The Herod’s were Edomites from the territory of Idumea.  So how did they become rulers in Judaea and the surrounding territories?
   In 125 B.C. John Hyrcanus, a Jewish general, conquered Idumea and forced all of the Edomite men to be circumcised.  In the first century B.C. one of those men, Antipitas, was appointed by Roman Authorities to be governor of Idumea.  His son, Antipater, succeeded him and was appointed Procurator of Judaea.  Eventually, Antipater had his son Herod, appointed governor of Galilee.  Herod proved to be a smart ambitious politician, providing tribute monies to the Roman government while building relationships with Anthony and Augustus, the famous Roman generals. In 37 B.C. Herod was given the crown of Judaea by the Romans, provided he could conquer the territory and establish his rule there, which Herod did, conquering the city of Jerusalem the same year.  That is how an Edomite became king of the Jews.
    Called Herod the Great, he tried to kill Jesus in his infancy by killing all the young boys in Bethlehem.  Jesus escaped.
    Herod the Great’s son, Herod Antipas, had John the Baptist beheaded.
   This same Herod Antipas questioned Jesus during his trial before Pilate. Jesus gave no answers even though they mocked and beat him.
    Herod Agripa I, grandson of Herod the Great, had the apostle James killed with a sword.  Soon thereafter this Herod was eaten by worms and died.
   Herod Agripa II, the great grandson of Herod the Great, listened to Paul’s defense in Caesarea with governor Felix.  Paul appealed to Caesar in Rome rather than return to Jerusalem for trial.
   Jesus’ entire time on earth was lived under the tyrannical rule of the Edomites known as the Herods.  Yet through it all, Jesus accomplished everything he came to do, ultimately declaring, “All authority in heaven and of earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18).  No matter who gets elected on earth, Jesus is the king of kings, with absolute authority over everyone.

Rick Cunningham

​          Life can be hard at times.  Illness, tragedy, misfortune, loss and such may make life seem unbearable. An accumulation of negative events may lead to a sense of depression.  It may look like things only get worse, never better.
          Job experienced such depression. He said, “My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away without a glimpse of joy.  They skim past like boats of papyrus, like eagles swooping down on their prey.  If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression, and smile,’ I still dread all my sufferings.” (Job 9:25-28).  Life is hopeless.
          Later, however, Job’s fortunes did improve.  God blessed Job with renewed health, restored wealth and a beautiful family of children and grandchildren four generations deep.  He couldn’t have imagined it in the days of his depression, but life was good again.
          So, it is with Christians.  We may have problems, sometimes tremendous problems, but in time everything will be good again.  In fact, our ultimate future will be better than we could ever imagine now.  Paul said, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).
          No matter what, Christian, God has blessings in store for you.  Things will not get worse and end in personal destruction.  Things will get better and end in personal victory and eternal bliss.  We have God’s Word on it.
 
                                                                                               Rick Cunningham
                                                                                                   To the Point!  
                                                                                       “The Cunningham Papers"

​            It is hard to distinguish between good and evil these days.  The world is constantly redefining the two.  Bad has become good, right has become wrong, true has become false, and nothing is what it seems to be.  Everything has a “spin” on it.  That’s the new term.
          There’s nothing really new about redefining good and evil.  The ancient Greek sophists made their living putting a “spin” on anything for pay.  Whatever view one wanted; the sophists could justify it.  Many lawyers practice sophistry today.  And sadly, so do many people who claim to be Christians.
          Good and evil are absolutes.  God defines them in his Word.  To avoid the confusion, we must continually define our values in the light of what God says. Otherwise, we, too, will be confused by the “spin”.
          Isaiah said, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20).
          Watch out for the “spin,” Christian.  The results can be dizzying.
                                       
                                                                                              Rick Cunningham
                                                                                                  To the Point!
                                                                                      “The Cunningham Papers”

​Every morning I made the inspection. I wondered if what had been sprayed on the weed in my yard was going to work. At first, the objects of my dissatisfaction, those   persistent weeds seemed undisturbed. But after a few more days, obvious changes were beginning to take place. By the seventh day it was apparent the solution had done its job for there was no sign of life in the once flourishing weed.  The solution had attacked the roots of the weeds for an effective kill. Think about sin in our lives. Sin will not only affect externals it makes its way into our hearts and strikes at the root of faith, of spiritually, of life. If we continue to ignore sin the result will be a withering conscience, a shriveling of morals, and in time a complete collapse of the soul (James 1:15). Sin ultimately destroys the soul unless it is repented of and cleansed by the blood of Christ. James said, Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:21). We can be set free of any sin that seeks to binds us, but we must not take sin lightly (Luke 13:3, John 8:31-32). There are certain sins that may take longer to get to the root of our lives, but any sin we ignore promises to destroy our souls.

Clark Tatum

​     You have heard it said that oil and water don’t mix. You can understand this concept better when you take a look at a bottle of salad dressing. You hold it up and you can see where things have settled and the oil and water have separated. In order to bring that oil and water back together, the bottle must be shaken. You sit the bottle back down for a bit and in no time the oil and water separate because in a bottle of salad dressing the togetherness of the ingredients won’t last forever. They go back to their own department. They go back to separate rooms. They go back to separate seating places, separate communities. They go back because it is their nature they will not mix.
     Mayonnaise, on the other hand, does not have to be shaken even though it is also comprised mostly of oil and water. This happens because mayonnaise contains an emulsifier. An emulsifier is that which brings things together that which otherwise could never come together. The emulsifier in mayonnaise is an egg and the egg infiltrates both substances so they are able to come together and be a solid substance. The emulsifier that brings people together from different backgrounds and places into the church is the blood of Christ. Out of Jesus’ great love for us He acts as an emulsifier that makes us one “in Christ Jesus.” 

Clark Tatum