Soon after his birth, satan tried to kill the Messiah to destroy God’s plan to rescue humanity from their sins. When King Herod learned that the Wisemen had come to worship the newborn king of the Jews, he was deeply disturbed.
He was paranoid and saw the newborn king as threatening his leadership. Earlier in his life, King Herod had gone to the dark side and was a pawn of satan. As people continually turn away from God, they harden their hearts, giving an opening for the enemy to use them. Herod was so disturbed by what the Wisemen told him about the newborn king that it shook him into taking action.
Herod Summoned the Wisemen
Matthew 2:7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”[1]
Herod’s words to the Wisemen sounded harmless and sincere, but they were anything but that. He was conniving and wanted the wise men to report back to him so he could find the newborn king and kill him. Herod thought his plan would work, and the wise men would lead him to Jesus, but he was wrong. He did not count on God’s intervention when He warned the wise men in a dream to return to their homeland by a different route.
Matthew 2:16 Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.[2]
Satan Would Never Win
Throughout the life of Jesus, satan would do everything he could to stop Him. When Jesus died on the cross, satan thought he had won, but he did not. On the cross, Jesus conquered sin, death, and the devil. By Jesus’ resurrection, we have the promise of a new life.
Satan also tries to destroy the plans the Lord has for your life. He will put obstacles before you or try to lure you into sin. The spiritual battle is real. Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God to fight against our enemy.
Ephesians 6: 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. [3] This Christmas, thank the Lord for winning the battle against satan and drawing you to faith. Salvation is a beautiful gift from the Lord.
To learn how satan tried to kill the Messiah, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/seeking-jesus
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.