Herod: led by sinful pleasure

One of the saddest stories in all of scripture, for me to have read lately anyway, is the death of John the Baptist.  It's not  because John dies either.  It's because of Herod.  

Here is this great and mighty ruler who succumbs to the thrills of momentary pleasure and the fear of man with the result being the death of a very Godly and righteous man.  This is how it goes down: Herod had married his brother's wife, thus committing adultery with her, and John had told him in no less words that it was wrong of him to do so.  Herod didn't stop what he was doing and the woman, now his wife Herodias, hated John and wanted to see him die.  Herod wasn't willing to do this though because he knew that John was a righteous and holy man and liked to bear what he had to say.  He did keep him in prison though, which still shows that his heart was hard to the message that John was preaching.  

As time goes on Herod has a birthday party, as we all tend to do from time to time, and at this party Herodias' daughter comes in to dance for them and Herod was so overcome with pleasure by her dance that he tells her he will give her whatever she wants, up to half of his kingdom.  Oh, the power of sinful pleasure, huh?

Anyway, the girl goes to her mother and asks what she should do.  The mother says to ask for the head of John on a platter.  OOPS! Now what is Herod to do?  He has just made this promise to give her whatever she wants; he doesn't want to look bad in front of his guests; so he does it.  He has John beheaded and the head actually brought in on a platter.  Now, this story could be dissected a lot, but it truly is a sad story because Herod knew who John was.  He knew the right thing to do; yet his lust and fear of man led him to do that which was so greatly evil.  Taking the life of another man.  

Have you ever been there?  Making dumb, sinful, decisions based on your own pleasure or on the fear of man.  I know I have.  It's a sad place to be.  Herod's life was dominated by those things.  Gratefully our lives don't need to be.  Jesus gives the power by His Holy Spirit to overcome our sinful desires and the fear of man in order that we might walk in obedience to Him and to His Word.