Session 2

Herodias

From Eve & Adam: 30-Day Bible Study

Herodias left her first husband, Philip, to marry his half brother, Herod. These were no ordinary brothers. Philip and Herod were two of the four rulers of Palestine, making Herodias and Herod’s marriage a public affair.

When John the Baptist speaks out against their adultery, Herodias would rather kill John than deal with her sin. Matthew 14:5 says Herod was afraid to kill John, so he has John arrested instead. Herod likes listening to John, and the two strike up an odd relationship. It’s not hard to imagine Herodias’ betrayal turning to bitterness every time she saw the two talking. “Does Herod not know who he’s talking to?” she probably thought. “How could he do this to me? It’s humiliating.”

When given the opportunity to finally have John killed, Herodias takes it. We can look at Herodias and think, “I would never to do those things.” But we would be wrong. We are all sinners. 1 John 1:8 says, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth” (NLT).

We’ve all got sin, and like Herodias, we will only make things worse by trying to hide it. Herodias’ kill-the-messenger response led to her and Herod becoming murderers as well as adulterers. Not dealing with sin leads to guilt and shame. Guilt and shame beget more guilt and shame. Confession is the only way to break this cycle.

1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We will never experience true freedom without confession, because it’s through confession that we lay down our pride, acknowledge our failings and admit we need Jesus. Jesus’s death on the cross paid the debt for our sins past, present and future. He broke the sin cycle for us and made it possible for us to have a relationship with God (1 Peter 3:18).

Take a close look at your life. Are you trying to hide from sin? Don’t waste another moment enslaved to guilt and shame. Make today the day you confess your sin and begin walking in the freedom Christ died for you to have. 

1. When it comes to confessing sin, what most often holds you back? What does the BIble say about this?

2. What consequences have you experienced while trying to cover-up or ignore sin? How do the consequences of unrepentant sin compare to the consequences of confessing our sin?