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 in chapter six and verse twenty-three of his book, Mark wrote how Herod, “swore unto her, whatsoever you ask of me, I will give it to you” where we read:
And he swore unto her, Whatsoever you shall ask of me,
I will give it to you, unto the half of my kingdom.
The verse reads, “And he swore unto her, Whatsoever you shall ask of me, ...” Mark began with the words, “and he swore unto her” or “and King Herod affirmed, promised and invoked with a witness to Herodias' daughter”, “whatsoever you shall ask of me” which means “whatever thing Herodias' daughter should crave, desire and require of Herod”. Mark shared how King Herod made an oath to Herodias' daughter concerning anything she desired.
The verse continues, “... I will give it to you, unto the half of my kingdom.” Mark added the words, “I will give it to you” which means “Herod would grant, bestow, furnish and supply to Herodias' daughter”, “unto the half of my kingdom” or “till one half of Herod's royal power, kingship, dominion and rule”. Mark shared how Herod promised to furnish Herodias' daughter with anything she desired up until one half of his “royal power and dominion”.
When we think through Mark's words in this verse, we see how greatly King Herod was influenced by the dancing of Herodias' daughter. He promised to “give” her anything she desired even if it was one half of his “kingdom”. Nothing King Herod possessed was without God granting it to him, and when he offered to give away up to half his “kingdom” to Herodias' daughter, he was actually offering that which God had given him. God has given “life” to all who read these words, and His desire is to provide them with “everlasting life” through trust and belief in His Son Jesus Christ. Those who are wise will understand what “King Herod” was truly offering and choose to yield their lives to Jesus who not only provides all things but is able to “save” people for all eternity.
Next time Mark shares how Herodias' daughter, “went forth, and said unto her mother, what shall I ask?”, 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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