“And (Herod) sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.'” (Matthew 2:8)
Do we need to be reminded, this election season, that rulers and politicians do not mean everything they say? That sometimes they tell you what they think you want to hear, in order to get you to do what they want, when they have no intention of fulfilling their promises?
So it was with King Herod here. He TOLD the magi to find the Christ in order that he could worship Him too. But he obviously had another motive: a motive of self-aggrandizement, of eliminating one whom he saw as a rival, and not genuine worship. Are there politicians today who tell us what we want to hear about their own worship or relationship to the Lord, or what they will do to advance Christianity, but who are merely telling us what they know we want to hear, in order to garner our votes for election, so they can consequently ignore us and advance their own agendas? We would be foolish not to think so.
But we also need to realize that it is not only politicians who tell us one thing, but do another, or who have hidden motives. There are all kinds of people whose words we need to take with a grain of salt. “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves”, Jesus said (Matthew 10:16). Don’t believe everything that everyone tells you. God doesn’t call His people to be naive. Realize that there are people everywhere who will tell you what you want to hear, but who are not with you (or the Lord) in their hearts. Many are those in this world who will offer empty promises, and then act otherwise.
So don’t be surprised, or deceived. It’s not like this is a phenomenon that is new to our century. It has been happening for some time. God even gave us advance warning of it 2000 years ago, in the form of an infamous character here in Matthew 2!
shawnethomas 
So true, Pastor Shawn. Such was the case, when ancient Israel longed for a king. Their satisfaction was not found in Sovereign God and His Word. God will not force Himself upon any one or any nation, and so He allowed the people what they wanted, and with few exceptions, it was for the worse. Today, people’s anger and frustrations often override reasonable thinking, and for Christians, Godly wisdom and Biblical guidance. It’s amazing to me how even Christians are falling prey to the deception and devices of Satan. Our wisdom is foolishness in God’s eyes, and when we usurp His wisdom with ours, we usually get what we deserve. When we place our trust in humanity and government to address our issues without seeking, or turning a deaf ear to, Godly counsel and direction, we’re setting ourselves up for a fall. May we be like the “wise men”, who listened to the voice of God, and took another way, not falling victim to the deception of Herod.
Excellent post today! Thanks, Shawn, for all your posts. They are always timely with a good message!
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