I was that king
At the time of his birth,
Some said that this was the time
When God came to earth.
Emmanuel, they said,
Meaning God with us
And they said that the baby’s name
Was Jesus.
Magi came inquiring
Where he may be found
But as far as I knew at the time
One king was around.
This was yours truly,
Herod the Great,
The king I suppose the people
Loved to hate.
I was ruthless and evil
And had my own way,
You would remember the massacre
I caused in that day.
All the male babies
I had decreed to die,
All of them two years and under,
Dare any defy!
I had fooled the magi,
At least, I thought so
But my expectation of their return
Was a no-show.
Worship whom?
A nondescript baby?
Me? The great and mighty Herod?
Are you crazy?
Do not blame me
For what I did that day,
Charge those magi from the east
Who went another way.
Be in my shoes,
What would you have done?
Just quietly abdicate the throne
And cowardly run?
Well, not me, Herod,
Unless it was Caesar,
The Roman god-like Emperor
Who had so ordered.
Get the order right!
It was him and then me,
And besides, no one in the palace
Knew about this baby.
I tried to slay him
But I must admit I failed,
All my soldiers failed miserably
In this sordid detail.
One piece of information
That Herod did not give
Was that an angel had told Joseph
He no longer lived.
So, Herod met his demise
Like all earthly kings
However, Jesus is alive forever
And salvation brings.
Stewart Russell © December 16, 2025
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