When doubt destroys reason…

When they {the Magi} had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 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.”

Matthew 2:13-18

Indecision, doubt and fear. The members of this unholy trio are closely related; where one is found, the other two are close at hand. Napoleon Hill

This is the final post about Herod for this Christmas Story series as the final week will focus on belief, a concept foreign to King Herod.  Driven by paranoia induced by doubts and fears, Herod committed terrible, horrific acts, including killing family members and others close to him. When the Magi did not return, Herod saw the miraculous child as a threat and, in fear, ordered the murder of all children two years old and under.

 Herod’s self-centered perspective led him to believe that he could exert control over all circumstances.  Can you imagine the extreme paranoia and delusional thinking that made Herod reason that he could forestall the will of God?  Jesus was a toddler. Did Herod think that he would live to a ripe old age to the point where Jesus became an adult? Did Herod think that a coup was going to take over and install a babe as a king in place of his rule?  The crazy thoughts running through Herod’s mind influenced his evil decision to murder countless innocents. Yet, God the Father had already initiated measures to protect Jesus.  These measures ensured that Jesus would fulfill his role as Messiah and bring salvation to the world in accordance with prophecy.