A King’s Fear

For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy…

Mark 6:20

As much power as King Herod possessed, there remained in him yet the fear of John the Baptist. Why? Because he was just and holy. He spoke what was right and he lived what was right.

John was not just another preacher or teacher, he was filled with the Holy Ghost and proclaimed boldly the command of God to repent because the Lamb of God and His Kingdom was coming! His message had power because it was God’s message, and his life showed he believed that message with all of his being, so much so that he was willing to protest the personal sin of King Herod.

Let that sink in for a moment. John the Baptist called out the Roman-installed King Herod for his sin. That got him in jail, and it eventually got him beheaded, but it also earned the respect of Herod. Herod knew that God’s hand was on John’s life, so much so that he believed Christ to be the resurrected John.

Here’s what I take away (and am chewing on in this season of life) from this: holy living makes a great difference for God, even in the life of a carnal king.

-C.R.