Worse than Jezebel

I tell you what -- I'm going to be glad to leave Herodias behind. She was awful! What a distinction to have: one of history's most wicked women. That problem heart of hers, full of ambition and sin, proved to be the undoing of Herodias and all those around her.

Her counterpart in the Old Testament was Jezebel, and in our title this week, we noted that Herodias was even worse than her. We saw that she exceeded Jezebel in her hatred of God's servant -- she managed to kill him. Elijah outlived Jezebel -- she was thrown from the balcony by one of her servants.

There's a positive note here: The historians tell us that when Antipas was charged with treason, the Emperor exiled him to France, and offered to free Herodias to a life of luxury in Agrippa's palace. Instead, she went with Herod Antipas to France, and lived with her husband and his shame (that she helped to create).

So, Herodias' final legacy is one of vengeance, wickedness, and sin.

What will our legacies be?

What are the things that will determine how we are remembered? What will be said at our eulogies? The principles that we embrace, the priorities that we establish, and our philosophy for living will be what determine how people remember us. Personally, I hope that people remember me for what I did with God's help, and the things that I did for Him.

Whether single or married, a woman can take great pride in the home she creates. We know in our hearts that the home is more than the physical house; it's more than the lumber and shingles and furnishings inside.
As Christian women, our homes should be places of love, encouragement, safety, and inspiration. Herodias missed the mark on that, didn't she? She threw aside her first husband, and then she threw her daughter to the wolves.
Are our homes where young people are prepared for tomorrow's world?
Are they places where older people can find comfort?
Are they places where unwise ones can receive guidance, and where hurt ones can be encouraged and healed?
Are our homes places where family and friends can be assured that they will find love?

Maybe the saddest thing of all about Herodias, is that she faced eternity without knowing God's forgiveness and grace.
If she had only listened to John when he talked about Jesus . . .

“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." (Revelation 22:12-15)

Oh, how I pray that all of us will be inside those gates with Jesus!