TSIYON NEWS - Horrendous Herods
Tsiyon Messianic Radio Newsletter - Vol 19.30 - 05/28/6024 TAM - 08/03/2024 AD
From Eliyahu
You've probably heard the old saying; "The cream always rises to the top." Well, it seems equally true that "the most evil always rise to the top." We see this frequently in Scripture, in history and in the present world around us. Such elites are always greedy for power and wealth, and will go to the most ruthless extremes to get it. For example, you may remember a recent presentation here at Tsiyon focusing on Judean government in the 1st Century. Among other things, we discussed the wicked king Herod, and to a lesser extent, his equally wicked family.
The Herod clan was the worst! Herod Antipas and Philip the Tetrarch were brothers, both sons of King Herod who slaughtered the innocents of Bethlehem. After Herod’s death the Romans divided up Herod’s kingdom into smaller segments, ruled by Tetrarchs. Herod Antipas and Philip the Tetrarch each ruled over their own different regions with varying degrees of wealth and political power.
Herod Antipas ruled over Galilee and Perea. His tetrarchy was known for its economic prosperity, with both the fertile lands of Galilee and the strategic location of Perea contributing to that status. That wealth enabled Herod Antipas to undertake extravagant building projects, not the least of which was the construction of the city of Tiberias as his administrative center, also an important center of trade and culture. His income was lavish, around 200 talents of gold annually. That’s about $520 million in today's dollars. That’s every year!
His brother Phillip was doing fine for himself in his jurisdiction, of course. However, his territory was more rural and less economically developed, so could not come close to providing the wealth and power of his brother, Herod Antipas. However, Philip had one prized asset Herod did not possess, namely, Philip’s cultured and beautiful royal wife, Herodias.
Thankfully, we do not know all the sordid details. All we know is that Herodias was the upwardly mobile sort of woman, who wanted the superior wealth, power, and social standing that went with being the wife of the Alpha Tetrarch. So, when the opportunity arose she did what every woman of her caliber would do – she divorced Philip and married Herod Antipas.
Herod did this, of course, probably not knowing, but certainly not caring, that such a marriage is definitely off-limits according to the Commandments of YHWH. The Scripture commands: “You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife; it is your brother's nakedness.” (Leviticus 18:16)
YHWH’s prophet, Yochanan the Immerser (John the Baptist) was duty-bound to expose this sin, which he publicly, fearlessly and faithfully did. Here is where we find out just how bad the Herod clan really were.
For my daughter, Abigail, all of this raised the question: What about the women of the Herod family? Were they exclusively victims of the Herod men, or could have some of them been just as wicked as the men folk of the Herod clan? If so, what would that have looked like and what were the results? Abigail took a deep dive into what is known about that from Scripture, and she came up with a truly fascinating analysis. Tonight in her panel discussion with three other ladies, all of this will be explored from the female point of view. Guys, this is for you too, because we all benefit from better understanding between the genders.
One surprising fact Abigail discovered is that some evil women of the Herod family seemed to hate godly men even more than their evil male counterparts did! Those evil women were world class manipulators, and they were absolutely deadly. While those women were not known to have the authority of the male rulers, they learned how to be a power behind the throne, to very evil and lethal effect.
Readers of this Tsiyon News do not fit into the category of the wicked women of the Herod family, of course. Our readers love and fear God, which is the polar opposite of the women we are talking about. Nevertheless, extreme family dynamics within that Herod family magnify common negative thinking and behaviors, but to a lesser extent, that could crop up in any family. That magnification makes it easier to see and avoid unwanted family problems.
Imagine how interesting it will be to observe four godly ladies dissecting this fascinating historical content! I know I don't want to miss it!
Join Abigail and the other ladies of this panel discussion tonight, August 3, 2024, at Tsiyon.Net at 8 PM, Central, for this in-depth discussion. You can also comment and ask questions to participate with this in real time. See you there.
Eliyahu
Holy Order Restored by Eliyahu ben David
"In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good courage!
I have overcome the world." John 16:33