Herod and the Magi

 

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out

from them the exact time the star had appeared.

He sent them to Bethlehem and said,

"Go and make a careful search for the child.  

As soon as you find him, report to me,

so that I too may go and worship him.

Matthew 2:7-8  

Through every age and in every country, there are men of government and leadership - princes, kings, presidents, chancellors - some good, some bad.  Herod the Great, King of Judea, Galilee, Iturea and Traconitis from 37-4 B.C., was not one of the good guys.  He was a ruthless savage who murdered his wife, his three sons, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, uncle and a host of others.  He was an expert at removing any person, place or thing that interfered with or threatened his reign.   

King Herod was "disturbed" by the accounts of the Magi that a new "King of the Jews" had been born.  He consulted the religious leaders as to any prophecy that might shed light on this event, and learned of the prophetic writings of the book of Micah regarding the birth of a ruler in Bethlehem.  While he chatted with his important guests, the main focus of his inquiries were to pinpoint exactly when the natal star first appeared in the heavens.  He then sent his guests onward to Bethlehem, asking them to report back to him on the exact location of the tiny king, so that he also could come and pay homage.  Considering that the only thing Herod worshiped was himself, his parting words to the Magi rang false indeed.