ADVENT - DAY 7 - A REFLECTION OF A FURIOUS RAGE

ANTICIPATING GOD IN THE CHRISTMAS SEASON (A Daily Advent Devotional)

Over the next few days till Christmas I would like you to take a journey with me in anticipation.  Let's daily look at the events leading up to the birth of Christ with a sense of anticipation of His arrival into this world and into our lives.  (Inspired by the Book "The Miraculous Journey" by Marty A. Bullis).

Advent Day 7 - The Reflection Of A Furious Rage

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. (Matthew 2:16 ESV)

Most of us have dealt with rage in our lives - even furious rage.  Yet, none of us has ordered all the boys in a city under the age of 2 to be killed.  There is a rage that comes on us when we don't get our own way or when there is no response to our commands.  We want it done (our way) and it really doesn't matter why someone doesn't get it done.

It's easy to look at someone like Herod and say that we would never do that.  On the other hand, we have never been in his shoes and having to run a country.  But in reality - the evil in Herod is probably in all of us in some way or another.  Romans 3:10 tells us that none of us "is righteous, no not one."

This baby enters a world that wants to kill Him - yet He doesn't respond to that evil intent.  Christ responds to the needs of the world.

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:5-8 ESV)

He chooses to come into this world as we all do - helpless.  It is a moving picture - a king who chooses to be helpless set against a king who chooses to grasp power and destroy anything that gets in his way.  We are related to the side that will grasp for power but praise God for the king (Jesus) who fights for us to help be victorious in every area of our life.