Mark wrote how “Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee. And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever you will, and I will give it to you. And he swore unto her, Whatsoever you shall ask of me, I will give it to you, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that you give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist”, and in chapter six and verse twenty-six of his book, Mark wrote how King Herod “was exceeding sorry” where we read:
And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake,
and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.
The verse reads, “And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, ...” Mark began with the words, “and the king” or “and King Herod” “was exceeding sorry” which means “was very sad and overcome with sorrow so much as to cause one's death”; “yet for his oath's sake” or “however because, and on account of King Herod's pledge and promise with an oath”. Mark shared how King Herod became “greatly sorrowful” because of his promise to Herodias' daughter.
The verse goes on to say, “and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.” Mark continued with the words, “and for their sakes” which means “and because, since and on account of the people” “which sat with him” or “who were seated with King Herod at his birthday feast”, “he would not reject her” which means “King Herod did not intend, have in mind, resolve or determine to disregard, nullify, frustrate or refuse Herodias' daughter”. Mark shared how King Herod would not “refuse” Herodias' daughter's request because of the people who were sitting with him who heard his oath.
When we think through Mark's words in this verse, we see how King Herod put himself in a difficult position when he made his oath to Herodias' daughter. Not only was this a foolish “promise”, but it was spoken before witnesses who were seated with him at his birthday feast. God wants people to be in a personal relationship with Him through His Son Jesus, and because He knew there would be a great price to pay for their “sins”, He allowed King Herod not only to make a “foolish vow”, but also to keep it by his friends' intimidation. Let all who read these words consider the lengths to which God went so they might be “saved” and yield their lives to His Son Jesus even when others may attempt to persuade them not to comply.
Next time Mark shares how King Herod, “sent an executioner, and commanded” John's “head to be brought”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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