When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by
the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders
to kill...
Matthew 2:16a
King Herod finishes out the Christmas story with the unthinkable. Haunted by the gossip of singing angels, a standout star, visiting royalty and a newborn King, furious that the Magi had hightailed it home in another direction, and driven almost to madness by his frantic hold on power, Herod turned even more brutal and deadly. He ordered the death of every male child from age two and under, in Bethlehem and all the surrounding regions. His soldiers rode out from Jerusalem on their sinister mission, returning with calloused hearts and bloody swords. And every baby boy, from toddler to infant, was sacrificed on the altar of Herod's crushing ego.
Every baby boy except one. The child that Herod sought to destroy was safely away in Egypt. There he would stay until the king was dead, and his heavenly Father called him forth to begin his work of salvation.
And thou shalt call His name, Jesus -
for He shall save His people from their sins.
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