you to have your brother s wife.'" The Word was acutely and pointedly being brought to bear upon Herod s personal life. John was confronting Herod with his immoral conduct with regard to marrying his brother swife.
There came a point when Herod s conviction intensified, outweighing his fascinationwithjohn spreaching.herodcouldnolongerdismissthetroubling, convicting aspect of John s message. The Word of God was directly, overwhelmingly convicting Herod of his sin in specific terms. Action had to be taken:eitherherod'sbehaviormustbereformedbyrepentance,orjohnmustbe silenced. When we consider Matthew 14:5, "[Herod] would have put him to death,"weseethechangethathadbeguntotakeplaceinherod sheart;achange fromambivalencetosettledresistance. SoitwasthatHerodhimselfgavetheordertohaveJohnseizedandimprisoned. The one who had previously kept John safe from the murderous intent of Herodias(vs.19),nowdeterminedtosilenceJohnandresisttheWordofGod. WhenweareconfrontedwiththeWordofGod,letusnotbelikeHerod;letus not resist the sacred Word. Let us not resist the Word of God, even though it becomespersonalanddisruptingtoourlifestyle: thewordofgodislivingandactive.sharperthananydouble edgedsword,it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whomwemustgiveaccount.(heb.4:12 13) LetusnotresisttheWordofGodbyputtingitoffuntil amoreconvenienttime. ConsiderthetragicexampleofFelix: SeveraldayslaterFelixcamewithhiswifeDrusilla,whowasaJewess.Hesent forpaulandlistenedtohimashespokeaboutfaithinchristjesus. 25 AsPaul discoursedonrighteousness,self controlandthejudgmenttocome,felixwas terrified and said, "That is enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient,iwillsendforyou." 26 However,hehopedthatPaulwouldofferhim abribe,sohesentforhimfrequentlyandtalkedwithhim.(acts24:24 26) WhenFelixresistedtheconvictingworkoftheHolySpiritashewasconfronted withthewordofgod,hisconvictiongavewaytoahardeningoftheheart,which laterpermittedhimtocommunewithpaulandevenseekforabribefrompaul, withoutanyfurtherconviction,butalltothedestructionofhissoul. III.DoNotRejecttheWordofGod(Mk.6:16) TherefinallycameapointwhenHerodmadethedecision:Hegavetheorderto executejohnthebaptist. While John was confined to prison the option was still open for a change of heartonthepartofherod.hecouldgivetheorderforjohn srelease;hecould heedthewordofgodandreformhisconductaccordingly.butnowhemadethe
ultimate decision he gave the order to have John beheaded, His resistance nowledhimtoarejectionofthewordofgodbykillingthemessengersentto himbygod. Actually,HeroddidnotintendtoexecuteJohn;theungodlyinfluencesaround him and within him led him to that final decision. He indulged his fascination forindecency,lewdness,andimmoralconduct:"whenthedaughterofherodias danced,shepleasedherod"(vs.22.)heallowedhimselftogivefreeexpression to and became entrapped by his impulses. Thoughtlessly and on impulse, Herod made the promise to the young girl:"whatever you shall ask I will give you,evenasmuchashalfofmykingdom"(vs.23.)hewasvictimizedbycunning andevilpeople,includinghisownwife:"beingurgedbyhermother,[theyoung girl]said,'giveme theheadofjohnthebaptist'"(matt.14:8.)itappearsthat Herodias manipulated the whole event in order to exploit Herod s moral weaknessessoastoaccomplishherowndiabolicaldesire,themurderofjohn thebaptist.finally,herodallowedhispridetopreventhisretreat.althoughhe wasdeeplygrieved,hewouldnotrefusethegirl srequest:"becauseofhisoaths and because of those who were present at dinner, he would not deny her [request]"(vs.26.) WhenweareconfrontedwiththeWordofGod,letusnotbecomelikeHerod;let us not reject the sacred Word. We may not start out with any premeditated intention of doing so. But if we allow ungodly inclinations and influences to dominate our life indulging our fascination with the indecent, the lewd, the immoral; allowing ourselves to be manipulated by cunning and diabolical people; allowing pride to prevent our repentance, choosing the favor of men ratherthanthefavorofgod thenweshouldnotbesurprisedtodiscoverthat ithashappenedtous:wecometothepointwherewerejectthewordofgod. Conclusion AsyouconsiderKingHerod sinteractionwithjohnthebaptist,maytheholyspirit makeitrelevanttous.maywelistentohimashesays,"hereisanexampleofhow nottohandlethewordofgod hereisanegativeanddeadlyinteractionwiththe WordofGod."LetustakecarefulheedtothesewordsoftheLordJesusChrist: Thereforeeveryonewhohearsthesewordsofmineandputsthemintopracticeis likeawisemanwhobuilthishouseontherock... 26 Buteveryonewhohearsthese wordsofmineanddoesnotputthemintopracticeislikeafoolishmanwhobuilt hishouseonsand. 27 Theraincamedown,thestreamsrose,andthewindsblewand beatagainstthathouse,anditfellwithagreatcrash.(matt.7:24,26 27)