junior year two – law lesson the ruthless ruler herod: 27 · athlete!” today we are going to...

Lesson 27 - Copyright © 2006 by Berean Bible Society, Germantown, WI 53022

Lesson

Herod:The Ruthless Ruler

Jum

p-St

art Q

uest

ions

1.Fo

r Who

m h

ad Is

rael

bee

n w

aitin

g m

any

year

s?2.

How

cou

ld o

ne b

e co

nsid

ered

a “t

rue”

Jew

?3.

Wha

t mak

es a

kin

g a

“true

” kin

g?4.

Wha

t w

as t

he p

urpo

se o

f Je

sus’

firs

tco

min

g?

Permission is given to photocopy this page as a ready reference while teaching your class or club.

Intr

oduc

tory

Sto

ry–

“Wha

t’s M

ost I

mpo

rtan

t?”

(Vis

ual A

ids

J2-L

27-S

1 th

roug

h J2

-L27

-S4)

Mai

n Le

sson

Jum

p-St

art Q

uest

ions

1. W

aitin

g fo

r the

Tru

e Ki

ng

(Luk

e 1:

32)

(V

isua

l Aid

J2-

L27-

1)2.

Not

a T

rue

King

(E

xodu

s 20

:4)

(V

isua

l Aid

J2-

L27-

2)3.

The

Birt

h of

the

True

Kin

g

(Mat

thew

2:2

b,3,

5-6,

8,13

b,16

)

(Vis

ual A

ids

J2-L

27-3

and

J2-

L27-

4)

Obj

ect L

esso

n: “F

ree

Acce

ss”

Cro

ssin

g th

e Fi

nish

Lin

e

Sum

mar

yKi

ng H

erod

was

a ru

ler o

ver t

he la

nd o

f Jud

ea a

t the

tim

eJe

sus

was

bor

n. H

e w

as a

rut

hles

s le

ader

. If

he t

houg

htso

meo

ne m

ight

pre

sent

a th

reat

to h

is le

ader

ship

, he

had

them

kille

d. H

e w

as a

fraid

that

the

baby

Jes

us m

ight

be

ath

reat

to h

im, s

o he

ord

ered

that

all

Jew

ish

boys

und

er th

e ag

eof

two

be k

illed

to m

ake

sure

he

wou

ld k

ill Je

sus.

But

Her

odw

asn’

t nea

rly a

s gr

eat a

s G

od, s

o th

e pl

an fa

iled.

Gos

pel P

rese

ntat

ion

Sata

n an

d m

any

impo

rtant

peo

ple

thro

ugho

ut h

isto

ry h

ave

tried

to ru

in G

od’s

pla

n fo

r man

kind

. But

no

one

is a

s gr

eat a

sG

od, s

o w

e ca

n be

ass

ured

that

His

pla

n w

ill pr

evai

l. W

e ca

nkn

ow fo

r sur

e th

at w

e w

ill sp

end

eter

nity

in h

eave

n if

we

trust

in th

e fin

ishe

d w

ork

of th

e C

ross

. Why

? Be

caus

e it’

s G

od’s

plan

, and

no

one

is g

reat

eno

ugh

to c

hang

e G

od’s

pla

n.

App

licat

ion

Her

od w

as ru

thle

ss a

nd c

ruel

bec

ause

his

kin

gshi

p w

as th

em

ost i

mpo

rtant

thin

g in

his

life

. He

dest

roye

d an

yone

who

got

in h

is w

ay. W

hat i

s m

ost i

mpo

rtant

to y

ou?

If th

e Bi

ble

told

the

stor

y of

you

r life

, wou

ld it

be

a st

ory

of g

reat

thin

gs d

one

byG

od th

roug

h yo

u? O

r wou

ld it

be

a st

ory

of g

reed

, cru

elty

, and

veng

eanc

e ag

ains

t you

r ene

mie

s?

Mem

ory

Vers

e“G

reat

is

the

Lord

, an

d gr

eatly

to

bepr

aise

d; a

nd h

is g

reat

ness

is u

nsea

rcha

ble.

”

P

salm

145

:3

Vers

e Rev

iew G

ame -

“Pra

ise P

hras

es”

Revie

w the

verse

seve

ral ti

mes w

ith th

e clas

s. W

rite th

e ver

seon

the b

oard

(or o

n thr

ee pi

eces

of pa

per)

dividi

ng th

e ver

se at

the p

unctu

ation

mar

ks to

mak

e thr

ee p

hras

es. S

elect

three

stude

nts an

d give

them

each

one p

art o

f the v

erse

. Ask

each

ofthe

m, “H

ow gr

eat is

God

?” H

ave t

hem

answ

er w

ith th

eir po

rtion

of the

verse

. Con

tinue

with

rema

ining

stud

ents

until

verse

and

refer

ence

are r

ecite

d eas

ily.

Less

on T

hem

eTh

ere

is n

o on

e gr

eate

r tha

n G

od.

Visu

al A

ids

J2-L

27-1

thro

ugh

J2-L

27-4

J2

-L27

-BB

J2

-L27

-S1

thro

ugh

J2-L

27-S

4

Supp

lies

St

anda

rd s

uppl

ies

Ta

ke H

ome

Shee

t J2-

L27

AO

L di

sc

Clu

e “K

illed”

OU

TLIN

EJunior Year Two – LAW

27


Permission is given to photocopy this page as a ready reference while teaching your class or club.

Revie

w Qu

estio

n Ga

me –

“Her

od’s

Enem

ies”

Rese

rve a

portio

n of th

e clas

sroom

to be

the a

rena

(like

the a

rena

that

Hero

d use

d to l

ock

up hi

s pris

oner

s). A

sk th

e stud

ents

indivi

duall

y the

follo

wing

revie

w qu

estio

ns. F

or ev

ery

incor

rect

answ

er, t

he s

tuden

t mus

t rep

ort t

o the

are

na. F

or e

ach

corre

ct an

swer

, the

stude

nt ha

s the

opti

on o

f fre

eing

all th

e stu

dents

held

in th

e ar

ena

(like

Hero

d’s si

ster).

The

stude

nt mu

st de

cide

to fre

e or

retai

n all

the

priso

ners

befor

e the

nex

t que

stion

isas

ked,

or th

e opti

on is

over

. Plea

se fr

ee al

l of th

e stud

ents

at the

end o

f clas

s!

REVI

EW Q

UEST

IONS

1. W

hat d

id G

od’s

law sa

y in

Exod

us 20

:4 ab

out w

orsh

ipin

g gr

aven

imag

es?

(The

Jews

wer

e not

to ma

ke an

y gra

ven i

mage

s—no

t in th

e like

ness

of an

ything

in he

aven

, ear

th, or

in th

e wate

rs un

der t

he ea

rth.)

2. W

hat d

id th

e Ma

gi o

r wise

men

ask

Kin

g He

rod

when

they

visi

ted

him

?(W

here

is H

e tha

t is bo

rn K

ing of

the J

ews?

)3.

Whe

re d

id th

e chi

ef p

riest

and

Jewi

sh sc

ribes

say t

hat t

he C

hrist

was

to b

ebo

rn?

(In B

ethleh

em of

Jude

a.)4.

Wha

t did

Her

od te

ll the

wise

men

to d

o wh

en th

ey fo

und

the b

aby J

esus

?(T

hey

were

to te

ll him

whe

re to

find

the

baby

Jes

us s

o tha

t he

could

go

and

worsh

ip Hi

m als

o.)5.

Nam

e two

thin

gs w

e lea

rn fr

om th

e Bib

le ab

out l

ying.

(God

cann

ot lie

. Sata

nis

the fa

ther o

f all l

ies. W

e are

NOT

to lie

.)6.

Wha

t gift

s di

d th

e wi

se m

en b

ring

to th

e yo

ung

child

, Jes

us?

(Gold

,fra

nkinc

ense

, and

myrr

h.)7.

Both

the w

ise m

en an

d Jo

seph

rece

ived

mes

sage

s fro

m G

od in

a dr

eam

.W

hat w

ere t

hey t

old

to d

o?(T

he w

ise m

en w

ere t

o retu

rn ho

me a

differ

ent w

ayan

d no

t to

visit H

erod

. Jos

eph

was t

o tak

e Je

sus a

nd H

is mo

ther a

nd fle

e to

Egyp

t bec

ause

Her

od w

anted

to ki

ll the

child

.)8.

Wha

t cru

el pl

an d

id H

erod

inve

nt w

hen

he d

iscov

ered

that

the w

ise m

enwe

nt h

ome w

ithou

t rep

ortin

g th

e loc

atio

n of

Jesu

s? (H

e ord

ered

all c

hildr

entw

o yea

rs old

and u

nder

to be

kille

d. He

thou

ght th

is wo

uld su

rely

kill th

e bab

ytha

t was

to be

King

of th

e Jew

s.)9.

True

or F

alse:

Her

od tr

ied h

is be

st to

des

troy t

he tr

ue “K

ing

of th

e Jew

s,”bu

t he c

ould

not

stop

God

’s pl

an fr

om b

eing

fulfi

lled.

(Tru

e)10

. W

ise m

en fo

llowe

d a s

tar,

and

Hero

d se

arch

ed to

find

Jesu

s. To

day,

how

can

we h

ave

acce

ss to

God

?(B

eliev

e or

trus

t in th

e Lo

rd Je

sus C

hrist

, His

death

, bur

ial, a

nd re

surre

ction

.)

LEA

RN

ING

& R

EVIE

W A

CTI

VITI

ESOb

ject L

esso

n –“

Free

Acc

ess”

Supp

lies:

An A

OL di

sc (T

hese

are f

ree a

t any

offic

e/com

puter

supp

ly sto

re)

Most

of yo

u hav

e pro

bably

seen

one o

f thes

e in y

our m

ailbo

x. Th

is is

a com

puter

disc

give

naw

ay b

y Ame

rica

Onlin

e or

AOL

. You

can

get o

ne o

f the

se fr

ee a

t a co

mpute

r or o

ffice

supp

ly sto

re if

you

have

n’t re

ceive

d on

e in

the m

ail. I

f I p

ut thi

s disc

in m

y com

puter

and

instal

l the p

rogr

am, it

will

allow

me t

o hav

e fre

e acc

ess t

o the

Inter

net a

nd e-

mail a

nd al

l of

the b

enefi

ts of

AOL

memb

ersh

ip for

up

to 90

day

s. Bu

t afte

r tha

t I w

ill ha

ve to

pay

for

acce

ss. A

OL se

nds o

ut the

se di

scs a

s an i

nvita

tion t

o try

their s

ervic

e.

God s

ends

out in

vitati

ons l

ike th

ese d

iscs t

o peo

ple th

roug

h fait

hful b

eliev

ers a

nd th

roug

hHi

s Wor

d. Ev

ery d

ay, H

e is p

leadin

g thr

ough

us fo

r peo

ple to

acce

ss he

aven

. All y

ou ha

veto

do to

acce

ss he

aven

is be

lieve

that

Jesu

s died

on th

e Cro

ss fo

r you

r sins

, was

burie

d,an

d ros

e aga

in the

third

day.

If you

belie

ve th

at Ch

rist p

aid th

e pric

e for

your

sins

, you

have

direc

t acc

ess t

o God

and c

an en

joy al

l the b

enefi

ts of

salva

tion a

nd he

aven

for f

ree!

After

90da

ys, t

his a

cces

s is

still

free.

In fac

t, Ch

rist p

aid fo

r eve

ryone

to h

ave

free

acce

ssFO

REVE

R. H

ave y

ou tr

usted

Chr

ist? D

o you

have

acce

ss to

God

? Or h

ave y

ou di

scar

ded

your

invit

ation

like y

ou w

ould

an A

OL di

sc?

In o

ur l

ast

less

on,

we

lear

ned

abou

t an

ord

inar

y or

phan

girl

tur

ned

extra

ordi

nary

que

en! D

o yo

u re

mem

ber

her

nam

e? T

hat’s

rig

ht, i

t was

Esth

er,

the

niec

e of

Mor

deca

i. Ki

ng A

hasu

erus

det

hron

ed h

is q

ueen

,Va

shti,

bec

ause

she

wou

ld n

ot p

arad

e he

r bea

uty

in fr

ont o

f his

gue

sts.

Beau

tiful

wom

en fr

om a

roun

d th

e ki

ngdo

m w

ere

brou

ght i

nto

the

cast

le to

audi

tion

for t

he jo

b of

que

en.

The

king

love

d Es

ther

mor

e th

an a

ll th

e ot

her w

omen

and

cho

se h

er to

be

quee

n of

Per

sia.

Est

her’s

unc

le, M

orde

cai,

was

a g

atek

eepe

r at t

he k

ing’

sco

urt,

but n

eith

er E

sthe

r or M

orde

cai t

old

anyo

ne th

at th

ey w

ere

rela

ted.

The

king

’s ri

ght-h

and

man

, Ham

aan,

was

a c

once

ited

snob

. He

insi

sted

that

eve

ryon

e w

ho w

orke

d at

the

cour

t mus

t bow

to h

im. B

ut M

orde

cai

wou

ld n

ot b

ow to

him

, and

it a

nger

ed H

amaa

n gr

eatly

. So

Ham

aan

plot

ted

to k

ill M

orde

cai b

y ki

lling

all o

f the

Jew

s in

the

king

dom

. He

pres

ente

d hi

sde

viou

s pl

an to

the

king

in a

way

that

mad

e th

e ki

ng th

ink

that

he

wou

ldga

in lo

ts o

f mon

ey w

hile

elim

inat

ing

evil-

doer

s. T

he k

ing

agre

ed to

the

plan

,no

t kno

win

g th

at h

is q

ueen

, Est

her,

was

a J

ew. A

ccor

ding

to th

e pl

an,

Esth

er, M

orde

cai,

and

all o

f the

Jew

s w

ould

be

kille

d.

Esth

er w

as in

a p

ositi

on to

do

som

ethi

ng to

sav

e he

rsel

f and

her

peo

ple,

but s

he w

as a

fraid

to a

ppro

ach

the

king

bec

ause

she

cou

ld b

e ki

lled.

Esth

er p

raye

d an

d w

as b

rave

and

app

roac

hed

the

king

. H

e or

dere

dH

amaa

n an

d hi

s te

n so

ns to

be

hang

ed!

He

coul

d no

t cha

nge

the

law

he

had

mad

e, b

ut t

he k

ing

mad

e a

new

law

tha

t th

e Je

ws

coul

d de

fend

them

selv

es. G

od u

sed

Esth

er to

sav

e H

is p

eopl

e!

REV

IEW

LA

ST W

EEK

'S L

ESSO

N


“What’s Most Important?”

“What now?” asked Tim.

“What do you mean?” asked David.

“You’ve solved the mystery! What’s next?” sighed Tim.

“There was a note and a new map with the last clue! So we’ve got another mystery to solve!” exclaimed David.

“What did it say?” asked Tim.

“Here goes,” answered David. “It says, ‘Dear David, Congratulations! You figured out the mystery! What a wonderfulMystery we have in Christ! I have another mystery for you to find. The clues are hidden in a rural family place. What’smost important? Herod wasn’t all he seemed to be. His throne was most important to him. He had the chance to meetthe Lord of the universe and honor the King of the Jews. But he chose something different. He had all the children(blank) because of his fear. He was afraid to lose what was most important to him. Look up where the animal feed iskept. Look for the place where the sun comes in. Herod did a horrible thing to keep what was important to him. It soundslike Herod never figured out what was important. What’s the most important to you? Love, Grandpa.’ ”

“Wonder what that means?” asked Tim. “Is there anything on the back?”

“You’re right! It’s a bunch of letters with some numbers at the bottom,” answered David.

“It’s a code!” cried Tim. “I know! The first number is the line and the other number is the letter!”

“Let’s try it!” answered David. “Let’s see–the first letter is the 21st letter on the 3rd line.”

“That’s ‘K’!” yelled Tim. “And the second one is line four: letter three!”

“That would be an ‘I’!” said David. “The next one’s on the first line: letter 28.”

“That’s ‘L’!” called Tim. “Next is line two: letter five.”

“Got it!” called David. “Another ‘L’! That spells ‘KILL’.”

“Could that be right?” asked Tim. “We better check the rest. Line five: letter five. That’s an ‘E’!”

“The last one’s line six: letter eight. That’s ‘D’, so the clue is ‘KILLED’!” said David.

“How’s that work?” asked Tim.

“Now I remember! King Herod ordered all the children in Bethlehem to be killed because he was afraid of the LordJesus—he was afraid for his kingdom,” explained David.

“Wow! Herod killed all those kids just to save his throne?” gasped Tim. “That’s awful! But I still don’t see where the clueis.”

“Well, the ‘rural family place’ must be Uncle Matt’s farm,” suggested David. “It’s not far from here. It says all the clues arethere! Let’s go!”

Soon Tim and David arrived at Uncle Matt’s farm. “Where do you think we’ll find it?” asked Tim.

“It says to look where the feed is kept. The hay for the animals is kept in the loft in the barn!” called David. “Let’s go!”

“Next it says to look where the sun comes in. Is that the window?” asked Tim.

“Sounds right to me!” answered David. “Hey look—up above the window. There’s something taped to that board.”

“Got it!” exclaimed Tim. “We’re right! The clue is killed! But why does your grandfather ask about what’s important?”

“I think Grandpa is trying to tell us that Herod tried to kill Jesus because his position was moreimportant to him than meeting the Savior of the world!” answered David. “Jesus Christ shouldhave been most important to him and to everyone!” said David.

“I’m going to make sure He’s most important in MY life,” said Tim quietly.

“Me too,” answered David.

INTRODUCTION

Show Visual Aids J2-L27-S1 and S2

Show Visual Aid J2-L27-S4

Show Visual Aid J2-L27-S3


JUMP START QUESTIONS

1. For Whom had Israel been waiting many years?2. How could one be considered a “true” Jew?3. What makes a king a “true” king?4. What was the purpose of Jesus’ first coming?

Let's ask God to help us find the answers in His Word to these important questions. (Pray)

LESSON

1) Waiting for the True King

Israel was waiting. They had been waiting for thousands of years. God had promised to sendthem a King. He would come from the family of Abraham and He would sit on the throne ofDavid. His kingdom would be established in righteousness and it would never end (Isaiah 9:6-7; 2 Samuel 7:16). Exactly for Whom were they waiting? The Lord Jesus Christ!

Luke 1:32, emphasis added – “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of theHighest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father, David.”

The Bible said that He would be a great king. Even though He has not yet set up His kingdom,we know that this is true.

“Great” is a word that we use a lot today, usually when we are referring to someone veryimportant or famous. And we often use it in a positive way such as, “That guy is a greatathlete!” Today we are going to talk about a man whom historians call Herod the Great. We aregoing to look at his history and see what the Bible says about him. Then we will decide if hereally deserved to be called “great.”

According to history books, Herod was given the title “King of the Jews” at a time when theRoman government ruled the civilized world. This was rather strange because Herod wasn’treally a true king or a true Jew.

2) Not a True King

To learn something of Herod’s background we have to go back many years to the time whenthe nation of Israel got started. God called Abraham, his son Isaac, and his son Jacob to bethe fathers of the nation. And Jacob had a twin brother, Esau. Remember him? He was thehairy hunter that gave up his birthright for a bowl of stew (Genesis 25:34). Esau chose to live alife apart from the Lord in the Land of Edom (Genesis 32:3). Herod’s father was a descendentof old greedy Esau and his mother was an Arabian princess. So even though Herod had comefrom Abraham’s family, he was not considered to be a true Jew.

Herod was made the military leader of Galilee because his dad gave him the job. He quicklylearned that the way to move up in the Roman government was to get along with the emperor.It worked. He soon became “king” over the land of Judea. But he didn’t have absolute powerlike most kings. He had to do what the Roman leaders told him. One of his most important jobswas to keep the Jews in line. If the Jewish people became unhappy and troublesome, theemperor would think Herod couldn’t handle them. Then the Roman army might come in andremove him from power. He had to be very careful. He was a king that was not truly a king!

During his reign he made many improvements throughout the land. He built a new marketarea, an amphitheater, and created a new sea port. In order to impress the Jews, he even hada new building made for the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious leaders. And he rebuilt theTemple, their center of worship. Some say he made it even more beautiful than it was before ithad been destroyed years before.

MAIN LESSON

Show Visual Aid J2-L27-1


&JUDGMENT! That word makes us uncomfortable, uneasy, maybe even a bit afraid. Nonetheless, God’s Word speaks much about JUDGMENT. The scriptures warn us that JUDGMENT is coming for those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ! Open your Bible to Revelation 20:2727. Here God tells us in easy-to-understand language about the JUDGMENT that is coming for the unsaved. This is called the Great White Throne Judgment.

Revelation 20:2727 - “And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.”

God revealed to the Apostle John the events that will take place at the Great White Throne. John actually SAW what would happen, and it wasn’t a pretty picture! He must have shook in his boots as he witnessed the coming judgment that awaits the unsaved. As we study these scriptures, we should shake in our boots, too! We will want to make sure we know Christ as Savior…and then we’ll want to speak to family and friends about their need of trusting Christ before it’s too late!

27. The Place of Judgment

John describes the place of judgment in terrifying terms—a Great White Throne! There will be no pleading Savior with outstretched arms here. There will be no singing angels here. There will be no celebration here. No! Judgment is coming for the unsaved at the Great White Throne.

2. The Presence of the Judge

Why is this throne great? It’s great because of the Person who sits upon it. The All-Powerful, All-Knowing, Creator of the Universe sits there. The Judge of all judges, the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, the most important One in the universe sits there! The Lord Jesus Christ is the One Who sits on the Throne. The same One Who once was placed on trial, falsely accused, cursed, spat upon, and whipped. The One who was nailed to the cross and crucified! Now HE sits on the Great White Throne as the Judge of all who have rejected Him.

John 27:22 - “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed ALL judgment unto the Son.”

Why is this throne white? White speaks of purity, of righteousness, of justice. When the LORD of the Universe hands down His awful sentence, it will be fair—exactly what the unbelieving sinners deserve. No one, absolutely no one, will argue with this Judge. There will be no appeals. The Judge’s Word will be final. Terrified sinners may attempt to escape from this courtroom, but there will be no place to hide. Even heaven and earth will flee from the Face of the One sitting on the throne. Everything familiar will be gone. Only the trembling sinner will remain to hear the terrible sentence.

Can you imagine how fearful it would be to stand ALONE before the All-knowing Ruler of the Universe and to stand there guilty of rejecting Him as YOUR Savior? No parents, no friends, no second chances, just YOU facing the Judge on the Great White Throne.Does this seem a little harsh to you? Remember that God has been patiently waiting, wincing as he watches us sin, and hoping that we will turn to Him and trust Christ’s finished work to forgive our sins and empower us to live new lives. God is just in judging us, because he has given us every opportunity to trust Christ.

3. The People Who Will Be Judged

Revelation 20:272 - “And I saw the dead, small and great stand before God….”

Dead! All the people at this judgment are DEAD. This doesn’t mean that they are corpses. No indeed. It means they are without Christ. They have no spiritual life. It means they are DEAD in trespasses and sin. It means they are DISOBEDIENT; they walked according to the course of this world. It means their lives are DOMINATED by the DEVIL—they walked according to the prince of the power of the air. It means they are DECEIVED—they fulfilled the desires of the flesh and of the mind. It means they are DOOMED—they are children of wrath! (Ephesians 2:27-3). All of the DEAD beginning way back with Cain, the first unbeliever, will be brought before God for judgment. Every unbeliever in each family, each tribe, and each nation will stand before the Judge. One by one. Individually. The sea will give up its dead. The grave will give up its dead. Even Hades will give up the tormented souls that died without trusting in the Living God and His Word.

Revelation 20:273 - “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them….”

Whether they died in their sleep, or were burned by fire, buried at sea, or blown to bits by a bomb, the Almighty God will reunite body, soul, and spirit, and each person will stand before the Judge who sits upon the Great White Throne. NO one will escape!

The small will stand before Him. Children—like you—will be there. Poor people, the homeless, the uneducated, and those who have never heard about the Lord Jesus—in Africa, India, and America—will be there. People like your next-door neighbors will be there – all without an excuse. The Bible tells us that God has made Himself known to everyone (Romans 27:20).

The great will stand before Him. Powerful people will be there—presidents, kings, rulers of countries, teachers, movie stars, and rock musicians. Rich people will be there. Each stands alone before the Great White Throne! ALL who have rejected God’s Word will face the Judge sitting on the throne!


But the Jews weren’t impressed. In fact, Herod seemed to be doing all kinds of things to stirthem up. Who do you suppose paid for all his projects? The Jews, of course. They had to payextremely high taxes in order for Herod to build his beautiful buildings.

Then he did something that really got them angry. He had a golden eagle set up on the gate ofthe Temple. This was seen as a symbol of Roman power and it was completely against theLaw of Moses. The Jews were outraged! This was their holy place of worship! God’s Word toldthem:

Exodus 20:4 – “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness ofanything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waterunder the earth.”

But, Herod didn’t seem to care about breaking God’s Law. He was too busy being afraid thatsomeone would come along and take away his position as king. He even hired a secret policeforce to spy on his people and keep him informed of anyone who might be against him. If hethought anyone was a threat to him, he had them killed.

He was not exactly a true family man, either. Over the years he had ten different wives andseveral children. Even they were not safe from his ambitions. Over the years, he had one of hiswives, three of his sons, his mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and an uncle executed because hethought they might be a threat to him. How would you like to be a member of that family?

Do these sound like the actions of a great man?

3) The Birth of the True King

One day, Herod received some visitors with unexpected news. Wise Men or Magi from theEast came to talk to him. These were very educated men who studied the stars. When theysaw a bright new star in the direction of Israel, they set out to the capital city, Jerusalem. Theymight have been expecting the whole city to be celebrating the birth of a new king. But that isnot exactly what the Wise Men found when they got there.

They went before Herod and asked:

Matthew 2:2b – “Where is he that is born the King of the Jews? For we have seen hisstar in the east, and are come to worship him.”

Herod must have been thinking, “Wait a minute! I am the king of the Jews!”

Matthew 2:3 – “When Herod, the king, had heard these things, he was troubled, andall Jerusalem with him.”

So he gathered all the Hebrew chief priests and scribes together to see what they knew. Surelythese important Jewish men would know if they were to have a new king born to them. Hedemanded of them, “Where is the Christ to be born?” They answered him from Scripture:

Matthew 2:5-6 – “And they said unto him, in Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it is writtenby the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art thou not the leastamong the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall come a Governor that shall rule mypeople, Israel.”

This was not good news for Herod. So he called another meeting with the Wise Men, this timein private. If he could just find out when they first saw the star, then he might be able to tell theexact time the new king had been born. He must have been desperate to know how old thischild was. He was probably wondering, “How much time do I have?”

Matthew 2:8 – “And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligentlyfor the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I maycome and worship him also.”

















































4. The Proof of Justice

How do we know that those standing at the Great White Throne will get a fair trial? God will open His books. He will read the records. Each person’s life has been carefully documented in heaven, and each will be judged according to his works.

Revelation 20:272 - “…and the books were opened: and another book was, which is the Book of Life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”

The Judge will carefully review each one’s lifetime of works, but the verdict will be the same. No one’s works are good enough or perfect enough to save from the judgment that is coming. The books contain the evidence! Each trembling sinner may look in the Book of Life hoping against hope that there has been a mistake. But it’s too late. Their name has been blotted out (Psalm 2727:28). They are DEAD. They are without Christ. They are without Life. All of their terrible sins did not condemn them in the end, but their refusal to trust Christ sealed their fate. Judgment is coming!

27 John 27:2727-272 - “And this is the record, that God hath given…..he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”





























Object Lesson:“Free Access”

Definition:Wroth – very angry

From what we know so far of Herod, do you think he was really interested in worshippingChrist? He was lying, wasn’t he? The Bible has a lot to say about lying. We know that Godcannot lie (Titus 1:2), and Satan is the father of all lies (John 8:44). So, we are just simplynot to do it (Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9).

After the Wise Men left Herod, the star appeared again. It led them to a house where they foundWhom they were looking for. The young child Jesus was there with his mother, Mary. They felldown and worshipped Him and presented Him with gifts that were worthy of a king: gold,frankincense and myrrh.

They were actually in the presence of God’s only begotten Son. Jesus Christ had been born onthis earth to a virgin named Mary in the town of Bethlehem. Mary and her fiancé, Joseph, wereto be the earthly guardians of the real “King of the Jews.” And there was no doubt about it. Hewas a true Jew and a true King, a direct descendent of Abraham and the rightful heir to thethrone of David (Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38). And He was the Son of God Who had come asa sacrifice for man’s sin (Isaiah 53:5-6).

We are so blessed to be living in this present age. We don’t have to search for the Lord likeHerod and we don’t have to follow a star like the Wise Men. All we have to do is believe. Ifwe put our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, He gives us access to God all of thetime (Romans 5:2; Ephesians 2:18, 3:12). Where have you put your trust? Do you haveaccess to Him right now?

After this, the Wise Men received a message from God. They were warned in a dream. Do notreturn to Herod! So they immediately left for their homes being careful not to go back throughJerusalem.

At that same time, God was warning someone else of danger, too. An angel of the Lordappeared to Joseph in a dream and told him:

Matthew 2:13b – “… Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee intoEgypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word; for Herod will seek the young child todestroy him.”

That’s exactly what Herod was about to do. He wanted the Lord to be destroyed!

God often used dreams to communicate with his people during that time. The Word of Godhad not been completely written yet, so He had to use another method. Today, we have Hiscompleted Word through which we can know exactly what He wants us to do! That’s anotherway we have access to God. (There’s that word again!) Isn’t God wonderful to supply uswith everything that we need?

When Herod found out that the wise men went home without returning to him, he was furious.He felt like they were mocking him. How dare they defy the king! And he still did not knowwhere this new king was. So he came up with a cruel plan.

Matthew 2:16 – “Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, wasexceedingly wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem,and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time whichhe had diligently inquired of the wise men.”

Every child under two years old was to be killed. Herod figured that if he had all the little babieskilled, one of them was bound to be the King of the Jews. Problem solved! He was probablyfeeling very satisfied with himself at that moment.

Shortly after this event, Herod became sick with a painful disease. When he realized he wasdying, he came up with another cruel plan. He knew that he had made many enemies and hewas afraid there would be rejoicing when the news of his death got out. So he commanded thatall the important Jews from all over the nation come to him. When they arrived, he had themshut up in a large arena. He instructed his sister to have all of them executed at the verymoment of his death. This way the whole nation would be in mourning when he died. But,thankfully, his sister did not obey him. As soon as Herod died, she had all of the men released.


Herod probably died without knowing that the Lord Jesus was safe in Egypt with His earthlyfather, Joseph, and His mother, Mary. All of his cunning plots and evil plans could not changeGod’s will for this earth. Christ would grow up and go on to fulfill His purpose. He would offerHimself to the people of Israel as their King (Matthew 21:1-9; John 12:12-15). But just a few dayslater, they would reject Him and send Him away to be crucified (Matthew 27:22; John 19:15). Hewould willingly submit to a punishment He did not deserve in order to be a sacrifice for sin(Romans 5:8, 14:9; 1 Corinthians 5:7; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

Crossing the Finish Line

Herod wasn’t really the “King of the Jews,” and looking at his life, we can come to the conclusionthat he wasn’t very “great” either. It seems he didn’t really deserve either title. He reigned overJudea for 37 years, terrorizing people with his cruelty. He tried to do everything in his power todestroy the true “King of the Jews,” but he could not stop God’s plans from being fulfilled. TheLord Jesus Christ came to the earth the first time in order to be a sacrifice for our sins. He is theonly one Who truly deserves to be called “Great.”

Psalm 145:3 – “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness isunsearchable.”

Let’s see if we can answer those Jump Start Questions now.

Is God the most important person in your life? Tim and David learned that Herod killed peoplewhom he thought might be more important than he was. He even tried to kill Jesus when He wasa small child.

Today’s clue starts a new series of 13 clues that point to a new mystery person from the Bible.Let’s see, the clue “killed” could fit so many people. I wonder if it means that he killed, or waskilled, or both.

Next week, we’ll learn about a prophet, John the Baptist. He was the foreteller of Jesus Christ.And we’ll also learn a bit more about King Herod and just how easy it was for him to have peoplekilled.

References used in preparation of this lesson are listed below:

www.aish.com Crash Course in Jewish History #31 Herod the Greatwww.virtuallibrary.orgwww.billpetro.com/holidayhistorywww.ourworld.compuserve.comwww.geocities.comwww.ccel.org Antiquities of the Jews – Book XV The Works of Flavius Josephus

Nelson’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Bible Facts

CLUE FOR THE WEEK & PREVIEW NEXT LESSON Show Bulletin Board Piece J2-L27-BB


















4. The Proof of Justice

TEACHER’S NOTE


J2-L27

INSERT TAB INTO SLIT

INSERT TAB INTO SLIT

HEROD - the "Not so Great" King

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” – Psalm 145:3

LessonHerod:The Ruthless Ruler

Take Home Sheet J2-L27 27

Permission is given to photocopy this page for student use.Copyright © 2006 by Berean Bible Society, Germantown, WI 53022

1

2

3 4

5

6

7

ACROSS DOWN

2. Number of Herod’s wives. 1. Led the wise men to Judea.

3. Method God used to communicatedanger to Joseph and the wise men.

4. Another name for wise men.

6. Symbol of Roman power Herod placed on the Temple gate.

5. Jewish holy building rebuilt byHerod.

7. Herod killed many hoping to kill thisOne.

6. Herod’s hairy ancestor.

Memory Verse

junior year two – law lesson the ruthless ruler herod: 27 · athlete!” today we are going to...

Documents