Sunday, June 6, 2021

The Dance of Herodias' Daughter - Mark 6:22

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 in chapter six and verse twenty-two of his book, Mark wrote how, “the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced” where we read:

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 thou wilt, and I will give it thee.

The verse reads, “And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, ...” Mark began with the words, “and when” or “and at the time and moment” “the daughter of the said Herodias” which means “Herodias' daughter” “came in” or “entered and came forth into the feast”, “and danced” which means “and began to move in rank-like and regular motion”, “and pleased Herod” or “and excited the emotion of King Herod” “and them that sat with him” which means “and the men who were reclining and feasting at the table with King Herod”. Mark shared how “Herodias' daughter” entered Herod's birthday feast and began to “dance” which “excited” Herod and the men who were with him.

The verse continues, “... the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever you will, and I will give it you.” Mark added the words, “the king said” which means “King Herod uttered, declared and proclaimed” “unto the damsel” or “to the little girl who was Herodias' daughter”, “Ask of me” which means “beg, crave, desire and require of Herod” “whatsoever you will” or “whatever thing Herodias' daughter had in mind, resolved, determined and purposed”, “and I will give it you” which means “and King Herod would grant, bestow, supply and furnish the thing to Herodias' daughter”. Mark shared how Herod told “Herodias' daughter” to “request” from him anything she desired, and he would furnish it to her.

When we meditate upon Mark's words in this verse, we understand Herodias' daughter's dance to have influenced and persuaded King Herod to make an outlandish oath before his lords and captains. His passion must have been excited because he lost all reasonable thought and promised to give Herodias' daughter anything she desired. God knows the passions of people, and when they desire to grant gifts for which they may later regret, He is able to warn them and keep them from making foolish promises which they may regret for a lifetime. God's desire is for people to align with Him through His Son Jesus, and those who are wise will turn all their passions to Him and receive His amazing grace.

Next time Mark shares how Herod, “swore unto her, whatsoever you ask of me, I will give it to you”, 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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