Matthew 2:16
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
Herod waited long and impatiently for the wise men to return so he could destroy the newborn King, and when they did not come he took their absence as deliberate mockery and insult and burned with exceeding wrath, turning from cunning to open force. He sent out soldiers to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its surrounding coasts from two years old and under, setting that wide limit by the time he had carefully learned from the wise men to make certain of killing Jesus and holding his own throne. The order aimed both to murder the feared infant Prince of Israel and to terrify the Jews out of hoping for a king of their own. Behind the crime Satan stirred Herod's envy and fear of a rival, filling his mind with dread that his kingdom would be taken by the new King and moving him to plan the massacre to rid the earth of the Saviour. The slaughter fulfilled Jeremiah's picture of Rachel weeping for her children and refusing comfort, bringing cruel grief to the homes of Bethlehem, and it stands as a fruitless assault on God for which Herod soon died a terrible death and will face the enormity of his guilt at the final judgment.
Herod's Wrath and Order
Herod waited anxiously and impatiently for the wise men to return so that he could destroy the infant King, and when after long waiting they did not return he feared his purpose would be thwarted. He took their absence as mockery and insult, reasoning that they had read his dark premeditated plan and had purposely avoided him. His impatience, envy and hatred increased at being so treated. Enraged, he turned from pretense and subtlety to power and authority and responded with exceeding wrath and violent force against the child-king.
He sent forth soldiers and ordered the killing of all the children, specifically the boys, that were in Bethlehem and in all its coasts and surrounding region, from two years old and under. He set the two-year age limit according to the time which he had diligently and carefully enquired of the wise men. By that wide margin he sought to make certain of destroying the infant Jesus and securing his own rule and throne.
The order was meant both to murder the envied and feared infant Prince and King of Israel and to display Herod's power over the Jews. By a most cruel act he would strike terror to their hearts, suppress their boast and hope of a king and separate kingdom and government that would make them great, and make an example to warn them against seeking to place a monarch on the throne in Jerusalem. He knew what God's prophet had said about Christ's coming and knew the star had guided the wise men, yet he chose to fight against God in hope of destroying the King of Israel.
Powers Behind the Crime
Behind Herod's order stood Satan stirring his jealousy, envy and fear of the newborn Christ, making him see the infant King as a rival who would contest his power, overthrow his throne and kingdom, and end his life. From His birth Satan looked upon Christ as his own rival who would contest his power and overthrow his throne, and he was troubled and alarmed for his kingdom and his life. He then stirred the envy and jealousy of Herod and inspired him to kill the children in Bethlehem who were two years old and under, intending by that slaughter to rid the earth of the infant King and destroy Him.
Satan imbued Herod's corrupt mind with the very feelings and fears that disturbed his own mind, insinuating that Herod's power and kingdom were to be given to the new King. By that insinuation he inspired and moved Herod to plan and order the massacre as a scheme he thought would rid the earth of the infant King. In this Herod became the human agent of Satan's attack on the Saviour from His birth, stirred by his father the devil, turning from pretense and subtlety to power and authority. Satan moved Herod to try to kill Christ at His birth, and his working through Herod to destroy Jesus while He was a child was part of the opposition to Christ's mission to reveal the Father and limit Satan's power.
Jewish false interpretation of the prophets that Christ was to reign over an earthly empire in unsurpassed glory presented the Saviour and His mission in a false light and excited Herod's envy and hatred against Christ. Their false teaching and proud claims that Christ would rule an earthly empire had helped stir Herod's envy and hatred and had misrepresented Christ's mission. Satan purposed through that proud boasting to bring about the destruction of the infant Saviour, but the purpose failed to achieve its end and rebounded back upon the Jews themselves, filling their homes with mourning instead of destroying the infant Saviour.
Prophecy, Judgment and Memory
The slaughter fulfilled Jeremiah's picture of Rachel mourning and weeping for her children and refusing comfort because they are gone. The soldiers carried out the order with brutality and cruelty, bringing destruction and death to Bethlehem. Their violence brought mourning and unbearable grief to the homes and parents of the children.
The calamity was permitted to humble and punish the Jewish nation because of its pride, ambition, and wickedness. Their proud claims of an earthly empire did not destroy the infant Saviour but turned back upon themselves in sorrow and mourning. Their false teaching that Christ would rule an earthly empire had stirred Herod's envy and hatred and misrepresented Christ's mission, and Satan's purpose through that proud boasting to bring about the destruction of the infant Saviour failed and rebounded upon the Jews themselves.
The massacre was an act of cruelty and one of the last deeds of Herod's reign. He did not long survive his cruel work but soon died a fearful and terrible death. He was compelled to yield to a power he could not turn aside or overcome, which brought his reign to an end. At the final judgment Herod sees his slaughter of Bethlehem's innocent children as part of his attempt to destroy the King of Israel and recognizes the enormity of his guilt.
Jesus was driven from Bethlehem by the jealous king, beginning a life marked by persecution and insult. Herod's persecution forced Him to seek temporary refuge elsewhere. God directed the course of Joseph to preserve the life of the infant Saviour from the massacre. The return from Egypt came only after Herod's death, when those who sought the child's life were dead.
The memory of that cruel massacre explains why Joseph and Mary feared harm had come to Jesus when they lost sight of twelve-year-old Jesus on the return from Jerusalem. They remembered Herod's attempt to destroy the King of Israel in His infancy while they searched anxiously for Him. They hastened back sad, fearful, and sorrowing to seek Him. The massacre stands as one of the fruitless crimes of Herod's family against God's servants. It was followed later by Herod Antipas murdering John the Baptist and by Agrippa I causing the apostle James to be martyred.