Mourning and Great Weeping

Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled. (Matthew 2:17, NIV 1984).

This is what the Lord says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more.” (Jeremiah 31:15, NIV 1984).

[King Herod] gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under. (Matthew 2:16, NIV 1984).

My Musings – The prophecies “came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.” (Jeremiah 1:2–3, NIV 1984). Around 600 B.C. Rachel was buried in Ramah, which was near (in “its vicinity”) Bethlehem.

Herod gave the orders “when [he] realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi.” (Matthew 2:16, NIV 1984). Failing to ascertain the identity of “the One who has been born king of the Jews,” (Matthew 2:2a, NIV 1984), he resorted to genocide. Killing all males “in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi” (Matthew 2:16, NIV 1984), that they had seen “his star in the east.” (Matthew 2:2b, NIV 1984).

Herod feared for his dynasty. Satan feared “the One.” Together, unwittingly, they fulfilled the ancient prophecy, but failed to foil the plan of salvation.

My Advice – One day, once again there will be weeping “and gnashing of teeth, when [the lost] see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but [themselves] thrown out. [While the saved] will come from east and west and north and south and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 13:28, 29, NIV 1984).

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