THE FRUSTRATION OF SATAN 6

CHAPTER SIX: KING HEROD'S RAGE

It was one of those erratic banquets Herod Antipar, also known as King Herod, used to throw frequently. The royal palace was decked in different colors. The banqueting hall was filled with foods, wine and all kinds of assorted drinks. The court jester cracked hilarious jokes. Soft musing permeated the air from the Royal Orchestra. Everything was fine, except that the guests did not know what this particular celebration was about. King Herod wore his royal apparel and his beautiful wife, Mariamne, sat beside him, resplendent in a white silk attire with a red rose. King Herod had not spoken yet and everyone wanted to hear him – or rather the cause of the feast.

After a while King Herod rose to his full height. Every kind of noise ceased, and all eyes turned in his direction.

“Welcome! “ Herod said, “It has been a cold winter night and we needed to loosen up a bit. Drink to your hearts content and be merry. But let me tell you something you may have heard about already. Some time ago, some shepherds from the east came and told me that some child had been born the King of the Jews. An angel or angels told them so and they were following his star. It was a compelling and interesting story. But it was a wrong time for the child to be born to be the king of the Jews because the Jews already have a king which is me. As you know, two cocks cannot crow under the same roof…”

A spattering of patronizing laughter followed.

“Well I decided to take the news in my stride,” he continued. “I told the shepherds to go and identify the baby-king and come back and tell me where he was and who it was. They left and promised to come back. I even prepared a feast for them. But guess what? They mocked me. They did not come back to me. So I found out where the king was to be born and sent my soldiers to do a cleaning up… see how you can kill this king of the Jews. Well we had some collateral damage because other babies were also killed. My soldiers had no way of knowing which of them was the messiah – they all looked like one. I have heard that there was a lot of crying and weeping as a result of this collateral damage…too bad.

“We, human beings, always cry over small change. All the couples that lost children can always have more children. After all, they did not buy the children. They had them through pleasure and they can have more pleasure and have more children. Better children than the ones they lost. I do not cotton to the sentimental stuff. As you know, I executed two of my sons, so tell the good people of Bethlehem that I did to them as I did to myself. I kept the rule of doing unto others as you would do to yourself.”

Mariamne, fidgeted in her seat. The two sons of Herod were grown up and were executed by their father for defying him. The babies of Bethlehem were oblivious of the world. They did not even know what they were dying for. If she had heard of it, she would have confronted him – even at the risk of her life. Herod had already executed some of his wives and Mariamne knew it was a matter of time before he ordered her execution too. He had earlier sent Mariamne’s uncle, Antigonus, who had had a three-year war with him, to Rome for execution. She was no more afraid of death – she had watched too many killed by the man she called her husband. If she could have walked away from the relationship, she would have, but that would be suicide. She wished he would send her away like he sent Doris and her son away instead of killing them. Doris was Herod’s wife before the advent of Mariamne. At she thought of the massacre of the innocents, she shuddered.

The banquet took a somber mood after Herod’s speech. The Sadducee's were upset with Herod because he had not appointed them to priestly positions. The Pharisees were equally upset with him because of his hedonistic lifestyle – though he claimed to be a Jew. Actually, Herod, was an Edomite from Idumea, who converted to Judaism and referred to himself as a Jew. Both sides were appalled by the massacre of the innocents – a rare event for them to agree on an issue. Even the few Romans who were at the banquet considered massacring children because of the tale of some shepherds outrageous, killing flies with a spear. However, everyone thought it wise and safe to keep his or her opinion to himself. Whenever anyone argued with Herod in public, a funeral usually followed.

After the party ended, Herod retired to his chambers to check whether he had some mails from the Emperor Augustus Caesar. As he plunked into his seat, his Chief of Staff, Ariel, closed the door behind him and hailed him, “Oh King live forever.”

Herod turned and looked at him, “Hope everything went well in there?”

Ariel nodded. “Not everyone liked the information but they needed to know that you do not suffer any kind of opposition or rivalry from any quarters. You are king and there can be no other. That information was sent to them loud and clear, even if they did not like it.”

Herod nodded, “That was my intention and I am glad I drove that point home. Let them know that even if I consider an ant a threat, I would crush it and all the houses that ant enters into.”

Ariel nodded. “Oh king, that wisdom is from your fathers. Most excellent Herod, Dayan is here to see you.”

Dayan was the most treasured spy that Herod had. Herod had over five thousand spies in the city of Jerusalem alone monitoring conversations and reporting to him or his officers daily. Dayan was the number one spy and he enjoyed special privileges. Principally because it was through his intelligence that Antigonus was defeated, after a deadlock in the battlefield, and captured.

“Usher him in!” Herod said. “I spotted him in the banquet.”

Dayan was a short fat man with bulging muscles. He had tiny eyes, which would almost certainly remind you of the last time you saw a snake. He came in and bowed to the king.

“What tidings do you have?” Herod asked.

“Oh King live forever,” Dayan said, “You may have missed the target in Bethlehem. The Anointed One or infant King of the Jews left the night before the massacre.”

Herod had a sharp pain in his chest. He clutched it and stared in alarm at Dayan. After wiping out all the children, he would still have missed the target? It was incredible. “How do you know?”

“Well when the shepherd or magi came they visited one house and all the people in the community saw them. It was the house of Joseph and Mary. The child is called ‘Jesus.’ Jesus was not killed in the massacre. The family left the town the night before the massacre. That was the child. When they took him to the temple, Simeon, a just man prophesied about him in the temple. Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser, an old widow of a great age, who always sought the face of the Lord also prophesied about him. He was your target. You missed him.”

Herod turned to see Mariamne standing at the door. She cleared her throat and came into the room.

“Herod,” she said calmly, “If an angel told the wise men of the birth of the King of the Jews, the angel would also tell his parents of your intentions and guide and protect him. You cannot fight against God. You should not have ordered the massacre of the helpless babies.”

Herod shook his head and looked down at his hands.

“I even understand that your soldier, the commander, saw them and let them pass,” Dayan. Lu had told Dayan in the coven where he worshiped demons. Dayan cast a look at the till where Herod kept money. The message was clear. It was time to settle him and send him on his way.

Meanwhile Julius was at home – he did not attend the banquet. Two giants snake came out of the bush and chased Julius. He ran and they would not stop the pursuit. Then he ran into his neighbor’s house and his baby boy ran to hug him, oblivious of the danger. He tried to grab the boy and run upstairs, but the boy fell from his hands at the end of the staircase and rolled down the stairs. As he turned to help the boy one of the snakes opened its mouth and swallowed the boy. Julius screamed.

His wife woke him and looked at him with concern, “Are you having the nightmare again?”

Julius sat on the edge of the bed and held his head in his hands. Then tears began to fall from his eyes. The sounds of the babies in Bethlehem and their tearful eyes appealing to him, he could not shake off his mind. The incident had turned his world upside down. He became more withdrawn and lonely. His wife had asked him a thousand times what was going on, but he could not bring himself to tell her that he massacred the babies. How could he when his wife believed that those who killed the innocents were beasts and not worthless.

Then he told her. He poured his heart out to her. He considered the massacre the dirtiest thing he had ever done and an unpardonable sin. He told her of saving the baby. She looked at him in astonishment. Then she said, “If Herod knows he would kill us.”

“I doubt that he would know.”

She made him a warm bowl of milk and said, “Now that you have shared your burden, perhaps, you will not have the nightmare again. I still love you. You were ordered to do it. I understand.”

He drank the milk in one gulp and went back to sleep. This time he dreamt that he was standing on top of a mountain and looking down at the kingdoms of the world. As he looked, a whirlwind came and rent his clothes and almost caused him to plunge to certain death below. Then out of nowhere he heard a voice behind him. The wind ceased and he turned to see his late father.

“Dad, I did what you asked me to do. I spared the baby,” he said as he surged forward to touch his father.

His father stepped back and prevented him from touching him. Then he said, “Get you up, saddle your horse and leave for Egypt now. Leave your wife behind, for the Father of that child will protect her from Herod. Your friend is coming to meet you.”

Julius got up and rubbed his eyes. Then he woke up his wife and told her the dream. “He told me to leave now.”

“So what are we waiting for, let’s pack,” she said in panic.

She got some stuff for him to eat, and packed them into a sack. He prepared the horse – a strong boned race winner. Then he packed his soldier’s gear into a bag and patted the horse. All was set for the journey. Then he heard horse hooves, and reached for his sword.

Brutus rounded the bend and rode toward him furiously. “Julius, Ariel sent a message to me that I should alert you to run. You know he is my first cousin? My maternal cousin! Dayan told Herod that you saved the baby, and soon soldiers would be coming for your execution. Get on your horse lets go! We are in this together.”

Julius rushed to his wife and kissed her, “Take care of Justin. Tell him, when he wakes up, daddy would be back. My father said the Father of the Child would protect you. The father of the child is a carpenter… but lets see what happens.”

There were tears in her eyes. In the distance, and stillness of the night, Brutus thought he could hear the sound of hooves and tinkling of armor.

He rattled his sword and shouted, “Julius cut it out and lets go.”

Julius held his wife’s hand and dragged her to his horse. He jumped over it and let go of her hand and they galloped away. She ran some distance waving at them until they disappeared down the street. They had not gone very far when they heard the soldiers coming and dashed into a dark alley. The soldiers passed. They were about twenty of them.

Julius turned to Brutus, “Why are you doing this? You are risking your life for me. You can still go back and leave me alone.”

Brutus laughed, “I always stand by my friends and if need be die by them. So far I have not died yet and so I keep standing. Lets go. I am not like the Brutus who betrayed Caesar. This is a different Brutus.”

(An upcoming book by Pastor Anietie Ukpe. Just allowing my imagination to rumble. This is not by revelation please. Watch out for Chapter Seven)