Reading your Bible for today December 20

December 20: Matthew 2:16-18

KJV Key Verse: Matthew 2:16
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

Devotion:
I was surprised how these few verses jumped out at me when I read them again... Can you think how many atrocities man has caused over the years in the name of religion? We can see throughout history where people in charge have felt threatened at some stage and have caused great hardships and even genocide to come over their own countries. We can see this happening today out in Africa where many people are losing their lives because one wants to stay in power, and we saw it back in the years after Christ was born because Herod thought his position was in some way in peril. But how simple they are to think they are in some way affecting what God can do...

It may well take something like this in our lives for us to stand up and take notice of what God has been telling us all along. It may well take something like this for us to realise we are not the ones in charge; for it is in times like this when we feel totally helpless against the situation. Imagine how the people of Israel felt when they knew that all baby boys born for the last two years in Bethlehem and surrounding villages would be killed for no reason whatsoever! It was a man in charge of an army that carried out that unlawful atrocity. It was a man in charge who caused other men to carry out evil deeds. Yes, there may well have been others in charge who could have refused, but the responsibility of those deaths comes down to one man and not God.

Far too often we set the blame on God for the things which man does. Far too often we blame God for things man could have prevented. We forget that God is in charge and we should be bowing to His authority. We forget that everything He allows is ultimately for His glory; things like this just compound our own guilt in front of a just God, a just God who knows our every move... and has cried over them!

Points to Ponder:
How many things do you allow to pass in your life?

How many things do you think God does not see?