Herod, the King of Judea, wasn’t willing to give up his rule to anyone. When he heard that the King of the Jews was born, he tried to ensure his position of power by having every child in the area of Bethlehem slaughtered by his soldiers. Although he was unsuccessful, it is still a horrible moment in history. Yet the parents who lost their children to such wickedness could still trust that their God would bring light to their darkness.
Christ in the Old Testament
This is what the Lord says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamenting and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; She refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” (Jeremiah 31:15)
During the life and ministry of Jeremiah, Israel had faced severe losses at the hands of other nations. In this passage, he records the mourning of a small town whose children had been killed or captured. These mothers knew they’d never see their children again, and because of that they were experiencing one of the most bitter pains imaginable.
Yet even in the midst of such tragedy, God offers them hope.
This is what the Lord says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears; for your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord, “and they will return from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your future,” declares the Lord, “And your children will return to their own territory. (Jeremiah 31:16-17)
Despite the tragedy and heartache the people experienced, God promised them a glorious conclusion. No matter how hopeless things seemed now, He had hope in mind for their future.
Fulfilled in the New Testament
Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord *appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.” (Matthew 2:13)
Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent men and killed all the boys who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be comforted, because they were no more.” (Matthew 2:16-18)
Herod’s attempt to thwart God’s plan ended in senseless death. God knew the heartache of the mothers in Bethlehem, just as He knew the pain of the mothers in Jeremiah’s day. As always, God wasn’t going to let people sit in their darkness. The child Herod tried to kill would one day take away the sin of the world.
It can be difficult to see God’s goodness in the midst of our darkness. The words “Why God? Why me?” are easy to speak in the midst of our grief. Yet no matter what we face, we know God has plans that we may never be able to comprehend.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
The good that God has in mind stretches far beyond what we experience today. We want Him to make things work out now, and sometimes He will. Yet while we can only focus on the next few years of our lives, God has His eye on eternity.
The suffering we experience in this world is being used for God’s perfect plans. Sometimes we’ll see the payoff of our suffering in our lifetime, but much of our pain may not make sense until we’re in Heaven. Pain grows us, suffering draws us closer to Christ, and we often teach others about the glory of our Savior by how we live in spite of darkness.
God knew the pain of mothers who lost their children, and He promised that a brighter day was coming through Jesus Christ. We will all experience pain in this life, and it may seem like no good can come from it. Yet we can trust that our good and loving God hears our pain and is always working toward the good of His people. God sent Christ to give us hope far beyond what we experience in this life. Through His Son, we have hope for eternity.
