Listen up, little ones
Listen for the word Herod.
Reading
Matthew 2:1-19—Edom vs. Jesus
Optional Reading
Obadiah 1-14
Keys for kids
- Edom was punished by God for their hatred of Judah.
- King Herod, an Edomite, hated Jesus.
- Jesus escaped Herod’s plan and now reigns as Messiah.
Questions
- What did Edom do against God’s people in Obadiah?
- What did Herod do against Jesus?
- Who defeated Edom and Herod?
Notes
(See Saturday for authors. )
We read in Obadiah of God’s judgment on Edom. They committed violence against Jacob, their brother. They refused to help when Babylon invaded Judah. They gloated over and mocked Judah as the nation was being destroyed. They even captured those fleeing and gave them up to Babylon.
So, it shouldn’t surprise us that Herod, an Edomite, is opposing God in our text. As Moseley comments, when Jesus was born, wise men from the east informed King Herod that a king had been born in that area. King Herod ordered the deaths of all male babies so he would be sure to kill that one baby, the baby Jesus. King Herod was an Idumean. “Idumean” was a Hellenized version of “Edomite.” Herod was an Edomite. Jesus, God’s Messiah, escaped Herod’s plan to murder him. Herod died. Jesus manifested himself as the Messiah, died on the cross for the sins of humanity, rose from the dead, and today his gospel is spread worldwide by his church. … When all the kingdoms that were going to last forever have passed off the scene, when every nation that thought it would rule the world has been destroyed, Jesus will [still] be on the throne. God will be glorified.
Swedish Method questions
Praise
Psalm 24a, 88a
Prayer
- Give thanks that Jesus is our Savior and King.
- Pray for a specific application from yesterday's sermons.
- Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.