Mark 6:21 says, 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; A convenient day had come, and Herod made a supper for his officials on his birthday. Sometimes, what may seem to be a convenient day and a time to celebrate can end up being something terrible if we leave God out of it. Verse twenty-two adds, 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. Herodias's daughter came and danced for Herod and those with him, and this pleased Herod. He was looking for earthly pleasures in life as he celebrated his birthday, and the dancing had provided that. People too often are looking only for earthly pleasure in life and when they find it, they neglect to count what it might ultimately cost them. Verse twenty-three continues, And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. Herod told Herodias's daughter to ask anything she wanted, and he would give it to her, up to half his kingdom. He made this promise with very little thought as to what it might really cost him. We need to make sure that we do not make promises that could lead to real problems. If we are to make a promise to someone else, we should first pray about it and not just act on impulse because something has put us in a good mood at the time. Verse twenty-four states, And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. Verse twenty-five concludes, And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. She went to her mother and asked her what she should ask for. Herod had promised up to half his kingdom, but she still went to her mother for advice. Though I believe children, even those who are nearly grown, should seek the advice of their parents when making a big decision, the advice they get may not always be in accordance with what God would have them do. We don't have to look very far in the world today to see many people are giving children horrible advice that will alter the rest of their lives, and this advice is certainly not from God's direction. Herodias told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a charger, or serving dish, as we are told in another gospel. Since John the Baptist had spoken out against her relationship with Herod, she wanted him dead. We should not be surprised if we speak out against the sins of someone today that they want us dead. I don't believe that John the Baptist spoke out against them simply to condemn them, but to do as we are told he did when preaching, and that is to call them to repentance. This should be our goal today as well. Verse twenty-six says, And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. Herod was very sorry, but because of his oath, he was bound by law to do as she asked. Still, the choice was his. He could have told her what she asked was more than he was willing to do, even if he had to break his oath. We may make a promise to someone today, then realize what we promised is not in keeping with God's purpose and laws, and if we do, we have a choice. We can either break the promise or break God's law. Verse twenty-seven adds, And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison. Verse twenty-eight continues, And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother. Herod immediately did as she asked and had John the Baptist beheaded and brought his head to the girl on a charger. He did not take time to think about what the result of what he was doing would mean. Herod made the promise, the daughter made the request, but it was Herodias who got what she wanted. Sometimes people are manipulated into doing what someone else wants and receive something that has no value to them in return. We can also say that we often make decisions without thinking through the cost of that decision.
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