Herod the Great — Paranoid and Deadly

From Idiotic Things People Did in the Bible

Then Herod… was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children… from two years old and under… Matthew 2:16

What He Did

When he heard that the Messiah was born, he ordered a massacre of every boy in Bethlehem two years old and under.

Why It Was Idiotic

Herod thought he could stop God’s plan with brute force. Instead, he fulfilled prophecy and earned eternal infamy. You can’t outmaneuver the Almighty.

Here’s the Scoop

Herod the Great was the king who ruled Judea at the time of Jesus’ birth and is most infamous for his brutal attempt to kill the infant Jesus. When wise men from the East came seeking the “King of the Jews,” Herod, feeling threatened, deceitfully asked them to report back to him so he could also “worship” the child (Matthew 2:1–8). When the wise men did not return, Herod was furious and ordered the massacre of all male children two years old and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity (Matthew 2:16)—an event known as the Massacre of the Innocents.

“Herod thought he could stop God’s plan with brute force. Instead, he fulfilled prophecy and earned eternal infamy. You can’t outmaneuver the Almighty.”

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This ruthless act fulfilled prophetic warnings and revealed Herod’s extreme paranoia and cruelty. Though the Bible does not detail his other notable deeds, it presents Herod primarily as a violent and deceptive ruler whose actions set the stage for the early life of Jesus.

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Here is another incident that leaves us wondering why God let this happen. Matthew explains that this tragic event fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

“A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”
(Matthew 2:16–18)

This quote is from Jeremiah 31:15, where the prophet uses the image of Rachel weeping for her descendants. Though originally referring to the Babylonian exile, Matthew’s Gospel account shows that this sorrowful image was fulfilled in the slaughter of the innocent children in Bethlehem.

Herod claimed he wanted to “worship” Jesus. It’s common for some to ask: Why does God command us to worship Him? Isn’t that the ultimate ego trip?

Here’s the answer. God gave us life. He gave us a brain to think with. He created us with the ability to reproduce after our own kind—and to have pleasure in doing so. He gave us eyes to behold the beauty of His amazing creation. He gave us ears to hear the song of birds and the wonder of music. He gave us taste buds to savor the endless variety of delicious foods He made.

But there is an even greater reason to joyfully worship God. He came to this earth in the person of Jesus Christ and suffered unspeakable horror and agony on that cross so that you and I could be freed from the power of the grave. The moment we grasp that, our hearts are filled with unspeakable gratitude. It’s “unspeakable” because no words can adequately express what the cross means to us. So here, where words fail, worship begins.

From Idiotic Things People Did in the Bible