Reading: Matthew 13-14
But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger. And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison (Matt. 14:6-10).
As we read through the four Gospels, it is only natural that we focus primarily on the direct words and teachings of Jesus. We must be careful, however, not to read with such singlemindedness that we skip over the other lessons that God has included in these Books.
One such lesson occurs here, with the retelling of the death of John the Baptist at the hands of Herod Antipas. Herod had no love for John, but he refrained from killing him because of his reputation as a prophet of God. And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him (Matt. 14:2). And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet (14:5). A spontaneous, ill-worded promise combined with the manipulations of his devious wife put him in a position where he either had to execute John or lose the respect of his court. Herod had taken great pleasure in his stepdaughter’s dancing, and he likely had thought nothing of offering to reward her when he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. Yet the moment that oath passed his lips, he completely lost control over the situation.
Over and over again in His Word, God has provided us with examples of what happens to those who speak before they think or who offer up foolish vows or promises. We have read of King Ahasuerus, who in a drunken rage stripped his queen of her rights and title and banished her from his court (Esth. 1:1-22; 2:1). We watched helplessly as Jephthah sacrificed (set aside and sent away into the Lord’s service) his only child in fulfillment of a foolish and unnecessary vow (Judg. 11:30-40). Time after time, we have seen lives changed forever by words spoken without thought.
God wants us to understand how easily our open-ended statements can twist around and trap us. For instance, how many of us have said, "I'll do anything you want me to if you will only...." Far too often, these words lead us down a road that dead-ends in sin. We either must do something we know we shouldn't do, or we break our word. Neither is an acceptable option in the eyes of God. If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth (Num. 30:2). The only successful way out of this situation is to not get oneself into it in the first place (Matt. 5:34-37; James 5:12). Before you commit yourself to action, stop, think, and pray. If you align your words with God's will, you will find that life goes much smoother.
Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than of him (Prov. 29:20).
Thought for Today: We should strive to commit ourselves only to God and His will in all things; anything else is potentially spiritually damaging and ultimately meaningless.
Cross Reference: For Matt. 13:14-15: See Is. 6:9-10. Matt. 13:32: See Ps. 104:12; Ezek. 17:23; 31:6; Dan. 4:12. Matt. 13:35: See Ps. 78:2. Matt. 13:41: See Zeph. 1:3. Matt. 13:43: See Dan. 12:3.
Word Studies: 13:5 forthwith = quickly; 13:15 is waxed gross = has grown hardened; 13:20 anon . . . receiveth it = immediately accepts it; 13:21 dureth for a while = continues only a short time; 13:25 tares = weeds – symbolic of satanic activities; 13:33 leaven = seemingly insignificant yeast that affects the whole; meal = ground grain; 14:8 charger = large platter.
Prayer for Government Officials:Rep. Steve Scalise (LA), Rep. Brian Higgins (NY), Rep. Lloyd Doggett (TX), Rep. Victoria Spartz (IN) • Country: Croatia (4,470,534) Southeastern Europe • Major Language: Croatian • Religious Freedom • 86.3% Roman Catholic; 4.4% Orthodox; 1.5% Muslim; 1.5% Other; 2.5% Unspecified; 3.8% Not Religious/Atheist • Prayer Suggestion: Praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy (Ps. 106:1).