Great Worth

"The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her"- Mark 6:26 (NIV).

King Herod had imprisoned John the Baptist because his wife, Herodias, who had also been his brother Philip's wife, was angry that John had told Herod, and circulated it, that it wasn't legal for her to be Herod's wife (v.17-18); but, Herod was enthralled with John; he feared him, but wanted to protect him, too, knowing John was considered a holy man and he loved to listen to him (v.20). What would have happened if John the Baptist had made a believer out of King Herod? So, Satan put a plan into motion. He trounced the possibility through the king's pride. Salome, Herodias' daughter, so moved the king and his guests in her dance that he almost gave away half his kingdom (v.23). His public offer of anything she wanted put his pride to the test when she asked for John's head. Herod was the king; he could do anything he wanted, except protect an innocent holy man he had grown to admire. If he had refused her, he would have put John's worth at more than half his kingdom. King Herod was greatly distressed; his enslavement to pride made him easily manipulated by Satan; however, Christ Jesus came to set us free from sin. We are worth much more than half of God's kingdom; God even gave His Son to die for us. Believer, you are of great worth.