Have you ever thought about your responsibility to confront non-believers
with their sin and to tell them of the remedy that Christ offers them?
It is a difficult responsibility for certain, but not one that we need
shrink from! Should the reaction we know we may get from the person we
are confronting cause us to hesitate or not even confront them at all?
This leads me to my next question: What is your typical reaction when
YOU are confronted with sin in your life?
Let's take a deeper look at these questions in the light of Mark 6:14-29:
And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he
said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty
works do shew forth themselves in him. [15] Others said, That it is Elias.
And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. [16]
But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he
is risen from the dead. [17] For Herod himself had sent forth and laid
hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother
Philip's wife: for he had married her. [18] For John had said unto Herod,
It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. [19] Therefore Herodias
had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:
[20] For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy,
and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard
him gladly. [21] And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his
birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates
of Galilee; [22] And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and
danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto
the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. [23]
And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it
thee, unto the half of my kingdom. [24] And she went forth, and said unto
her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.
[25] And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked,
saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John
the Baptist. [26] And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's
sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.
[27] And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head
to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, [28] And brought
his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave
it to her mother. [29] And when his disciples heard of it, they came and
took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
One of the first things that we find in this portion of scripture is the
contrast in opinion between Herod and his wife Herodias concerning the
testimony of John the Baptist. Satan loves it when husbands and wives
differ in their opinion of the man of God! What had John told Herod that
caused Herodias to "have a quarrel against him" to the point that she
would have killed John? (vs. 18-19) Fulfilling his responsibility as a
believer, John had simply stated the truth - he said it was unlawful for
Herod to have his brother's wife whom he divorced his own wife to marry.
Though Herod feared this man of God and did many of those things that
he had taught, there was one area uncovered in his life where Herod was
not willing to obey. For this John was thrown into prison by Herod - for
his wife's sake, to make her happy. How do Christians today usually respond
to men and women who are truthful, righteous and holy? Not much differently,
amen? When that one delicate sin in our life is revealed to us, we turn
into monsters! We begin to foster hatred toward the prophet of God… It
is then we like to see the righteous done away with - especially when
it is our wrongdoing they confront!
Zech. 7:11 (KJV)
But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped
their ears, that they should not hear.
John the Baptist had a good testimony among all who knew him, he was widely
respected and we can tell by this account in scripture that he was certainly
fearless in the way he confronted sin. He was a man who stopped at nothing
to uphold the truths as found in the Word of God. Praise God for Christians
who have the courage to do this! Are you one of them, dear lady?? Herod
himself highly reverenced John and in his opinion he was a just, holy
man to whom he listened not only intently, but also willingly. Herod liked
John very much, while Herodias on the other hand did not appreciate his
good opinion of John, nor his influence in her husband's life… In her
eyes, John threatened her position of queen. However, in seeking to please
his wife, Herod eventually persecuted John for his faithfulness as a minister
of the gospel. This vile and wicked wife was the source of her husband's
sin and eventually his shame and exile. Beware ladies, when you step between
God and your man! Could it be you are somehow putting your husband in
the uncomfortable, perplexing position of having to choose between pleasing
you or the Lord??
Galatians 4:16 (KJV)
Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?
Day after day, Herodias nursed a deep grudge toward John. What is involved
in nursing a grudge? She constantly festered and fumed over being confronted
with her sin. No doubt every time Herod mentioned the name of John she
cringed inwardly. Outwardly she was able to hide her remorse for him,
but inwardly she had murdered John the Baptist many times over in wishing
he were dead, while patiently planning to do so! How to do away with John
consumed and controlled her thinking, for she was very bitter toward him
in her heart. How do we know this? Because in verse 21 scripture says,
"And when a convenient day was come..." In other words, when she saw that
opportunity to get revenge! This woman did not respond to her sin too
well, did she? In fact, it made things worse when Herodias responded incorrectly
to being confronted with her sin, as we will soon discover. She was going
to get even with the man of God (her enemy) who had pointed sin out to
her and her husband.
Mark 6:22-23 (KJV)
And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in and danced, and pleased
Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of
me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee. And he sware unto her,
Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of
my kingdom.
Herod's stepdaughter, with whom he was smitten and almost certainly lusted
over, had come in and danced before him and his influential friends at
his birthday party. In my research, I found out that Jews would not have
permitted a woman to dance before a group of men, and most Gentile mothers
would have forbidden a daughter to do what the daughter of Herodias did!
Now ladies, most wives recognize the magnetic appeal of a provocative
female, so I am sure this infatuation that Herod had for his stepdaughter
did not go unnoticed by mother Herodias. As a matter of fact, Herod had
openly declared his desire to reward the girl for her stimulating performance…
Herodias knew Herod only too well, for she knew by experience he easily
succumbed to sensual excitement and she used this to her advantage. We
see that as her bitterness controlled her, Herodias lost her discernment
as a wife and mother as she now allowed her own precious daughter the
opportunity to dance before the eyes of all these men! She sacrificed
her own child's modesty in tempting Herod's eye, using this occasion to
bring her husband to a vulnerable position of agreeing to her revengeful
plan, of bending his will through his fleshly weaknesses…
Ezekiel 16:44 (KJV)
Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee,
saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.
How are you raising your daughters, dear mother? As is the breeding, so
is the practice. I would venture to say that Herodias had probably personally
used this manipulative method to bring Herod to divorcing his first wife
prior to marrying her… Verse 24 says of Herodias daughter:
And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she
said, The head of John the Baptist.
We find then here a couple, that as individuals, had refused to face up
to the sin they were confronted with, now being controlled by their sins!
This issue was "snowballing" - getting bigger as it rolled down the hill…
Herodias behavior was controlled by her bitterness toward John, while
Herod's behavior was controlled by his infatuation for his stepdaughter
and the young girl was enjoying center stage! Herod made a serious decision
he probably otherwise would not have, if it were not for this young girl
bringing him to such a point of mental weakness with her dancing that
he would promise her anything! He was out of his own control and under
hers… The devil had free access and control of the daughter for neither
parent was in a position to recognize the danger in which they they were
putting this girl!! Rather than being horrified at her mother's request,
she filled it! Mother's wicked attitude toward the man of God was adopted
by this daughter.It doesn't seem to me like Herodias daughter minded the
attention she was getting through dancing either… As a matter of fact,
it doesn't seem like it was much of a chore for the daughter to execute
at all! If you think about it, she had the whole room under her control
(like many children today!!) - Herod, Herodias, and the men in attendance
- even the fate of John the Baptist… Oh, how we need to be careful as
parents! Did this mother give her daughter godly counsel? Of course not!
How could she? Herodias wasn't thinking right, she was bitter. She was
stung by the arrow from the preacher's quiver and hated him for exposing
her shame…
John 15:22 (KJV)
If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now
they have no cloke for their sin.
Ladies, we lose our discernment as parents when we refuse to face up to
our own sins as we are confronted with them - either by a godly Christian
or through the Word of God. Not only do our children suffer, but we end
up sacrificing them for the sake of continuing on in our sinful behavior
as well! Is refusing to look at your own sin causing you to let your children
participate in things they ought not?? Are your children learning sinful
habits at the expense of your desire for revenge?? I hope you are not
guilty of placing them into situations that are going to encourage fleshly,
sinful behavior on their part, rather than protecting them from such a
thing! Ladies, you must remove yourself from every sinful situation so
you can see clearly how to remove your children from them also! Better
yet, why not just react properly to your sin when confronted with it and
repent!
Psalm 51:10-13
CREATE IN ME a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
[11] Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit
from me. [12] Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me
with thy free spirit. [13] THEN WILL I TEACH transgressors thy ways; and
sinners shall be converted unto thee.
By this family's story we learn that bitterness toward the truth affects
the lives of many people. Therefore you better constantly check to see
whether or not you have a root of bitterness springing up within you…
Hebrews 12:15 (KJV)
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root
of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.
Bitterness eventually caused the death of John the Baptist. Bitterness
always kills! It was first consuming, then crafty, then cruel, and it
affected the choices of many people and defiled them all in the end. We
need to guard our hearts against holding a grudge!! There is an alternative
- it's repentance! We need to take action in our own lives to prevent
the snowballing effects of sin from controlling us. Rather than becoming
murderous monsters, we need to appreciate the presence of a godly influence
in our lives that would care enough about us to tell us when we are doing
wrong! Herodias skillfully removed a man from her husband's life that
could have done him much good, and her, and her daughter - if only she
would have listened to the truth!
Ladies, after dealing suitably with your own sin, I hope you are determined
to fearlessly and properly confront others with the truth about their
sin, regardless of what their reaction might be! Christians need to stand
up for the sake of the gospel as John the Baptist did, without compromise
- no matter with whom we may be dealing. So too, we should be willing
to receive the truth into our own hearts when it is delivered to us by
a godly man or woman, even if it is a very dear and delicate topic! Be
grateful for the holy influences God with which God has blessed your family.
Guard your heart from becoming a woman such as Herodias, the woman responsible
for the murder of a preacher!
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2003
