Great and wicked Biblical leaders (4)
THERE are as many great Biblical leaders as there are wicked ones. Let me share a Biblical story about wicked leaders belonging to one family, namely, the Herodian dynasty. Due to space constraint, I will just limit the discussion in this article to two of the Herodian rulers. The story of the Herodian rulers is an example of how the curse of sin of one generation impacted their families in future generations. As Joel Osteen, a Christian author and preacher said: “a hundred years from now, your blood will speak to future generations. In some ways, either positively or negatively your bloodline will affect others in your family line.” If we affect our future generations positively with our behaviour, we pass down generational blessings to our descendants. On the other hand, if we affect our future generations negatively with our behaviour, we pass down generational curses to our descendants.
*** The Herodian Dynasty was started by Herod I, referred to as Herod the Great. In Wikipedia, Herod the Great is described as “a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis,” “the evil genius of the Judean nation,” “prepared to commit any crime in order to gratify his unbounded ambition,” and “the greatest builder in Jewish history.” He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his expansion of the Second Temple in Jerusalem (Herod’s Temple), the construction of the port at Caesarea Maritima, the fortress at Masada and Herodium. Vital details of his life are recorded in the works of the 1st century CE Roman-Jewish historian Josephus.
Herod the Great ruled for 37 years. As a vassal of the Roman Empire (then under Emperor Augustus), he was given the title of King of Judea. As if his oppressive rule was not enough to harass the people. Herod the Great executed several members of his own family, including his second wife Mariamne I; his son (Antipater II) with his wife Doris; and two other sons (Alexander and Aristobulus) with his first wife. Herod the Great’s zeal in constructing magnificent building projects was matched only with his murderous and uncontrollable outbursts of violence. Herod’s personal bodyguards totaled 2,000. Heavy taxes were imposed to pay for Herod’s lavish spending, especially for expensive gifts to gain more public support. The despotic Herod was business- minded. Together with Cleopatra, he owned a monopoly over the extraction of asphalt from the Dead Sea which was used in shipbuilding.
Of all the good and bad record of Herod, one event stands out to Biblebelieving Christians – the so-called Massacre of Innocents (Matthew 2:1-23) which took place after the birth of Jesus. Remember the story in the Book of Matthew where Herod ordered the killing of all children that were in Bethlehem and in all the coasts thereof two years old and under, counted from the time the three wise men visited Herod to inquire about one having been born King of the Jews? I need not recount the story. I am sure the story is familiar to many of us.
• Herod Archelaus is mentioned in Matthew 2:22 as the son of Herod who became king after the death of his father, Herod the Great. His reign was characterized by massive cruelty. Archelaus was deposed by Emperor Augustus upon public clamor. Like his father, Herod the Great, Archelaus divorced his first wife to marry the widow of his brother Alexander despite the fact that the second husband (Juba, King of Mauretania) of the widow was alive. Of all the sons of Herod the Great, Archelaus had the worst reputation.
• (To be continued. Instead of Sunday last week (June 21), Part 3 of this series appeared on Monday, June 22).
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