The story of Herodias is given only the briefest of addresses in Scripture, yet from that brief address a number of lessons are to be drawn. In considering her story, it seems there is far more to be found in the application than the history, yet to better understand the application a brief recounting of the history is doubtless in order. The Scriptures all but pass over that history because it was sufficiently well known to those who first received the Gospel record. We, who live at greater remove from that time, lack the advantage of familiarity. So, let me recount briefly the story we have of Herodias.

Herodias was born into the Herod family, and later married into it as well. Her first marriage was to her uncle Philip which, though improper by our standards, was not considered untoward at the time. She was a woman of fierce jealousies and a competitive nature. This showed most tellingly in her constant sparring with her brother Agrippa. It was this competition of hers that led her to Herod Antipas. Her husband Philip was proving perfectly content to live a private life in Rome, but the need Herodias had to best her brother could hardly tolerate such a thing, no matter how opulent the surroundings. No, she must have a kingdom, and that greater than her brothers.

It is not made clear who initiated events, but suffice it to say that introductions were made between Herodias and Herod Antipas. Some place the event in Jerusalem, others in Rome, but it matters little. My personal opinion is that Herodias seems far more likely to have instigated what followed. She saw in Herod Antipas a man with sufficient lust for power to provide her with her kingdom – he already had a tetrarchy and also a high place in Herod the Great’s will. He was positioned for greatness and all that stood between her and that greatness was this pesky matter of a few spouses, hers and his. Surely such minor inconveniences could be dealt with! Why, she was a citizen of Rome and could arrange the matter easily for her own part.

Herod Antipas would not have quite so easy a time of it. As a ruling power there could not help but be political ramifications to his terminating his present marriage, but he was sufficiently malleable and foolish to make it so anyway. Soon, the two were wed. Equally soon, the ex-wife’s father was on the borders of Herod’s kingdom taking retribution on the forces of Herod’s army, and quite successfully at that. It is recorded that Herod’s first wife caught wind of his plans rather earlier than intended and made her way to the same border fortress in which John would later be beheaded. That border was, of course, with her father’s lands, making her swift return home an easy matter.

But, returning to Herodias: her next issue came in the events of which we read in this section of the Gospels, and it apparently came swiftly, for the wars with Aretas had not yet been lost. Indeed, she and her illicitly gained husband have perforce followed his ex-wife’s path to that border fortress. She had gone to escape homeward for vengeance. He now went, ostensibly, to lead the defense of his territories against that vengeance. All in all, it seems an odd place to bring one’s family, but then they were only marginally his. He had gained not only his brother’s wife, but also his brother’s child.

Now, at some point doubtless very near the announcement of all this royal upheaval, John heard what had transpired and simply refused to allow this sinful behavior of a ruler over Israeli territories to go uncountered. Like the prophets of old, he spoke boldly in the throne room, pointing out the sins of the ruler in unflinching terms. Herodias’ ego could not tolerate such a word. Even apart from ego, her plans for her own future could not tolerate them, for if Herod should listen, she would be as swiftly put away as her predecessor. And, if there was one thing she seemed to recognize, it was how easily Herod followed whatever he heard. She needed this man silenced before he spoiled all her plans.

But, her husband, a man who at least recognized the precariousness of his own position in the power structures of Rome, was not willing that John should be killed outright. It might cause riots amongst a people that recognized him as a righteous man and a prophet. She would just have to settle for him being imprisoned. At least that act would limit his capacity to sully her reputation in public. And, as they were out here in this fortress in the hinterlands, how many would come to hear him from his cell? How many would brave Herod’s moods to reach his cell? He thought he had struck a pretty good balance with this deal. The threat of his seditious words had been contained and yet, the people could not raise a hue and cry over his destruction. He was alive and well, if not at large.

Note, however, what the Evangelists record of his activities thereafter. The message of the Gospel, even in the words of repentance which were the sum of John’s preaching, was such that Herod was drawn to it. Though the call to repentance with its accompanying exposure of his sins stung, yet he must hear it. Was it simply the novelty of the message, or was it the joy of a conscience that has finally found somebody who will speak truly? Later events might point us toward the former understanding, but whatever the cause, he was down there listening to this man with great enjoyment. And, depending on which version one reads, he was either ‘very perplexed,’ or he ‘did many things.’

In either case, the impact of these visits were becoming sufficiently clear to Herodias. She felt an increased pressure to do something a bit more permanent about this righteous thorn before he did irreversible damage to her plans. Herod’s birthday, which he celebrated in grand style as was his family’s habit, provided the opportunity. Again, the plan she hatched reveals the depth of her own depravity under the influence of her jealous greed for power as well as her rather poor estimate of her dear husband. So, she parley’s her own daughter against her need to succeed. She sends her own child in to in essence seduce her husband. No, there would be no consummation of that seduction, for that was not the end she had in sight. But, she needed him sufficiently aroused to become foolish. He proved up to her need.

Things went exactly as she envisioned them and her husband’s prideful self-concern prevented him from realizing first the foolishness of his words in making open-ended promises to this child and secondly in maintaining that promise even when the abuse of that promise had been made clear. He thought to lose face if he reneged, although it seems he lost far more by maintaining a foolish word. So, John’s life was brought to a close, and Herodias thought her position well-secured. But, it would seem God remained in control then even as now.

Things began to sour. First, the war with Aretas was a total disaster for Herod. The only thing that saved his skin (and with it, hers) was that Rome did not appreciate the events that were happening within its realms and sent another force to return Aretas to his proper place. Royal feuds over women, you see, were not sufficient grounds for regime change. Worse yet, the people of Herod’s domains saw this as a holy retribution. Herod had killed God’s man, and God was not pleased. Vengeance was His, and it was only too clear in the outcome of the battle.

Even with this, though, Herodias was not stopped. No, in time she heard that her brother had received the kingdom from Rome’s hand. The expected inheritance for Herod Antipas was not to be forthcoming. This was not to be tolerated! She would not lose this battle of pride against her brother. So, she once more goaded Herod into action. He must go to Rome! He must demand his due from the emperor, lest she be forced to live in her brother’s shadow forever. And, foolish, pliable Herod went. He went headlong into his doom, for her brother was not unaware of her plans. Neither was he unaware of other irons Herod had in the fire, and he, seeing them sailing to Rome to lessen his own fortunes, made his own knowledge known to Rome. Herod, you see, had been plotting his own overthrow of Roman rule as opportunity arose, and such plots were not well received by the emperor. So, Herod arrived, wife dutifully in tow, to face his own doom. He was sentenced to exile.

Herodias, given her other family connections, was offered a different fate. She would be provided for, if she chose, to live out her life in the style to which she had accustomed herself. Of course, in doing so, she would become the charge of the very brother she hated so much. So great was her pride that even this could not be tolerated. Better to go into exile with the man she had been manipulating for so many years than to prosper on her brother’s account. And so it was done. Into exile she went, and some even counted it a sign of some last shred of decency in her. Oh, but I doubt that greatly. No, it was but the final destruction of her unrepentant ways.

Herodias is often viewed as playing Jezebel to John’s Elijah. Like Jezebel before her, she was a controlling power over her husband, and like Jezebel, that control was for the worse. I would have to add, though, that like the original sinners in the Garden of Eden, we cannot lay the blame solely upon Herodias. Her greatest sins could not have been committed without the collusion of Antipas. Had he truly upheld his proper role as spiritual head of his own household, had he exhibited the strength of will and thought that one should hope for in a political leader, then all her machinations would have come to naught. But instead, her “vengefulness and determination” were able to triumph over that one “who alone had dared publicly denounce her sin,” and her words “held her weak husband in awe.” [From Edersheim’s Life & Times of Jesus, Ch 28.]

Now, we ought to understand that her triumph over John must be seen in the same light as Satan’s ‘triumph’ over Jesus on the cross. It is, as we might say, a Pyrrhic victory, in which the victor has utterly defeated himself in attaining that small victory. John may have been dead, but his words assuredly were not. Her ears may have been free of his honest accusations, but in that freedom lay her ultimate ruin, as her sins grew unchecked.

Another aspect of that quote with which one might take exception is in declaring the marriage act ‘her’ sin. No, it was their sin together. As I said, this has its commonalities with the Fall. Eve’s sin was never Eve’s alone, but represented a fundamental failure on Adam’s part. So, too, Antipas must share the sin of this marriage and the greater sin of pride that led him to murder an honest man rather than be seen as dishonest himself. But, this issue of pride is perhaps more fitting in a discussion of Herod, for that lay at the root of his weakness.

This Jezebel Herodias suffered pride as well, to be sure, but her pride was of another sort. It was a competitive pride, a lustful pride, seeking ever more power and prestige that she might be seen better than her brother. That envious, covetous spirit drove her every decision. It had driven her willingness to marry Philip and it had driven her to divorce him in favor of the rising star of Antipas. Even with the tetrarchy established, her thirst for power was not assuaged. There remained one man who countered her will and this she could not tolerate. She was royalty, after all! What reason had she to suffer this cur to speak thus of her? What reason had she to hear the pangs of conscience. Should not power have its perks?

In her, that living putrification of envy in all things concerning her brother Agrippa was a continual poison, forever drip-fed into her veins. It mattered not how fine her life, how many accolades and how much ease her lot might hold. The fineries of the court were not the point for her. The riches were not the point. In the end, it wasn’t even the power that attracted her so fatally. It was nothing more and nothing less than the need to best Agrippa.

I cannot help but think Agrippa was quite aware of Herodias’ machinations against him. Her control over Antipas was plain to see, particularly after John’s beheading. That Antipas was being played for the fool in these things, pursuing courses of action that were tantamount to suicide, anybody could note as his armies were destroyed by an irate ex-father-in-law. Agrippa could see where this came from, for Antipas was of a nature that was quite content to enjoy the lassitude that his position afforded. As long as he had his rich surroundings he was perfectly happy to let things run as they would. Only when there was a clear threat to that rich happiness was he moved to action. Everything else in his motivation was curiosity and novelty. No, he was no threat to Agrippa or anybody else so long as he was left to his pleasure.

If nothing else could be said of Antipas that might be a credit to his account, we can at least attribute a degree of contentment to him. Granted, that contentment had a certain floor to it, but at least when once it had been reached, he was satisfied. Even when the kingdom was stripped from him, he remained satisfied with his lot. He had enough. Josephus tells us he was contented with his more private life when removed from his palace and his authority. Herodias knew no such state of mind. All she could see was dignity lost, authority cast away, and herself no longer kept as her self-esteem insisted she ought to be. The hated Agrippa was on the rise and she, thanks to her contented husband was on the wane and she simply could not accept it.

Instead, envy drove her to goad her husband into what turned out to be a suicide mission, seeking his kingdom and his fortunes restored at the hands of Rome’s emperor. Now, there are some historical curiosities to the account of this maneuver. Clearly, Agrippa caught wind of Herodias’ plans and Antipas’ acceding to them, and he knew his own power base was threatened by the development. So, he took counter measures, sending his own representatives (although apparently not himself) to the emperor, and the news they bore was not of his right to the throne, but of Antipas’ machinations against Rome itself.

Thus, Antipas came seeking a kingdom but Rome heard Agrippa’s report. It is reported that Antipas confessed to his treacherous plans to overthrow Rome in his provinces and for this he was exiled. Now, it strikes me that either Antipas was a greater fool than he appears or his confession was coerced and contrived, which is wholly conceivable. If, indeed, he was planning to wrest his kingdom from Rome it would have made far more sense to share that plan with covetous Herodias and continue surreptitious preparations than to heed her advice and sail into the arms of his enemy unprotected.

Further, the recent destruction of his armies and his present lack of political power would seem to argue against any real plans against Rome. Besides, his whole character points to a man satisfied to pursue his pleasures, power or no power. Every move we see him make seems to be at the instigation of another. It would seem far more likely that Herodias would hatch such a plan than he. However, Rome’s interrogation techniques were such as might convince a man to confess and accept exile rather than insist on the truth and be slow-murdered.

I have previously ventured the opinion that Herodias’ decision to follow Antipas into exile after all her attempts at vainglory had more to do with her underlying envy than with any last vestige of goodness in her. To suspect loyalty in this woman given her history would really require an encounter with the God of heaven, of which I would expect some record had it occurred. Instead, seeing that the option given her by the emperor of Rome was to live upon the largesse provided by the very Agrippa with whom she had so long competed, that driving envy would seem to have seen to the completion of her self-destruction. Such an ending would certainly be in keeping with the talionic tendencies of God’s justice. This is certainly the conclusion that Josephus reaches in his history of the time. There, he writes, “Thus did God punish Herodias for her envy at her brother, and Herod also for giving ear to the vain discourses of a woman.”

The ending of the story, though, suggests one other possibility to me, and that is that she had indeed been hatching the plans of which Antipas was convicted. She knew her husband well enough to recognize the danger that he might well change his story later and leave her exposed. At this point, her options were so highly restricted that instincts for self-preservation may have guided her decision even more than envy. Oh, but somehow I doubt that envy ever moved far from steering her course.

Returning to that quote from Josephus, it seems to me he is but partially correct in his assessment of the story’s end. I think he is quite correct in the underlying sin in Herodias, but in Herod, his heritage would seem to have occluded his vision somewhat. For Herod, the sin he sees is that he listened to a woman. I can only imagine what uproar such a statement would cause in our society! But, our society’s opinion is not the reason that I see a different issue than Josephus, for society’s opinions are not the definition of sin. No, the greater sin in Herod was pride.

Certainly, he lacked a backbone, particularly when it came to this woman. I suspect, though, that it was not only this woman. She simply had the benefit of influence and proximity. But, her ability to manipulate him was rooted in recognizing that pride he had in appearances. There was something in him that still heard the voice of conscience, however distorted. He may not have had any great desire to truly be righteous, but he still had the desire to be seen as a man of his word. Whether it was concern for his reputation, or merely concern for preserving his image and authority, how he was seen was important to him. Life for him was by and large a political calculation.

Fear and pride, it seems, run hand in hand. I think pride must make us fearful, for it keeps our thoughts forever on how we are perceived. Thus, Herod moves against John out of pride, but limits his move out of fear. If he does nothing, the people will see him as weak. If, however, he kills this righteous man, he will have to face his masters for allowing the riots that will surely ensue. It is this combination that Herodias plays upon at his birthday celebration. She must have lit up upon hearing him issue those promises to her daughter, for they were the seal on her plan. So long as he was given no time to think, he would surely follow through on the most vile request at this point, for pride would so clog his mind that he would never see his way through to a more just reaction to Salome’s request.

Summing up the sin of Herodias, envy and jealousy, a direct breach of the tenth commandment, not only brought about her ruin in the end, but destroyed the whole of her life. What poison there is in covetousness! Here was a woman who had it all, several times over, and yet, could take no joy in what life had afforded her. She had every advantage that the society of her day could afford her but it was never enough. She must have more, be greater. In her pursuit of this unattainable end she not only stripped herself of joy, but destroyed her family as well. Her lust for prominence led directly to the infamous end of her husband. Her endless machinations, having involved her daughter, destroyed her daughter as well, as she passed the poison onward.

We may tend to think that covetousness is a light matter. We may see it as a minor sin, at least to the degree that we suffer from that issue. Well, sure, I see so and so has the latest technological gizmo and I wish I had it myself. So what? Everybody thinks that way. Yes, that assessment is true. Everybody does think that way, and the whole advertising industry is banking on that fact. They have discovered that feeding our covetousness is a great way of feeding their own. But, where does it lead? Sadly, we are so willing to minimize the seedling sin of covetousness that we refuse to deal with it until it has metastasized. Only as it grows strong enough to bring us to violence and theft in the pursuit of our untamed desires do we see the problem and by then it is too late for many. Oh, that we would see the Law of God through the eyes of Jesus! Oh, that we would not stop at the bare wording of the commandment, but would understand the implications of sin unchecked. Oh, that we would deal with our sins while they are still easily uprooted, rather than waiting until they have worked their deadly way upon us!

So it is that we find Chrysostom writing of our need to learn from the dark example of Herodias, “Let us weep for Herodias, and for them that imitate her.” Yes, and in so doing, I fear we must weep loudly for ourselves, for it is a poison that we have all imbibed by degree and one that we have been trained not to notice in ourselves. Surely, we must weep loudly, rend our clothes and take up our ashes in repentance for the covetousness that has become not only our sin but our lifestyle.

My Jesus, I know that this poison runs in my veins. I know that I am a creature of this covetous need for instant gratification, unsatisfied until I have what I want, whatever the cost may be. I know I am not immune to the disastrous influence of the advertisers, that I am too much concerned with possessions and appearances. Lord, If it be possible in me, I repent of it. If You will so work and will it in me that I might cast aside this lust for place, lust for possession, what joy! Yes, and I know it is indeed Your will, for You have proclaimed it in plain and simple words. Thou shalt not. Oh, God! Open my eyes to the covetousness that pervades my actions and give me strength and grace to be rid of it once for all. Let my concerns, even as You are training me in this present family crisis, be turned upon others and not upon self. Let my thoughts be for the needs of others and not for the desires of self. Let me, Lord, approach more closely to the example You set and to the course that You proclaim.

My God, if I be a child of Your kingdom (and I have confidence that indeed I am) then let Your kingdom show in me. Let me behave as Your child, and not as a child of the devil. Let my habits reflect the perfect order of Your ways. You have provided this training ground and, though I cannot offer thanks for the pain and suffering that I see upon my wife, or for the deep concerns it brings to my child, yet I will thank You for the training, knowing that these days of discipline will bring fruits of joyful peace by Your guiding hand.

The second major lesson we are given to learn from the case of Herod and Herodias is learnt from the effect of Herodias upon Herod. It is, as Thomas Watson identifies it, the terrible issue of ‘the darling sin’. We each of us have that one sin – at least that one – that we will not suffer to be addressed. We watch this unfold as Herod interacts with John. John had the audacity to touch upon the sin of Herodias and this was not to be tolerated. Thus was John brought to prison in Herod’s fortress. Yet, something was moving upon Herod that he could not leave it at that. I do not speak now of his spinelessness in taking half measures for so long. I speak of his attraction to John’s message. Mark records that Herod went down to John’s cell many times to listen to what the prophet of God was saying, and that he enjoyed these times (Mk 6:20).

Certainly, he was afraid of John, or at least of his reputation and what problems his imprisonment might cause for Herod. But, there is something about the Truth that draws a man, however much he may have immunized himself against the intrusion of Truth. He will listen, and the goodness of the message he cannot refuse. Except the mind be wholly miswired, we must surely recognize the Truth when it is heard. Man may reject the Gospel, and even the whole idea of religion and yet, when the basic tenets of the Law of God are spoken, particularly those of the second tablet where we are taught how to treat our fellow man, who can disagree with the rightness of it? When one hears the things laid out by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, why, even if the very thought of religion be repulsive to its hearer, the goodness and rightness of the philosophy laid out in that sermon must be acknowledged.

Blessed are the humble, the gentle, the merciful (Mt 5:3-7). Even if your rational, scientific mind rejects the idea of heaven’s kingdom or a God who can be seen, yet the goodness of such character must shine as a most desirable thing. Blessed are those of pure motive, the peacemakers. Blessed are those who will pursue the demands of sound character even to their own hurt (Mt 5:8-11). Perhaps you will argue that such men as these seem to suffer the most at the hands of their fellows, and you would be right in arguing so. So, you ask, how shall we count them blessed? I tell you outright, they are blessed in the very knowledge that their character is as it should be, that in spite of every trial they must weather, in spite of every calumny thrown up against them, they have the right of it; and their name, their reputation shall not be stained by the worst lies that might be thrown at them.

I tell you also that these are the ones who understand that blessedness lies in being a blessing. That concept has been at the core of the True Faith since God spoke to Abraham. From the first, he was chosen to know the blessings of God, found in the simple fact that God chose him to be the source of a people who would pursue God’s own righteous path. And even as God spoke of this blessing to Abraham, He explained the purpose in the blessing: that in Abraham all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Ge 18:18-19). That has always been the purpose of God’s blessings, whether they be blessings of character or blessings of a more material sort.

If, with all this, you are still not convinced of the goodness of such a character as Jesus declared blessed, simply consider this: Whom would you prefer to entrust your own safety and welfare to, one such as Jesus has declared blessed, or one whose character reflects the opposite of those ways? Would you wish to dwell with one who is always seeking to disturb the peace, always making trouble for those around him? Would you prefer to entrust your affairs to a liar and a cheat, to somebody who is always looking out for number one? In your illness and your failures, will you really prefer to be surrounded by callous, harsh and prideful fellows who will brook no excuse from you and who will offer no comfort to you? Or is your need clearly for those very humble, gentle, merciful ones that Jesus has recommended?

That is the power of Truth. If we will but think about it for a moment, we cannot deny it’s goodness. So it was with Herod when he went to hear John. He would hear the denunciation of the sins of man, even the most common of them, and he could not deny that these were things best corrected in society. He would hear the description of a godly man and he could not help but recognize that men such as these must be every ruler’s desire. How easy to govern a godly people! How tedious the constant aggravations of ruling over the unrighteous!

Depending, apparently, upon the source texts that one follows, we find one of two reactions credited to Herod, when he heard John’s message. Some will say he was perplexed. Let us see in this that he was seeing the truth of it and yet, was unsure of how to proceed into that truth. He was in the same state as so many who had come to John at the Jordan. “What shall we do, then?” Sin revealed has that effect on us. Oh, it is easy to recognize the sin. Yes, of course these things are wrong, but they have become such a part of us that it seems we must destroy life itself if we would root it up now. Has there ever been one who came to God in repentance who has not known the utter impossibility of change?

It may be that the consequences of our sins are irreversible. David, confronted with the sin of having Bathsheba’s husband murdered certainly could not bring that man back to life and restore his wife to him. It was a thing impossible! But, he could lay himself upon the mercy and the strength of God to prevent him from ever doing such a thing again. No, there was nothing he could do to make things right with that man, nor was there anything he could do to make things right with God. Sin has but one penalty: death. And yet, even for a man to take his own life would but add to his sins against a holy God. With man it is impossible! Oh, but with God all things are possible! He has provided the one, the only, way to reconciliation. That reconciliation is first and foremost with God Himself, but it is also with ourselves. In His forgiveness we can find it possible to forgive ourselves. Until then, if we are aware of our sins at all, we are paralyzed by them. Though we change our ways, yet we cannot change our memories. We see that stain and see no way that it shall ever be removed. That failure will haunt us forever.

But, Jesus! Jesus, the sweet Balm of Gilead comes and He proclaims over us, “Rise up. Your sins are forgiven.” Oh, but don’t stop there! Too many have stopped at that forgiveness and walked away from Him unchanged. They have failed to hear what follows, “Now, go and sin no more.” I tell you, that forgiveness that we have experienced must bring change in us. Too often it does not. It brings relief. It lets us set aside a burden of guilt, and yet, we turn around and take as license to continue on the same road we’ve been following. So many experienced the power of healing that is ever in the presence of the Lord and just walked away satisfied with the remission of their symptoms. But, in doing so, they walked right back into the disease that had been removed.

No! In His power He has swept that sin from our souls, and it is in that same power – only in that power – that we can find the possibility of obeying the command to walk free of sin. “Go and sin no more.” Yes, Lord, I would gladly do so if it were in my power. Oh, but it is not in your power that you are called to go, it is in His! This is not the impossible command that must return us to the same death sentence for our disobedience. This is a proclamation of the freedom He has brought. He has set us at liberty from the bondage of sin. He has declared by His sovereign right that we are empowered to set all that aside. But, do you know? There are many who, having been set free from their prison cell, will gladly prefer to get back in?

In this earthly life, I have known people like this. The court systems are full of them. There are those who simply cannot be bothered to put in the effort necessary to live in freedom. It’s too hard. The prison cell is comfortable. It doesn’t ask much of them. The necessities of life are being seen to and they need not earn their way, so why not? My point is this: We are the same way with our sins. Those bonds have been removed from our limbs, the prison gates thrown open, and we have been led out to our liberty. But, by and large, we have found our liberty too challenging to cope with, and have willingly chosen to walk back into prison. We have, for all intents and purposes, taken up those bonds that He removed and clamped them firmly back upon our arms and legs.

Now, the point that is made in regard to Herod is that however much of John’s teaching he may have taken to heart, however many sins he may truly have repented of, there was that one sin, that ‘darling sin’, that he would not hear of. Indeed, based on the later frustrations that Herodias felt in regard to his contented acquiescence to private life, it would seem that some part of him had truly changed. But, when it came to Herodias, to that sin of unlawful marriage, this he would not hear about.

In some translations, it is said that upon hearing John, Herod ‘did many things’. Now, I think this must be understood as indicating some degree of repentance, real repentance with a real change in his ways. But, that repentance he could not bring to bear on Herodias. Was there a way of redress for him in that regard? Could he have returned Herodias to her true husband? Perhaps. But, if memory serves, that was precluded. Perhaps the best he could have done would have been to terminate the marriage and leave her to her own devices. Even this, though, he could not contemplate. Maybe the incredible damage of his first divorce prevented him. Maybe there was a real attachment to Herodias in his heart. Maybe, though, it was just that one sin he could not deal with, would not deal with. And, in the end, that sin he wouldn’t deal with destroyed him utterly.

That is the lesson we must learn. Our sin, that particular one that we cherish, may not be like Herod’s. It may not be something so public, something so obvious. We have doubtless done our best to keep that sin hidden away from the eyes of man. We have doubtless conned ourselves into thinking it is hidden from God, too. Else, we have conned ourselves into thinking it’s not so bad, and He really doesn’t mind it. But, that is just sin’s poison spreading. There is no truth in it and deep down we know it. If we are indeed children of God, the Spirit of the Living God makes certain we know it. He will not give us rest from that sin’s accusations. Why? Is He so cruel, then? Not at all! He is the Great Physician, and He knows what must come of that sin if we will not address the problem.

At present, my wife lies in the hospital dealing with a physical issue that has reached particularly threatening proportions in her. How has this happened? Was she unaware of the issue? No. But, for a variety of reasons, she was not truly dealing with that issue as it needed to be dealt with. She knew what needed to be done, but she was not willing to trust herself to the physician’s hand. No, she would find another way. She would pursue her own course. But, that course was not truly dealing with the issue. It was masking it for a time. It brought its season of relative comfort. And, even if it did not truly bring healing, at least it wasn’t the doctors! Why, just think about that woman that Jesus had healed! She had suffered mightily at the hands of doctors (Mt 9:18-22) and, by golly, she wasn’t going to bring any more of that suffering upon herself! No, she would trust in Jesus and nothing else. Except, this wasn’t really trusting Jesus. Is He not in command of those very physicians she was rejecting? Is He Lord of all creation, or is there some clause that prevents Him from being Lord over those doctors that might help? Is there something about medicine and science that forces Him to stay hands off? Of course not! But, such thinking clouded her vision until she was forced to deal with the issue, until things got so bad that the failure of her approach to the problem could not be denied.

Well, praise God! He will not suffer her to bring herself down to Sheol in this blindness. Shall I then praise the circumstances, the situation? Of course not! But, I will praise my God and her Savior that He has so utilized these circumstances and situations as to open her eyes and to bring her to a greater faith in God. Yes, this present trial is miserable in the extreme. Yes, she is brought low. Oh, but only that she might be lifted up! Only, so that her trust in God can extend to allowing Him to determine the means of her restoration. Yes, and having talked to her this morning, I see it happening. More importantly, she sees it happening. She is seeing God’s hand in simple things and great. She is seeing Him coordinate her care, provide her with nurses who know Him, moving to provide for her needs in ways that even those nurses are surprised by, whether or not they credit Him with the arrangements.

Oh, and how faithfully she bears the banner of the Kingdom even in the midst of it! My God, look upon Your daughter and be blessed. How could I help but thank You for the growth You are bringing to her faith! Her previous strengths, my Lord, I see You continue to strengthen, and now You provide her with new strengths, grace upon grace! Oh, Lord, how You bless me in showing her Your hand, Your active, abiding presence in the midst of her trial. Yes, I have so great a reason to rejoice at what You are doing, though I would not wish the process on anybody.

This is wonderful indeed, my King, and yet, I would cry out for Your mercy upon her. Yet, I would cry out that Your power to heal, to recreate, would come and do what the doctors cannot. Father, You know her condition and You know the limits of what the doctors understand. Yes, and You know those things they don’t understand. You are unlimited! Oh, God! You have proclaimed that goodness and mercy shall follow us all our days. You have proclaimed that all things work together for good to those who are working in Your purpose, and I call Your attention to this daughter whose heart and whose actions are indeed seeking to work in Your purpose. Have mercy, Oh God! Restore! Restore what the ravages of sin and disease have done. God, it is in Your power and in Your character to do what the doctors cannot, and I cry out to You this morning that You would show Yourself greater in her present time of need.

God, I thank You for Your divine Provision. I will not seek in any way to command You or to instruct You. I will satisfy myself with having cried out to You and knowing well that You have heard, that You have indeed turned Your eyes upon Your daughter, my wife, and that Your Word is assuredly True. So may I trust in You, and so I shall. Thy will be done, my God, in all things, and blessed be Your glorious Name.

So, to this ‘darling sin’ of ours: consider the conclusion that Thomas Brookes reaches in this regard. “As many men are kept low in their outward estates, by having a back door to some Herodias, so many doubting souls are kept low in spirituals, by their hankering after some particular sins.” Now, Mr. Brookes is careful to explain this in a fashion that refutes any necessary connection between the physical and the spiritual in this matter. In other words, a low outward estate does not necessarily indicate an inner hankering for some darling sin. It may, but it need not. It seems to me that in looking at our brother and his situation, we are called to err on the side of love. What do I mean? Well, Peter tells us that love covers a multitude of sins (1Pe 4:8). The writer of Proverbs goes even further: “Love covers all transgressions” (Pr 10:12b). This cannot properly be interpreted as winking at sin, but must be understood in light of recognizing the enormous log in our own eyes.

Balance the thought with Paul’s famous liturgy of love. Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness but in truth (1Co 13:6). In regards to love’s covering of sin, this is important to recognize. Covering the sin is not the same, cannot be the same, as loving the sin. Neither can it be construed as ignoring that sin. It does take into account our own sinful tendencies, which urge us to mercy in dealing with the sins of others. Would we not desire the same for our own case? Well, one reaps as one sows.

Again, though, in the case of our brother, love begins here: it “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things” (1Co 13:7). It seems to me that only one of these three clauses has to do with things known about our loved one. When it comes to known faults and failures, love bears all things. Where the most that might be had is a suspicion of fault or failure, love has nothing to bear, but chooses to believe the good report, rejecting injurious imaginations of the mind. Why look for motes in our loved one? Haven’t we got enough to do looking to our own spiritual estate? Now, even if things look particularly bad for that loved one – and here I see us returning to Mr. Brookes’ conclusion – even if we see our brother laid low in outward circumstance we are not permitted to jump to conclusions in regard to his inward condition. No, love hopes all things for that brother. Love hopes that his faith remains strong, that he is working out his salvation with all due fear and trembling.

In the midst of love’s proper operation, it must be recognized that God may indeed give us a mission in that brother’s life, but it will be a mission conducive to love. For instance, take that one whose outward estate may well indicate an inward sin which is not being dealt with as it should. Love may demand that we speak a word of admonition to that brother. It certainly does not, in this case, demand that we broach our suspicions at the next church counsel. It does not require us to renounce him with severe condemnations. It does not provide us with a reason to discuss his fall with our friends or relatives.

Well, what, then, when we have moved from suspicions to certainties? What is love’s proper course when we know there is some deep-rooted sin our brother is failing to deal with? The case becomes thornier. My general sense of love’s approach remains connected with “Love covers.” What does that mean? Do we help our brother continue in his efforts to hide his sin from view? Much to our surprise, the answer is yes. But, love does not allow that brother to continue hiding his sin from his own view. This is the place we tend to fall down. We see love’s call to cover, to believe, to hope, and in that admonition we tell our brother, “It’s OK. In God’s time. Don’t worry about it.” Oh, our hearts are in the right place, I suppose, but we have really just helped our brother remain in that sin. It’s not OK. It is God’s time. He’d better worry about it now before it reaches the dread maturity of sin, which is always the same.

The cover that love is called to provide is there to prevent others from looking upon our brother’s nakedness and shame. But, every man remains naked to himself. Every man stands exposed before his Creator. Love’s call is to build up that brother whose damage we know, to build him up, keep his mind and his spirit clearly informed of his danger in this sin. Love’s call is the call of repentance. Love’s call is to shout out warnings, point out the dangers and, in whatever way it possibly can, to aid that brother not in accepting his sin, but in renouncing it utterly and walking away from it. In that light, love’s call is going to be difficult indeed.

Looking at John’s example in dealing with Herod, that first denouncement must seem to fall short of love’s standard. We might connive at the issue a bit and say that Herod was not really his brother, so it was acceptable, but that fails of Jesus’ definition of a brother. No, that is the parochial Christian’s exclusive membership clause speaking, not the embracing, inclusive Christ. Perhaps, in looking at John’s outburst against Herod’s marriage, we ought to consider that to whom much is given, much is required. As a man in authority, Herod should reasonably have been expected to maintain a greater degree of propriety.

As a head of the nation of God’s people, we might also look at his sin in a federal sense. Consider Adam, whose sin has become our own. Why? Because he represented us, and therefore his failure represents our failure. So it is, albeit on a smaller scale, with Herod. His sin, as a ruler in Israel, was Israel’s sin. It is for this cause that John is so vociferous in his denunciation. Herod’s sin was a poison threatening the whole of God’s people, for as the head, so the body.

However, watch how John’s treatment for Herod progresses when he finds himself in prison. Does he despair? Does he lash out at Herod for Herod’s unjust actions against his person? Does he demand his rights? Not at all! No, he avails himself of this opportunity to minister to Herod in a more private fashion, and it seems his ministering fully complied with love’s tenets. He had done what was needful in that more public setting, but given this private setting, he works in private fashion. He is, as we like to say in our charismatic world, “speaking into Herod’s life” in a fashion impossible to any other. He is working towards a healing of Herod’s spiritual estate. He touches on many sins, and it seems Herod responded to that touch and began dealing with many of those sins. “He did many things.”

But, there remained that one sin he could not part with, and it had its physical representation in Herodias. This, he would not suffer to have reproved. “If the prophet meddles with that sin, it shall cost him his head”, as Mr. Watson has it. It is here that we come to the point, the moral application that Herodias has to each of our lives. Again, I will turn to this great text from Thomas Watson.

“Men can be content to have other sins declaimed against, but if the minister puts his finger on the sore, and touches this sin, their hearts begin to burn in malice against him.” Let’s be clear on this, clear with ourselves. I doubt not that every single one of us could, if we looked clearly to ourselves, identify that sore as it manifests in our own life. Oh, I know it all too well in mine. Yes, there is that one thing that I find arguments rising inwardly whenever it’s addressed. It doesn’t matter if it’s the pastor, my wife, my child. I will not hear of it. Do you know, it doesn’t even matter if it’s me bringing the matter up to myself! No, I’ll argue. It’s no sin. A bad habit perhaps, self-destructive in the end, perhaps, but it’s no sin.

Ah, but Jeff, you must recognize that if its end is death, what was it at its start? What pays such wages except sin? Indeed, my friend, even if your assessment is correct, and it is but a questionable thing of no spiritual consequence, what are you told? If your conviction is thus and you act otherwise, it is a sin to you. So, if you believe it perfectly acceptable, why the hiding of it? Are you really going to pretend you seek to protect your weaker brother? Liar! No, it is shame that drives you into hiding and there is no getting around that. It is shame pure and simple because you know deep down that this is a problem. This is your Herodias which, if you will not let it go, it will surely destroy you.

Yes, and even as I write this to myself, I feel its tug.

Is it so strong as all this, my God, that even when it is just You and me addressing this thing, I cannot hear of it? Oh, Jesus! Come to my rescue, Redeemer! I know. I have cried out in repentance of this thing so many times before, and even I have not really believed it. It seems as though I can repent for an hour, perhaps two, but then I return once more, like a dog to its vomit. Lord, I dare not allow this to remain a Herodias in my life, yet I know myself powerless to change on my own. I need You, Lord. Though I have been an offense in Your nostrils, crying, as it were, for protection from consequences rather than change. Let this end! Let it end here and now, my God. It’s true enough that I am powerless, yet in You I can do all things. That is Your declaration and I make it mine own. What is it going to take, my King, for me to keep hold of this? What is it going to take to uproot this thing once for all? Give me wisdom, my God, to receive whatever You may send as means to its destruction and give me grace to do as You require to achieve that destruction. I cannot allow this to continue. I dare not. You have shown me in Herodias just how deadly the issue really is, and I am not prepared to die for this habit.

No, and I see that it is not just me that pays the price, but my wife, my child as well. When my own daughter is pointing this problem out to me, shall I not hear her? When my wife points out how much damage it does not to my health, but to my character, can I ignore her? Well, I know I can, and I know I can plug my ears to my daughter’s words, but I will not to. I choose to hear and to heed with all that is within me. I come in repentance, and I think it is an earnest repentance, not just an ‘oh, I got caught’ repentance.

Lord Jesus, it is against You that I have sinned, and I come seeking Your forgiveness. Lord, as well, I beg of You that You would not allow this to pass to my daughter. She has enough of my bad habits already. Please, Lord, let this plague not be upon her. God, the grip of this thing upon me is so strong! I know and You know that there have been times when I was almost free of it in the past. Yes, but I grew foolish, let my guard down. I thought once more that I could just have a taste and set it aside again. How often have I walked that stupid path? And I know myself well enough to recognize that apart from Your intervention I would walk it again. But, I don’t want that path any longer, Lord. I have committed myself to Your ways, however imperfectly. Your ways I want to follow. You have shown me Life, You have presented me the choice, and too many times now I have chosen death instead. Today, my God, with all that is in me, I choose Life.

Come, my Savior, my Redeemer. You, my Sword and my Shield, my Strong Tower against this enemy within, rescue me! Let this day, in the midst of trial, be the turning point, the day on which the path to victory begins. Lord! I ask this not just in my own situation, but also in the battle my wife is facing. Let this be the day that her health is restored. Let this be the day that a lifetime of dread becomes an eternity of hope. Let her see Your goodness in the land of the living, my King! Grant her the gift of Your healing touch. And, my Lord, if there be some besetting issue in her such as my own, I cry out for her freedom, that she may prosper in every way, her soul even as her body.

All of this, my Lord Jesus, is fully within Your capacity. All of this, Holy Lord, is of an accord with Your will. Knowing that, Mighty God, let faith rise up. Knowing that, let this seed of hope in me grow in confidence, and give my thoughts the clarity to think upon You in the challenges ahead. So let it be done, my dear Father, my beloved Brother, even now. Amen and Amen.