By Joseph Ametepe
Introduction:
The Christmas Story is one of the most beloved and blessed stories of all time. It’s full of excitement and expectation. It’s inspiring and inviting. Not only that, but it’s also refreshing and rejuvenating. Furthermore, it’s thrilling and tender. It’s told in all simplicity and sincerity. Indeed, the story of Christ’s Birth has been told for ages, but it never grows old or boring. Why? Simply because it’s special and significant for the salvation of lost sinners like you and me. Truly, it’s a great and glorious story. It’s a marvelous and magnificent story.
However, not all of it is thrilling and tender. In fact, one specific event of the Christmas Story is tragic and troubling. As such, it’s often ignored or hurriedly passed over, come time to tell the Christmas Story.
Well, I believe that if the Lord had wanted the tragic tale of the Christmas Story to be ignored or hurriedly passed over, He would not have preserved it in our Bible. Because He has an important lesson to teach us, He chose to preserve its account in the Bible. He wants us to learn that in His sovereign wisdom, He allows horrific and heinous crimes to be committed against the unoffending and untainted. But through it all, He hasn’t faltered but that He is faithfully marching on to accomplish His divine purpose.
This brings me to the main idea of the message God has given me from His Word to deliver to you at this significant hour in your life and my life. Please I want you to pay very close attention to it, not just with your head, but more importantly with you heart; where the Holy Spirit is poised and prepared to plant the seed of God’s life-giving and life-changing truth, in order to transform genuine born-again believers, more into the glorious likeness of Jesus Christ – the Lord and Leader of the Church; and to turn unbelievers from their sin of unbelief – graciously and gently leading them to genuine repentance and personal saving faith in Jesus Christ – the Savior and Seeker of lost sinners like myself.
So here is our message in a nutshell. Please, I sincerely urge you to listen closely and carefully to it with an open heart and an open mind, willing to accept it and announce it to all who have ears to hear it and hearts to heed it. God permits brutal and barbaric acts against the innocent and the helpless, but He brings good out of them by accomplishing His sovereign and divine purposes. In other words, when God allows bad things to happen to good people, it doesn’t mean He has failed them. Rather, God is confidently working behind the scenes to fulfill His eternal plans for mankind.
Folks, friends, faithful followers of Christ among us here today, and fellow believers in the fold and flock, fellowship and family of God, the Bible is going to graphically and gravely reveal to us that God in His sovereign wisdom does permit evil to touch even innocent and helpless babies for a purpose that’s fully known to Him alone. God would choose to allow a heinous crime to be committed against the guiltless and guileless children at the First Christmas. This would lead to the fulfillment of His prophetic word spoken through Jeremiah the prophet. This biblical truth is tenderly and touchily presented in Matthew 2:16-18. Actually, Matthew is the only Gospel writer who wrote about Herod’s hateful and heinous crime committed against the helpless babes of Bethlehem. Would you please now turn your Bibles to Matthew 2:16-18 as we take a fresh look at the tragic tale of the First Christmas!
We have before us a passage of Scripture which is only two sentences in the original language. The New American Standard Bible (NASB), the most literal translation of the Bible into our English language, also translated it into two sentences. So also did the English Standard Version (ESV). It is a passage which can be accurately described as a passage of savagery and sorrow. First of all, it is a passage of savagery because it graphically depicts the savagery or cruelty or inhumanity of Herod the Great. Herod the Great struck below the belt.
You see, Herod was in a position of authority to protect and preserve the lives of all innocent little children in his kingdom. Is that not what rulers and leaders are supposed to do? Yes, indeed! But Herod miserably failed to do so. Instead, he gave an order - which resulted in the violent and vicious slaughter of the little innocent babies in the little town of Bethlehem and its vicinity. Second, it is a passage of sorrow because it grievously demonstrates the unspeakable sorrow of Rachel. Now the question is: Who is Rachel? Is she the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, Jacob’s second wife? Is the Bible using Rachel here in poetic terms? Well, with the help of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures, we will address these questions in our study today.
Having just simply whetted your spiritual appetite (I pray you have a healthy spiritual appetite), please allow me to give you a concise overview of how the Holy Spirit has prepared me to present His message to you from start to finish. First of all, we will elaborate on the recognition of Herod in Matthew 2:16a. Herod would fall a victim to his own life of trickery and pretense. Being a trickster, Herod cunningly and craftily told the wise men that he himself would also like to worship the newborn King of Israel (see Matthew 2:8). But you know, and I know that, that was a big lie. He would tolerate no real or imaginary rival to his throne. He would seek to destroy the newborn King of Israel. But God was a step ahead of Herod. So, He directed Joseph to take the Child and His mother Mary and flee to Egypt and be there until He told him of his next move (see Matthew 2:13-15).
Second, we will emphasize the rage of Herod in Matthew 2:16b. The recognition that he had been outwitted by the wise men, led to the rage of Herod the Great. He became very furious. None of his officers could calm the raging Herod. If Herod were wearing a fitness device on his wrist at the time, it would have recorded a very heart rate (pbm) and a very high stress level - far beyond the recommended normal levels. His rage was a satanic rage.
Third, we will expound on the ruthless slaughter of innocent babies at Bethlehem in Matthew 2:16c. Herod the Great’s great anger led to a great atrocity in the little town of Bethlehem at the First Christmas. Without any pity or mercy whatsoever, he sent and slew the innocent, helpless male babies of Bethlehem who were two years and under. This, I tell you friends, is the tragic tale of the Christmas Story at the First Christmas. Indeed, it was a dark and dreadful day in Bethlehem and its surrounding areas. The question is: why would God allow such a horrific and heinous crime to be carried out against the helpless babes in Bethlehem? Does He not care for innocent, guileless, little children? Did these little ones perish forever? Well, with assistance of the Spirit of God and Scriptures of God, we will answer these difficult questions.
Fourth, we will examine the realization of the prophetic word of God in Matthew 2:17-18a. Herod’s rage, left unchecked, led to the ruthless slaughter of innocent babies. But God was also sovereignly and supernaturally working to advance His divine purpose. And what was that divine purpose? The realization or the fulfillment of the His prophetic word, spoken through His prophet, Jeremiah!
Fifth and finally, we will explain the refusal of Rachel to be comforted in Matthew 2:18b. Normally, when people lose loved ones, they mourn and grieve for the loss of that relationship. As they mourn, the God of all comfort takes it upon Himself to comfort them. But that’s not all. God sends people He Himself has comforted to be channels of His comfort to those who are grieving and mourning. This is because God wants those who mourn to experience His comfort. But here in our story, we are told that Rachel refused to be comforted. Now the question is: why did Rachel refuse to be comforted? Well, keep listening and reading!
Having given you a brief overview of the Tragic Tale of the Christmas Story at the First Christmas, let’s now delve deeper into it and identify the eternal and enduring truths which the Holy Spirit is ready and resolved to plant in our hearts in order to do His divine and distinguished work of changing and conforming believers more into the blessed likeness of Jesus Christ – our Life, our Lord, our Lover, our Leader, and our Light; in this present life and in the life soon to come.
We begin, first of all by elaborating on the:
I. RECOGNITION OF HEROD (Matthew 2:16a).
Herod’s name means “son of a hero.” The “son of a hero,” faced a moment of truth at the first Christmas. For days, he had anxiously waited for the return of the wise men to give him news about finding the “newborn King of the Jews.” But he waited and waited, and no news came to him. Furthermore, there was no sign of the wise men returning to Jerusalem as he had anticipated. I can imagine Herod, looking out through a window, like the mother of Sisera once did in the song of Deborah and Barak (Judges 5) as she waited for the return of her son from battle. So now Herod also wonders why the wise men are not hastening with news that all is ready to receive him as a worshipper of “the newborn King of the Jews?” What’s keeping them so long? Have they lost their way? Has misfortune befallen them? What in the world has happened to them? Alas, Herod’s patience is exhausted. He makes careful inquiries. Lo and behold, he discovers that the wise men are already far beyond his reach. They are using another way to return home and are almost home.
Herod then recognized that he had been tricked. Please notice what the Bible says of the recognition of Herod that he had been tricked. It simply says: “Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi” (Matthew 2:16). The Bible leaves no doubt about Herod’s recognition that he had been tricked by the wise men. But the question is: did the wise men intentionally hatch a plan to trick Herod? Did they use any mocking language against Herod? Did they design by their actions to deceive Herod? The answer is a big no. Then why did the Bible speak of them in such terms?
Here is what the Bible means. Herod saw that he had been deceived by them because they did not return as he had eagerly expected. Herod was rather taken in his own trickery - that is, in his false pretense, that he too intended to worship the newborn King of the Jews. There is no doubt in my mind that the wise men probably intended to have gone back to satisfy Herod’s desire. But then God warned them in a dream not to return to Jerusalem as recorded in Matthew 2:12.
You see, the pride of Herod taught him to view this action as if it were intended to expose him to the ridicule of his subjects. Herod always wanted to be treated as a prince of so great experience and renown, not as a child. In other words, the Bible is not teaching that the wise did it for the purpose of mocking or deriding him. You see, Herod had been greatly disappointed and disrespected that they had not returned and reported to him that they had found where the “newborn King of the Jews” was.
Bible Teacher Dr. Campbell shares this insight on Herod’s feeling of being tricked. He observes that: “in the Jewish style, any treatment which appeared disrespectful, came under the general appellation of mockery. Thus, Potiphar’s wife, in the false accusation, she preferred against Joseph, of making an attempt upon her chastity, says, that he came in to mock her, Genesis 39:17; where the same word is employed by the LXX (the Septuagint) which is used here. Balaam accused his ass of mocking him, when she would not yield to his direction, Numbers 22:29. And Delilah said to Samson, Judges 16:10, “Thou has mocked (i.e., deceived) me and told me lies.” As one who deceived them appeared to treat them contemptuously, they were naturally led to express the former by the latter.” ~ BibleHub.com
The Greek verb translated “tricked” is “enepaichthe,” from the root verb “empaizo.” It occurs only once in this form [“enepaichthe”] in the New Testament. It also means “to outwit,” “to mock at,” “to ridicule,” “to sport someone,” “to play with,” “to trifle with,” or “to deceive.” Herod felt that he had been trifled with. He had been outwitted.
Please mark this well! In other words, take note of this enduring spiritual truth. God, in His own way and time, turns the wisdom of His enemies to folly. Herod, leaning on his own wisdom, thought that he could outwit and outsmart God. But God turned Herod’s wisdom to folly. As such, he found himself “tricked,” or “trifled with.” You see, Herod was employing deceptive and diabolical schemes to get credible information about where the “newborn King of the Jews” was. But his deceptive and diabolical scheming to know the whereabouts of the “newborn King of the Jews” did not achieve his devious designs. This is vividly captured in one of Job’s sayings in Job 5:12-13. “He [God] frustrates the plotting of the shrewd so that their hands cannot attain success. He captures the wise by their own shrewdness, and the advice of the cunning is quickly thwarted.” Herod, the trickster learned this truth the hard way. God was having a good laugh on His throne. I know this because the psalmist tells us when “the kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed…He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them” (Psalm 2:2, 4).
Please listen, whatever wisdom the enemy is employing to derail God’s purpose for your life; rest assured that God is able, yes, more than able to turn it to folly. He will frustrate the shrewd plans of your enemy against you. Indeed, God will make sure that the enemy will find himself mocked, deceived, and defeated. For no one can outwit or outsmart God. Herod learned this lesson the hard way. His deceptive and diabolical scheming was derailed by God. The wise men, whom he had tricked to get the information he needed, never returned to Jerusalem. He would have to change course.
Transition: Having elaborated on the recognition of Herod, that he had been thoroughly outwitted, the Bible now brings us to the point of emphasizing the:
II. RAGE OF HEROD (Matthew 2:16b).
Herod’s recognition that he had been trifled with led to expressing a satanic rage. The Bible states the rage of Herod in these short and sharp words: “he became very enraged” (Matthew 2:16b).
The Greek verb translated “enraged” comes from “ethumothe.” It derives from the root verb “thumoo.” It means “to be very angry,” “to cause one to become incensed,” “to invoke anger,” or “to be full of angry passion”. It speaks of being exceedingly and excessively angry. That’s why the KJV and the ASV translated it “exceeding wroth.”
Herod’s rage was satanic. In fact, it reminds me of the rage Satan displayed in the heavenly visions given to Apostle John in Revelation 12. In the first of several visions, John saw a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet. She also had a crown of twelve stars on her head. The woman was with child and about to give birth. The woman represents Israel (see Revelation 12:1-2). Before the woman would give birth, John was shown another vision, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns. Seven diadems were also on his head. The red dragon is none other than Satan. He stood before the woman who was about to give birth. His personal agenda was to devour the child about to be born (see Revelation 12:3-4).
However, God graciously intervened on behalf of the woman and spared her child, who is Christ, from being devoured by the dragon (see Revelation 12:5-6). God’s agenda for Christ prevailed over the dragon’s agenda for Christ. And so it shall be in your life and in my life. God’s agenda for our lives will always prevail over Satan’s agenda for our lives.
After these heavenly visions, John was given yet another heavenly vision. This time it was a vision depicting a great war between Michael and his angels and the dragon and his angels. Michael and his angels triumphed in this war. The dragon, the serpent of old, who is called the devil and Satan, and his angels were soundly defeated. Since there was no longer a place for them in heaven, they were thrown down to the earth (see Revelation 12:7-9).
The final vision given to John in Revelation 12, vividly and visually demonstrated Satan’s rage at the woman. You see, when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he wasted no time in persecuting the woman. Had it not been God’s intervention on behalf of the woman, Satan would have swept her away with a flood poured out like a river out of his mouth (see Revelation 12:13-16). Having failed twice in his attempts to devour the woman’s child and to destroy the woman, the dragon revealed his rage at the woman. This is how the Bible speaks of Satan’s rage. “So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children who keeps the commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:17).
The Greek word translated “enraged” in Revelation 12:17 is “orgisthe.” It comes from the root verb “orgizo.” It means “to make angry,” “to provoke or arouse to anger.” “Orgisthe” is synonymous with “enthumothe.” The point here is that the Bible is revealing to us the satanic rage of Herod. In fact, his next move, which we will soon be focusing on was similar to that of the dragon’s all-out war on God’s believing and obedient children. Just as Satan will turn his frustrated rage against every follower of the Lamb he can find – Jew or Gentile, so also Herod will turn his frustrated rage against every male child in Bethlehem and its vicinity.
Transition: Having emphasized the satanic rage of Herod, the Bible now brings us to the point of expounding on the:
III. RUTHLESS SLAUGHTER OF INNOCENT BABIES (Matthew 2:16c).
Herod had glibly told the wise men that his heart’s desire was to worship the newborn King of the Jews. But when they did not return to tell him where the newborn King of the Jews was, he displayed exceeding anger which would stop at nothing. You see, Herod had been disappointed and deceived. He had all along planned in his heart to send an executioner to kill the newborn King of the Jews alone. But since he had been deeply disappointed, he thought he would achieve his goal, and be certain to destroy Him if he sent and put all the male children to death in Bethlehem. Oh, the wicked heart of Herod, it would commit far more evil than he had purposed at first! In other words, the satanic rage of Herod would not hesitate to go much farther and accomplish much more wickedness than it first designed. It would result in the ruthless slaughter of innocent babies in Bethlehem.
When, after some time, the wise men failed to return and report to Herod, he saw that the only way to be certain of destroying the newborn King of the Jews was to kill all male children two years of age and under, in the Bethlehem area. The Bible’s solemn record of Herod’s ruthless slaughter of innocent babies is now set before us. They are words that bring great sorrow and sadness to every sane heart, especially those of parents. “And sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi” (Matthew 2:16c).
When Herod was certain and convinced in his heart that the wise men were not going to come back and report what they had found in the little town of Bethlehem, he was maddened with anger and resorted to rancorous and ruthless measures. The slaughter of the innocent little children of the male gender. Perhaps, that’s the only comfort in the tragic tale of the Christmas Story at the First Christmas. Herod spared the little female children, even Pharaoh spared the little Hebrew female babies in Egypt (Exodus 1:15-16). You see, his chief desire was to cut off Him who has been born King of the Jews. He must do away with Him to secure his throne. As such, he spared no effort in eliminating the King of the Jews. So, he thought.
Notice the Bible uses a violent word to describe the slaughter of the innocent little male children in Bethlehem and its vicinity. The word is “slew” [Greek: “aneilen.”] It comes from the Greek base word “anaireo.” It means “to put to death,” “kill,” “murder,” “take away (violently),” “to put out of the way.” Herod was ruthless in perpetrating evil against innocent little children who needed his protection and care. He had no mercy at all on them. Herod’s actions at the First Christmas were barbaric and brutal. He violently and viciously took their lives away without any regret whatsoever. Herod recklessly and ruthlessly murdered helpless babies. No doubt, the scene on that historic day, was gory and gruesome. Male children, two years and under, were inhumanely ripped away from their mother’s bosoms and then slaughtered like animals. Many mothers were helpless in the face of the brute force with which the executioners Herod sent carried out their mission. These executioners callously and cold-bloodedly snuffed out the lives of little innocent children on that mournful day in Bethlehem.
In fact, Herod’s brutality and many bloody deeds are well documented. They clearly show that he was capable of slaying helpless, innocent, little male children in Bethlehem and its locality. According to the writing of Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, Herod murdered Aristobulus, brother of his wife Mariamne, at eighteen years of age, simply because the people of Jerusalem had shown some affection for his person. In the seventh year of his reign, he put to death Hyrcanus, grandfather of Mariamne, when he was 80 years of age. He had formerly saved Herod’s life. But Herod did not save his life. Rather, he snuffed out h Herod’s own beloved and beautiful wife, Mariamne, was publicly executed at his orders. Mariamne’s mother, Alexandra followed soon after. By his orders, Herod’s two sons, Alexander and Aristobulus, who were married and had children, were strangled in prison.
But that’s not all. Just before Herod died, he sent orders throughout Judea requiring the presence of all the chief men of the nation at Jericho. His orders were obeyed, for they were enforced with no less penalty than that of death. When they came to Jericho, he had them all shut up in the circus. Calling for his sister Salome and her husband Alexis, he said to them: “My life is now short. I know the Jewish people, and nothing will please them than my death. You have them now in your custody. As soon as the breath is out of my body, and before my death can be known, do you let in the soldiers upon them and kill them all. All Judea, then, and every family, will, though unwillingly, mourn my death.” Surely, there could be no cruelty, barbarity, or horrid crime which Herod was not capable of perpetrating.
Herod’s ruthless slaughter of the male children in Bethlehem and its vicinity may shock believers, but it was a small affair in Herod’s career of brutality and bloody deeds as described above. In fact, it was so small an affair that Josephus the first century Jewish historian did not record it in his writings. You see, this reckless slaughter of the male children was really so small, compared with Herod’s other atrocities, that Josephus might not think it worthy of record. After all, Bethlehem was a small and obscure village, and Herod’s other crimes were so great and grievous and so general, that Josephus might have chosen to pass over it.
Now, it’s important to note that Herod was so thorough and tactful in his reckless slaughter of the innocent children in Bethlehem. Notice the Bible says, “all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.” Herod targeted not only Bethlehem, “the house of bread,” but also its surrounding localities. Herod’s sword of death was wielded not only in Bethlehem, but also in its adjacent places or settlements. On that day, “the house of bread” became “the house of blood.” Many parents in Bethlehem and its vicinity were left heartbroken, helpless, hopeless and humiliated. Herod widened his net – stretching from Bethlehem to all its neighborhood to make quite sure that the newborn King of the Jews would not escape his sword. In fact, that’s why his order to the executioners specified “from two years and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.”
All male children from two years and under must be slaughtered. Remember, Herod had cleverly and cunningly determined from the wise men the exact time the star had appeared (see Matthew 2:7). Supposing he knew the age of the newborn King of the Jews, Herod sent and murdered all the male children who were of his age. That is, all the male children who were born at the time the star appeared – perhaps from six-month-old to two years. In the providence and grace of God, those born after the star appeared were spared. We do not know the exact number of the little ones murdered by Herod on that dark day in Bethlehem and its surrounding areas. But what we do know is that Herod’s ruthless slaughter of innocent male children became the tragic tale of the Christmas Story at the First Christmas. Herod, who called himself the king of Israel, mercilessly destroyed the lives of her little ones in Bethlehem and its neighborhood.
Now, an important question arises at this juncture. Did these children perish forever? Have their lives been cut off forever? Did their violent deaths mean that their destiny is a destiny of doom and damnation? Have they been forever cast out of the loving presence of the loving God? Matthew, the gospel writer, did not provide us with any answer to these questions. He simply and soberly related to us most tragic tale of the Christmas Story at the First Christmas. But we know from the rest of his gospel that God’s heart is so tender toward little children. He deeply cares about them and does not want any of them to perish (see Matthew 18:1-14; 19:13-15). From these scriptures, we can confidently conclude that the little innocent male children ruthlessly slaughtered by Herod’s executioners did not perish forever. No, their lives have not been cut off forever. Theirs was not a destiny of doom and damnation. Rather, their death was their martyrdom – ushering them into the loving presence of the loving God. They were welcome into the loving presence of the loving with joyful and jubilant shouts from all the hosts of heaven.
Bible Commentator Matthew Henry shares this powerful and poignant thought on the tragic tale of the Christmas Story at the First Christmas. He writes: “Herod killed all the male children, not only in Bethlehem, but in all the villages of that city. Unbridled wrath, armed with unlawful power, often carries men to absurd cruelties. It was no unrighteous thing with God to permit this; every life is forfeited to his justice as soon as it begins. The diseases and deaths of little children are proofs of original sin. But the murder of these infants was their martyrdom. How early did persecution against Christ and his kingdom begin! ~ BibleHub.Com
Transition: Having expounded on the reckless slaughter of innocent male babies in the little town of Bethlehem and its locality, we now examine the:
IV. REALIZATION OF THE PROPHETIC WORD OF GOD (Matthew 2:17-18a).
Why would a loving God allow such a horrific and heinous crime to be committed against helpless little innocent children? One satisfactory answer the Bible gives us in this Christmas Story is the realization of the prophetic word of God. In His sovereign wisdom, God allowed Herod the Great to commit a violent and vicious atrocity against male children, two years and under. But through it, God brought about the realization or fulfillment of His prophetic word.
This is now Matthew’s focus. He writes: “Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled. “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children”” (Matthew 2:17-18a). Yes, Herod had done a great evil in the little town of Bethlehem and its locality. But God would bring about the fulfillment of His word of prophecy spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.
One important biblical truth Matthew emphasized in his gospel is that God is committed to fulfilling every word of prophecy He has spoken through His prophets. As such, the theme of fulfillment was given special attention in his gospel (see Matthew 1:22-23; 2:15, 17, 23; 4:14-16; 5:17; 8:17; 12:17-21; 13:14-15; 13:35; 21:4-5; 26:54, 56; 27:9). It’s as if Matthew is saying: “Count on it. God will fulfill His every word of prophecy.”
The Greek word translated “fulfilled,” is “eplerothe.” It comes from the root “pleroo.” It also means to make full, to complete, to accomplish, to perform fully what was foretold or prefigured in the Old Testament. By the Holy Spirit, Matthew is making it clear by the use of the term “fulfilled” that God had fully performed the prophecy He had foretold in His word.
Matthew clearly and concisely states the prophecy that’s fulfilled as a result of Herod’s heinous crime against helpless innocent babies in Bethlehem and its neighborhood. It’s a prophecy spoken hundreds of years earlier by Jeremiah the prophet of God. “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children” (Matthew 2:18a). It’s recorded in Jeremiah 31:15. “Thus says the LORD, “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” Matthew is indicating that the words spoken by Jeremiah in Jeremiah 31:5 appropriately express the event which he was recording.
Two critical questions will help us unlock the meaning of the prophecy which, Matthew by the Spirit, is confidently declaring that had been fully performed in the ruthless slaughter of the babes of Bethlehem. First, is: Where is Ramah? Second, who is Rachel? We will answer the first question first. Ramah was a city allocated to the tribe of Benjamin. Ramah means “height.” This is because it was situated on a hill and signifies its eminence. It’s located about 6 miles (10 kilometers) north of Jerusalem and 10 or 12 miles from Bethlehem. Ramah was the birthplace of the prophet Samuel. It was where he lived, died, and was buried (see 1 Samuel 1:19; 1 Samuel 2:11; 1 Samuel 8:4; 1 Samuel 19:18; 1 Samuel 25:1). It was in Ramah the prophet Samuel anointed Saul as the first King of Israel (see 1 Samuel 9:15-17; 10:1). It was fortified by Baasha, king of Israel, but immediately torn down by king Asa of Judah, who used its building stones and timber to build up Geba and Mizpah (see 1 Kings 15:17-22). It was later resettled by Jews who returned to Judah from Babylon (see Nehemiah 11:33). Ramah is commonly supposed to be the same as Arimathea of the New Testament, the place where Joseph of Arimathea, who begged for the body of Jesus lived (see Matthew 27:57). ̴Adapted from The Revell Concise Bible Dictionary, p. 684 and Biblehub.com.
It was in Ramah, that Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard gathered the Judeans (see Jeremiah 40:1). He released Jeremiah before taking the rest of his prisoners into exile in Babylon. Please notice that Jeremiah 31:15 begins with “Thus says the LORD.” This clearly indicates that what follows is a divine prophecy. The original purpose of this divine prophecy as spoken by Yahweh through His prophet Jeremiah was to describe the sad and sorrowful departure of the captive and conquered Judeans from Ramah into Babylonian captivity. You see, it from Ramah they started their melancholic or mournful journey as slaves to a cruel king, leaving behind them all that was dear in life. It’s the sadness and somberness of such a scene, well expressed in the prophetic words of Jeremiah that Matthew, the gospel writer, now wonderfully applies to the mournful event at Bethlehem and its vicinity. Just as the Judeans’ journey from Ramah into Babylonian captivity was a gloomy one, so now Herod’s ruthless slaughtering of innocent male babies two years and under is grievous and grim.
Now we come to the second question that will help us unlock the meaning of the prophecy quoted by Matthew. Who is Rachel? The name Rachel means “ewe.” Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife, was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. She died while giving birth to her second son Benjamin, whom she had named “Ben-noni” – meaning “the son of my sorrow.” She was buried on the way to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem (Genesis 35:18-19). Rachel is now poetically personified as rising from the dead and weeping again over her children in Benjamin and in Bethlehem. In other words, the prophet Jeremiah puts the mourning into the mouth of Rachel, who had been long dead. This poetic personification has a powerful influence on the affections of his audience.
The words from Biblehub.com shed much light on who is Rachel and what she represents in the prophecy of Jeremiah. “By a beautiful figure of speech, the prophet introduces the mother weeping over the tribe, her children, and with them weeping over the fallen destiny of Israel, and over the calamities about to come upon the land. Few images could be more striking than thus to introduce a mother, long dead, whose sepulcher was near, weeping bitterly over the terrible calamities that befell her descendants. The language and the image also aptly and beautifully expressed the sorrows of the mothers in Bethlehem when Herod slew their infant children. Under the cruelty of the tyrant almost every family was a family of tears, and well might there be lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning.” ̴Biblehub.com.
Now, it is important to understand that Jeremiah’s prophecy had been fulfilled at that time. The Babylonians devastated and destroyed many lives in the southern kingdom of Judah – which includes the tribe of Benjamin. However, Matthew does not mean to say that the prophecy foretold what Herod would do. He is simply indicating that the birth of the newborn King of the Jews will bring about the realization of a renewal of that mourning and weeping, which had been experienced, many centuries earlier, by the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
Transition: Having examined the realization of the prophetic word of God, we now explain the:
V. REFUSAL OF COMFORT BY RACHEL (Matthew 2:18b).
Normally, when there is a loss of a loved one’s life, well-wishers come to offer comfort the bereaved family. In fact, God Himself is described as the “the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3b-4; ESV). You see, God takes comforting the afflicted very seriously. He doesn’t want to leave us comfortless. He wants us to experience His comfort in all our affliction. But as Matthew brings his message on the tragic tale of the Christmas Story, he highlights Rachel’s refusal to be comforted.
This is how the Bible succinctly and soberly records it: “And she refused to be comforted, because they were no more” (Matthew 2:18b). It would interest you to know that this is not the first time a person refused to be comforted. The first time the Bible records a person refusing to be comforted was in Genesis 37:35. After selling their brother Joseph into slavery, the brothers covered up their sin by committing another. They took Joseph’s robe of many colors and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. They then brought it to their father telling him that they had found it. Then deceptively, they asked their father to examine the coat. Their father did and concluded that a fierce animal had devoured Joseph. Jacob then tore his garments and put on sackcloth and mourned for his son Joseph for many days (see Genesis 37:31-34). In Genesis 37:35 we read of the refusal of Jacob to be comforted. “All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and said, ‘No, shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.’”
Of course, Joseph was alive. But the mourning of his father was very real. As such, he refused to be comforted. Matthew also records another refusal of a person to be comforted. In his report, Rachel is seen as weeping and mourning over the slaughtered children, the children of Bethlehem and its vicinity. In other words, Rachel is introduced here as the representative of the mothers of Bethlehem and its neighborhood, weeping and mourning over them. You see, in the days of Jeremiah, the mothers of Judah and Benjamin expressed deep sorrow over their children who were exiled by Nebuchadnezzar. But in the massacre of the innocent infants of Bethlehem and its vicinity, the earlier tragedy was not only renewed, but also realized in the fullest and most tragic manner. Because Rachel’s children were no more, she refused to be comforted. The grief and pain in the broken heart of Rachel was so unbearable. No one’s comfort could bring relief to her broken heart.
Parents who have lost their children and loved ones through the sword of brutal dictators and through wars, can relate to Rachel. Because of the unbearable nature of their grief, they cannot find relief and peace. Even the best comfort, cannot placate their broken hearts. Such was the outcome the mothers
Conclusion:
Many things happened at the First Christmas. The angel Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, appeared to Zechariah (see Luke 1:5-19). Six months later, he appeared to Mary, with the news of being told that she had found favor in God's sight and would conceive and bear a son (see Luke 1:26-38). An angel spoke to Joseph in dreams on three occasions (see Matthew 1:20; 2:13, 19). An angel appeared to the shepherds while they were watching their flocks by night (see Luke 2:9). They were even privileged to behold a heavenly host praising God (Luke 2:13-14). The Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. In faith, Simeon came in the Spirit to the temple when the Christ Child was brought there (see Luke 2:25-26). A star appeared in the eastern sky to guide the wise men to Jerusalem and later to Bethlehem (see Matthew 2:1-12)! These were the thrilling and tender parts of the Christmas Story.
But then came a tragic and troubling event in the Christmas Story. Herod’s ruthless slaughter of innocent male infants in Bethlehem and its vicinity. You see, Herod was in a position of authority to protect and preserve the lives of all innocent little children in his kingdom. That's what rulers and leaders are supposed to do! But Herod miserably failed to do so.
When the wise men failed to return to Jerusalem to report to Herod news about the newborn King of the Jews, he recognized that he had been outwitted. Herod, leaning on his own wisdom, thought that he could outwit and outsmart God. But God turned Herod’s wisdom to folly. Whatever wisdom the enemy is employing to try to derail God’s purpose for your life; rest assured that God is able, yes, more than able to turn it to folly. He will frustrate the shrewd plans of your enemy against you.
Herod's recognition that he had been outwitted led to a rage that is satanic in nature. Just as in Revelation 12, Satan turned his frustrated rage against the followers of the Lamb, so also Herod would turn his rage against innocent male infants two years and under in Bethlehem and its locality.
Herod's rage viciously and violently manifested itself in the ruthless slaughter of guileless and guiltless innocent male children aged two years and under. In his quest to make sure that "newborn King of the Jews" was eliminated from his kingdom, Herod ordered his soldiers to slaughter all male children two years and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity. This became the tragic tale of the Christmas story. Of course, God was a step ahead of Herod. Through a dream, He directed Joseph to take the Child and His Mother and flee to Egypt. But the these children suffered martyrdom. Their violent murder was their martyrdom.
No one could read of this vicious crime against the innocent infant males of Bethlehem and its vicinity, without asking: why did God permit it? Why did a loving God allow such a horrific act to be perpetrated against the male babies of Bethlehem and its locality? One satisfactory answer the Bible gives us in this Christmas Story is the realization of the prophetic word of God. In His sovereign wisdom, God allowed Herod the Great to commit a violent and vicious atrocity against male children, two years and under. But through it, God brought about the realization or fulfillment of His prophetic word spoken through Jeremiah. By a beautiful figure of speech, Rachel, a mother, long dead, was poetically personified as rising from the dead - bitterly weeping and grieving over the tragic violence that came upon her descendants. Indeed, God's ways are not our ways. His ways are higher than our ways.
The tragic loss of the lives of the innocent infants of Bethlehem and its neighborhood was so much for Rachel to bear. In other words, the grief in her heart was unbearable. Yet, Rachel refused to be comforted because her children were no more. Herod's sword had taken their lives so early in their pilgrimage on earth. Children were the ones who suffered the most at the First Christmas. And they are the ones suffering the most during the Christmas celebration in our day. They need our love and care. They need our prayers at all times, especially at Christmas time. Please follow this link: Prayer at Christmas," to pray for children in your sphere of influence.
Benediction:
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant – as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old – salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us” (Luke 1:68-71; NASB).