1 00:00:00,370 --> 00:00:02,810 Speaker 1: And we know that in all things God works for 2 00:00:02,830 --> 00:00:05,210 Speaker 1: the good of those who love Him, who have been 3 00:00:05,250 --> 00:00:10,820 Speaker 1: called according to His purpose. Romans 8.28 Lord, in the 4 00:00:10,860 --> 00:00:15,900 Speaker 1: midst of chaos, darkness, and despair, You are a steady 5 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:20,140 Speaker 1: and reliable pillar for us to lean on. We know 6 00:00:20,180 --> 00:00:23,509 Speaker 1: that every trial and hardship work together for our good 7 00:00:24,170 --> 00:00:27,870 Speaker 1: and Your glory. Give us the faith to move forward 8 00:00:27,910 --> 00:00:32,510 Speaker 1: with hope and assurance in Your plan. when we feel 9 00:00:32,570 --> 00:00:37,370 Speaker 1: weak and lost, guide us with your word and remind 10 00:00:37,430 --> 00:00:41,870 Speaker 1: us of all your promises. We know that just because 11 00:00:41,930 --> 00:00:45,940 Speaker 1: we believe in you doesn't mean we're immune to hardship. Rather, 12 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 1: we know that purpose can be found in the midst 13 00:00:49,180 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: of hardship. Thank you in advance for all the lessons 14 00:00:54,180 --> 00:00:58,420 Speaker 1: and growth that will come from our struggles. Continue to 15 00:00:58,500 --> 00:01:03,380 Speaker 1: love and guide us through it all. In Jesus' name, amen. 16 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with me today. Stay tuned now 17 00:01:07,620 --> 00:01:10,250 Speaker 1: for another episode of Stories of the Messiah. 18 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:20,959 Speaker 2: Herod's smile was a serpent's grin as he raised his 19 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:25,300 Speaker 2: glass to the wise men. Then perhaps the rumors hold true, 20 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 2: my lords. A new king may indeed grace our land. 21 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:35,550 Speaker 2: Glory to God. But his eyes were stormy seas, churning 22 00:01:35,610 --> 00:01:39,709 Speaker 2: with rage and fear. Should you find the child, do 23 00:01:39,730 --> 00:01:43,190 Speaker 2: return and tell me, so that I too may pay 24 00:01:43,250 --> 00:01:48,180 Speaker 2: my respects. The magi thanked Herod and departed. Herod watched 25 00:01:48,220 --> 00:01:51,350 Speaker 2: them leave, his smile changing into a snarl as the 26 00:01:51,450 --> 00:01:52,810 Speaker 2: door closed behind them. 27 00:01:53,390 --> 00:01:55,330 Speaker 3: Messiah or not? 28 00:01:56,090 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 2: He hissed in a venomous whisper. No one will dethrone me! 29 00:02:01,500 --> 00:02:04,500 Speaker 2: His eyes blazed with malevolence that recalled the cruelty of 30 00:02:04,580 --> 00:02:08,050 Speaker 2: Pharaoh long ago. With a cry of fury, he held 31 00:02:08,090 --> 00:02:10,750 Speaker 2: his cup against the wall and summoned his guards. 32 00:02:11,410 --> 00:02:17,030 Speaker 3: Slay every boy under two! Show no mercy to those 33 00:02:17,070 --> 00:02:18,030 Speaker 3: who defy me! 34 00:02:18,410 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 2: He slumped back into his throne, his thoughts a whirlwind 35 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 2: of paranoia. An infant shall not undo me. He vowed 36 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:31,030 Speaker 2: the words a dark oath. The palace seemed to shudder 37 00:02:31,060 --> 00:02:35,579 Speaker 2: at his command. a foreboding silence descending as Herod's madness 38 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 2: spiraled further into the darkness, a void of which there 39 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 2: could be no return. 40 00:02:42,540 --> 00:02:47,389 Speaker 4: Today's episode is jarring and unsettling. As much as we 41 00:02:47,430 --> 00:02:49,630 Speaker 4: would love for the Christmas story to end on a 42 00:02:49,690 --> 00:02:53,049 Speaker 4: high note, with Joseph and Mary blissfully walking off into 43 00:02:53,070 --> 00:02:59,010 Speaker 4: the sunset, that isn't how the gospel is told. You see, Jesus' 44 00:02:59,050 --> 00:03:04,799 Speaker 4: birth isn't the happy ending. It begins God's mission to 45 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:08,140 Speaker 4: rid the world of evil. That evil will be put 46 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:12,750 Speaker 4: on full display in this episode. The chilling account of 47 00:03:12,810 --> 00:03:15,810 Speaker 4: Herod's order to kill all the male children in Bethlehem 48 00:03:16,150 --> 00:03:19,970 Speaker 4: aged two and under is a dark shadow in the 49 00:03:20,010 --> 00:03:25,609 Speaker 4: story of Jesus' birth. This heartbreaking event, often called the 50 00:03:25,710 --> 00:03:29,700 Speaker 4: Massacre of the Innocents, reveals profound truths about the human 51 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:35,600 Speaker 4: condition and God's redemptive plan. Let's not shy away from 52 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:40,690 Speaker 4: hard stories like these. The darkness of mankind is revealed 53 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:43,570 Speaker 4: to us so that the light of Christ can shine 54 00:03:43,750 --> 00:03:46,830 Speaker 4: all the brighter. Let's dive back into the story now. 55 00:03:47,630 --> 00:03:51,390 Speaker 4: At the end, we'll search for redemptive truths and silver linings. 56 00:03:54,380 --> 00:03:58,900 Speaker 2: Herod's mind was a twisted labyrinth of pride and paranoia. 57 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:03,770 Speaker 2: A dark forest of fear and obsession haunted him. His 58 00:04:03,910 --> 00:04:08,270 Speaker 2: throne was his identity, his power the essence of his being. 59 00:04:08,890 --> 00:04:12,410 Speaker 2: The mere whispers of a newborn king sent tremors through 60 00:04:12,450 --> 00:04:16,980 Speaker 2: his mind. Herod hadn't even spared his own sons from 61 00:04:17,020 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 2: his paranoid rage, so this newborn stranger would be no different. 62 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:25,800 Speaker 2: He was prepared to drown the paranoia and fear in 63 00:04:25,860 --> 00:04:31,090 Speaker 2: the blood of innocence. The orders were given, cold and merciless. 64 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:37,040 Speaker 3: Slay every boy under two from here to the outskirts 65 00:04:37,100 --> 00:04:38,060 Speaker 3: of Bethlehem. 66 00:04:38,540 --> 00:04:42,330 Speaker 2: He commanded, his voice the edge of a knife. Burn 67 00:04:42,410 --> 00:04:45,010 Speaker 2: their houses if you must. 68 00:04:45,810 --> 00:04:51,290 Speaker 3: Let the flames purge our land of this false hope. 69 00:04:52,070 --> 00:04:56,099 Speaker 2: His soldiers were seasoned men of war and subjects to Caesar. 70 00:04:56,660 --> 00:05:00,600 Speaker 2: But even they found themselves at a moral crossroads. Their 71 00:05:00,660 --> 00:05:04,150 Speaker 2: loyalty to their king battled the humanity that still flickered 72 00:05:04,190 --> 00:05:07,750 Speaker 2: within their hearts. They had faced death on the battlefield 73 00:05:08,010 --> 00:05:10,989 Speaker 2: and had shed blood in the name of Caesar. But this, 74 00:05:11,750 --> 00:05:15,669 Speaker 2: this was a horror they had never imagined. The first 75 00:05:15,750 --> 00:05:18,650 Speaker 2: village was a peaceful settlement nestled in the shadow of 76 00:05:18,690 --> 00:05:22,530 Speaker 2: the mountains. As the soldiers approached, the air was filled 77 00:05:22,570 --> 00:05:25,910 Speaker 2: with children's laughter and the scent of freshly baked bread. 78 00:05:26,620 --> 00:05:30,620 Speaker 2: Their orders were clear, their path defined. But as they 79 00:05:30,680 --> 00:05:33,420 Speaker 2: looked into the eyes of the mothers and fathers and 80 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:38,050 Speaker 2: the innocent children, their hearts wavered, a fragile dam holding 81 00:05:38,110 --> 00:05:41,490 Speaker 2: back a torrent of doubt and despair. Are we monsters? 82 00:05:42,050 --> 00:05:44,850 Speaker 2: One soldier whispered to another as they set fire to 83 00:05:44,870 --> 00:05:48,690 Speaker 2: the houses, the flames leaping like hungry demons. 84 00:05:49,370 --> 00:05:50,450 Speaker 1: Is this what. 85 00:05:50,350 --> 00:05:51,229 Speaker 2: We have become? 86 00:05:51,250 --> 00:05:53,510 Speaker 4: The kings will be damned. 87 00:05:53,940 --> 00:05:57,600 Speaker 2: The other replied, his voice hollow, his eyes haunted. We 88 00:05:57,660 --> 00:06:02,830 Speaker 2: have no choice. But there is always a choice. Hideous 89 00:06:03,010 --> 00:06:05,750 Speaker 2: evil is often committed by those who feel they have 90 00:06:05,890 --> 00:06:10,190 Speaker 2: no way out. The soldiers pressed on, village after village, 91 00:06:10,570 --> 00:06:14,180 Speaker 2: a trail of tears and ash marking their path. They 92 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:17,940 Speaker 2: pried children out of their mother's arms and executed the 93 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,349 Speaker 2: fathers who tried to stand in their way. The horror 94 00:06:21,410 --> 00:06:25,390 Speaker 2: of parents losing children became a relentless nightmare, a wound 95 00:06:25,450 --> 00:06:29,710 Speaker 2: that would never heal. Some soldiers broke, their minds shattered 96 00:06:29,770 --> 00:06:33,909 Speaker 2: by the atrocities they were committing. Others pressed on, their 97 00:06:33,990 --> 00:06:38,990 Speaker 2: humanity a distant memory. Their souls numb to the suffering. 98 00:06:39,550 --> 00:06:43,150 Speaker 2: In one village, a mother clung to her child, her 99 00:06:43,390 --> 00:06:48,060 Speaker 2: eyes wide with terror as the soldiers approached. Her husband 100 00:06:48,100 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 2: stood before her, a broken man. his face a mask 101 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:56,290 Speaker 2: of despair. Take me instead, he begged, his voice a 102 00:06:56,430 --> 00:07:01,170 Speaker 2: plea to the heavens. Take my life, but spare my son. 103 00:07:01,690 --> 00:07:06,230 Speaker 2: But the soldiers continued their course. Their swords and torches 104 00:07:06,410 --> 00:07:10,140 Speaker 2: cut through the valley of Anatoth. The cries of babies, 105 00:07:10,540 --> 00:07:14,420 Speaker 2: growls of fathers, and laments of mothers filled the air. 106 00:07:15,420 --> 00:07:18,800 Speaker 2: All in the name of Herod, sitting atop his throne 107 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:22,590 Speaker 2: of evil. The prophetic words of Jeremiah hung. 108 00:07:22,330 --> 00:07:22,910 Speaker 1: In the air. 109 00:07:22,930 --> 00:07:29,860 Speaker 2: A voice was heard in Ramah. Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning. Rachel, 110 00:07:30,320 --> 00:07:34,500 Speaker 2: weeping for her children. She wouldn't be comforted, because they 111 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:39,500 Speaker 2: are no more. Herod's hideous acts mirrored Pharaoh's long ago 112 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:43,820 Speaker 2: when he chose to drown the Hebrew children in the Nile. Yet, 113 00:07:44,460 --> 00:07:48,140 Speaker 2: out of that tragedy, a hero emerged. a child who 114 00:07:48,180 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 2: was spared for the sake of rising to deliver those 115 00:07:51,220 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 2: very people. If Herod had understood the story of Moses, 116 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:58,620 Speaker 2: he would have known that God would not suffer evil 117 00:07:58,700 --> 00:08:03,360 Speaker 2: rulers long. After Anototh, the soldiers traveled to the town 118 00:08:03,420 --> 00:08:08,100 Speaker 2: of Bethany. Flames engulfed any home that refused Herod's decree. 119 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:13,660 Speaker 2: The soldiers did quick work, searing their souls along with 120 00:08:13,700 --> 00:08:18,890 Speaker 2: the houses. Finally, they set their sights on Bethlehem. They 121 00:08:18,970 --> 00:08:23,460 Speaker 2: traveled across rolling hills, bent on finding the king of 122 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:24,200 Speaker 2: the Jews. 123 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:30,660 Speaker 4: Herod's act was born of pride and paranoia. Having heard 124 00:08:30,700 --> 00:08:33,819 Speaker 4: from the Magi about a newborn king, he saw a 125 00:08:33,860 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 4: threat to his power. His pride led to an atrocious 126 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:45,400 Speaker 4: act of violence against innocent children. Pride blinds us. binding 127 00:08:45,500 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 4: us in a self-centered prison where power and prestige become 128 00:08:49,260 --> 00:08:54,120 Speaker 4: the gods we serve. Herod's pride, driven by a need 129 00:08:54,179 --> 00:08:59,469 Speaker 4: to protect his rule, resulted in destruction. The biblical warning 130 00:08:59,550 --> 00:09:04,510 Speaker 4: is clear. Pride precedes destruction and a haughty spirit before 131 00:09:04,530 --> 00:09:10,910 Speaker 4: a fall. Herod's tragic story is a cautionary tale for 132 00:09:11,030 --> 00:09:15,189 Speaker 4: all of us. We must examine our hearts for traces 133 00:09:15,230 --> 00:09:20,590 Speaker 4: of toxic pride that can lead to spiritual decay. Herod 134 00:09:20,630 --> 00:09:23,320 Speaker 4: was not the first ruler to fall victim to paranoia 135 00:09:23,480 --> 00:09:28,220 Speaker 4: and pride. The dark parallels between Herod and Pharaoh are striking. 136 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:32,260 Speaker 4: Just as Herod sought to kill the children of Bethlehem, 137 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:35,960 Speaker 4: Pharaoh ordered the death of Hebrew male children in Egypt. 138 00:09:37,300 --> 00:09:40,200 Speaker 4: Both rulers were driven by fear and a desire to 139 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:46,000 Speaker 4: maintain control. Their horrendous acts were attempts to suppress what 140 00:09:46,059 --> 00:09:50,780 Speaker 4: they perceived as threats to their power. But here's where 141 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:55,430 Speaker 4: the story of redemption unfolds. The connection between Jesus and 142 00:09:55,490 --> 00:09:59,949 Speaker 4: Moses comes in. Moses was saved from Pharaoh's decree and resurrected. 143 00:10:00,350 --> 00:10:03,490 Speaker 4: to lead the Israelites out of slavery, becoming a symbol 144 00:10:03,530 --> 00:10:08,720 Speaker 4: of liberation and law. In our next episode, we'll see 145 00:10:08,820 --> 00:10:13,160 Speaker 4: how Jesus escapes Herod's massacre. He would lead people to 146 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 4: the ultimate liberation from sin and death, fulfilling the law. 147 00:10:18,490 --> 00:10:23,110 Speaker 4: Jesus was the greater Moses. Both were protected and preserved 148 00:10:23,150 --> 00:10:27,720 Speaker 4: by God's sovereign hand, demonstrating that no human power can 149 00:10:27,780 --> 00:10:33,000 Speaker 4: thwart God's purpose and plan. The contrast between the glory 150 00:10:33,040 --> 00:10:36,040 Speaker 4: of the Magi's visit and the horror of Herod's massacre 151 00:10:36,300 --> 00:10:41,020 Speaker 4: can be jarring. But it's within this juxtaposition that we 152 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:45,050 Speaker 4: see a powerful truth. Even in the wake of hideous 153 00:10:45,290 --> 00:10:49,230 Speaker 4: acts and evil rulers, God is working in the margins. 154 00:10:50,470 --> 00:10:54,830 Speaker 4: Herod's atrocity didn't derail God's plan for salvation. In fact, 155 00:10:55,450 --> 00:11:00,660 Speaker 4: it fulfilled a prophecy from Jeremiah chapter 31 verse 15, 156 00:11:00,660 --> 00:11:04,780 Speaker 4: showing that God's redemptive plan was in motion, even in 157 00:11:04,860 --> 00:11:09,680 Speaker 4: the darkest moments. God's ways are not thwarted by human 158 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:14,890 Speaker 4: sin or failure. His redemption works through and sometimes despite 159 00:11:15,050 --> 00:11:20,179 Speaker 4: our brokenness. God's grace shines even in the darkest places, 160 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:27,010 Speaker 4: offering hope and healing. As we celebrate Christmas, let us 161 00:11:27,050 --> 00:11:31,790 Speaker 4: remember the whole story, not just the joyful beginning. Let 162 00:11:31,850 --> 00:11:35,180 Speaker 4: us reflect on our need for a Savior, the cost 163 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:39,540 Speaker 4: of our redemption, and the amazing grace of a God 164 00:11:39,620 --> 00:11:43,320 Speaker 4: who works in the margins to bring about His perfect plan. 165 00:11:44,660 --> 00:11:48,260 Speaker 4: Romans 8, verse 28 says, And we know that in 166 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:51,210 Speaker 4: all things God works for the good of those who 167 00:11:51,250 --> 00:11:55,090 Speaker 4: love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. 168 00:11:56,710 --> 00:12:00,610 Speaker 4: This Christmas, may we find comfort in God's sovereign love 169 00:12:00,770 --> 00:12:04,880 Speaker 4: and purpose, trusting that He is working all things together 170 00:12:04,940 --> 00:12:10,439 Speaker 4: for our good, even when life's circumstances seem bleak or hopeless. 171 00:12:13,580 --> 00:12:18,370 Speaker 4: May we relinquish our pride and bow before the humble King, Jesus, 172 00:12:18,990 --> 00:12:23,020 Speaker 4: who came to set us free. Join us for our 173 00:12:23,140 --> 00:12:26,920 Speaker 4: final episode of The Nativity, as Joseph is once again 174 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:30,900 Speaker 4: called in a dream to participate in God's spectacular plans.