The Serpent Seeks the Woman's Son

Why does the Bible include so much history? Why did God have the Old Testament if the New Testament tells us how to be saved? In the passage before today (Matthew 2:13-23) we were given the answer to that question. In this account we read about how Herod sought to use the Magi (2:16); Herod sought to slay the Messiah (2:13-18); and how God sent angels and dreams to fulfill the Scriptures. In our last study, we briefly visited Herod the Great. We saw him as he indeed was, a madman who would kill his own children and wives to remain on the throne, and he indeed did so. Now we meet one of Herod’s sons, Archelaus. In fact, the Herods were a dynasty that came to power before the birth of Jesus. Herod the Great came to power by appointment of his friend Mark Antony so he ruled under the authority of Rome. There are six kings who are part of the Herodian dynasty mentioned in the New Testament making it pretty easy to become confused as to which is being referred to.