What Old Testament prophecies might Herod have misunderstood about Jesus' mission? Setting the Scene Matthew 14:2 — “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” Herod heard of Jesus’ miracles and, haunted by his own guilt, reached for familiar Scriptures—but he fastened on only half the picture. The Kind of Messiah Herod Expected • Isaiah 9:6-7 — “The government will be upon His shoulders… Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end.” • Psalm 2:8-9 — “Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance… You will break them with an iron scepter.” • 2 Samuel 7:12-13 — “I will raise up your offspring after you… and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” • Numbers 24:17 — “A Star will come forth from Jacob… and crush the foreheads of Moab.” • Micah 5:2-4 — “Out of you, Bethlehem, will come forth for Me One to be ruler in Israel… He will be their peace.” These texts spoke of a conquering, throne-holding, nation-shattering King. Herod, himself a fragile monarch propped up by Rome, saw Jesus’ power and assumed a political threat—perhaps even the risen prophet he had executed. Prophecies Herod Overlooked • Isaiah 53:3-5 — “He was despised and rejected by men… pierced for our transgressions… by His stripes we are healed.” • Psalm 22:16-18 — “They pierce My hands and feet… They divide My garments among them.” • Zechariah 9:9 — “Behold, your King comes to you… humble and riding on a donkey.” • Daniel 9:26 — “The Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing.” These passages reveal a suffering, atoning Messiah—hardly the sort of deliverer Herod feared. By ignoring them, he misread Jesus’ mission entirely. Elijah, John the Baptist, and Malachi’s Warning • Malachi 4:5-6 — “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.” Jesus later identified John as that promised “Elijah” (Matthew 17:12-13). Herod, knowing this prophecy yet having slain John, panicked: if “Elijah” had returned from the grave, God’s “great and dreadful day” might be close behind. Resurrection and Fear of Judgment • Daniel 12:2 — “Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, and others to shame and everlasting contempt.” Herod’s leap to a resurrection scenario shows a muddled grasp of prophetic timing. He feared that the resurrection of a wronged prophet would trigger divine vengeance—matching Isaiah 61:2’s “day of vengeance” he half-remembered. Summary: What Herod Missed • He locked onto texts of royal triumph and vengeance, assuming any powerful miracle-worker must fit that mold. • He ignored prophecies of the Servant who would first suffer, bear sin, and rise again. • He conflated Malachi’s Elijah with John resurrected, missing Jesus’ own role as Messiah. • He saw judgment but missed grace—the very heart of Jesus’ first coming. |
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