A Man Without Courage

King Herod

We like to talk about what it looks like when people have courage. But what happens when people decide to not be courageous? 

The Christmas story shows us an example of someone who was not courageous. His name was Herod, and he was king over the Jews when Jesus was born. We often think of a king as a courageous person, don’t we? King David in the Old Testament certainly showed courage. He knew that his courage came from God, and that courage helped him fight a giant named Goliath! But, sometimes kings are not courageous. Instead, they are afraid. King Herod was like that. What do you think he was afraid of? Stop for a minute and share some ideas with your family. 

Did you guess that King Herod might have been afraid of someone taking his power away? If so, then you guessed right! Instead of being a courageous king who ruled well and protected his people, he was an evil king who did hateful things to anyone who he thought might take away his power. 

One day, King Herod found out that a little baby had been born. Wise men from a far away land were calling this baby the King of the Jews. Can you imagine being afraid of a little baby? Well, that is what happened to King Herod. He was afraid that baby would take away his power as king. Herod’s fear made him very, very mean and evil. He was so evil that he wanted to kill that baby. That is what happens when we choose fear instead of trusting that God can give us courage. We become afraid of little things, and we become hateful and mean to the people around us. 

Fortunately, that baby was Jesus, God’s Son. And God had a special purpose for Jesus. Since God is the King over all, He is more powerful than evil kings like Herod. God had a plan to protect Jesus from the evil King Herod. We have already talked about the courage Mary and Joseph showed as they obeyed God’s instructions that the angels told them before Jesus was born. That courage stayed with them when an angel appeared to Joseph in another dream to help them protect Jesus from King Herod. 

We learn stories about people like King Herod so we can know what can happen when we choose not to have courage and trust God. What choice will you make? 

Read the bible's account of this story - Matthew 2:1-18 

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ ” Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.” Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: “A cry was heard in Ramah— weeping and great mourning. Rachel weeps for her children, refusing to be comforted, for they are dead.”

-Matthew 2:1‭-‬18 NLT