Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Talk Tuesday-The Complexity of Sin; Herodias' Fury

Before we begin our next instalment, we at BGO would like to extend our most heartfelt condolences to those who lost loved ones in Beirut, France, Kenya and Nigeria to terrorist activities over the last few months. We pray for the peace of Christ to comfort the hearts of those who mourn, and we pray for the salvation of those who so brutally took the lives of many. “9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves,” Romans 12:9-10. “15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another,” Romans 12:15-16.

Last week we looked at the entanglement of sin and pride, and the internal conflict that sin brings. We explored how sin affected Herod, and influenced his relationship with John The Baptist (Mark 6:17-26). This week, we will look at Herodias' response.

“18 For John had been saying to Herod, 'It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.' 19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him,” Mark 6:18-19 (NIV). The New Jerusalem Bible states, “As for Herodias, she was furious with him and wanted to kill him,” (Mark 6:19). Why does she care? Isn't she already 'married' to Herod-her husband's brother? Aren't they at a pinnacle of worldly power and position? No one can stop them now. Then why do John's words and his lawful stance antagonize her to the point of murderous fury?

When we are doing something wrong, we often feel conviction in our hearts. Yet, if we are determined to proceed, we harden our hearts and then become very defensive if anyone points it out to us. I have been there...I'm sure we have all been there! Why do we respond like that if we have already made up our minds to do as we wish? Have you ever cut a friend off for holding you accountable and speaking the truth in love? Sin, unchecked, blinds and corrupts us from the inside out. Sin is proud, demanding that others respect it and honour its unsavoury decisions. Herodias' response to John The Baptist gives us insight into how sin darkens the heart. So what can we do, if we find ourselves entangled in sin's web? It always starts with a thought...

Thank you to all who took the time out last week to contribute to the discussion on our website (www.biblegrouponline.com)! Please join us this week and share your thoughts about Herodias, sin, and what can we do to stop ourselves or help a friend who is caught up in sin's trap? Click on the comments link below.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Like Herodias when we 'purpose in our hearts' to dance to the dictates of the flesh, anyone challenges our rhythm becomes the enemy. Unaware of the debilitating and destructive ramifications of sin we march on to our eventual downfall. What can we do to stop ourselves? When we find ourselves in sin, we can stop ourselves by first admitting our weakness, ‘purposing in our hearts’ to escape sin’s grip, repenting, and seeking Godly counsel as we hand over the reigns of our lives to God. To help a friend who is caught up in sin's trap, we are called to be like John the Baptist. Yes, we may be muzzled, vilified, or ostracized, but we must press on. I am reminded of Paul’s exhortation to the Hebrews:” “See to it brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Hebrews 3: 12-13)