Herod was an absolutely ruthless ruler, and this action was one of his worst. Herod was so paranoid about losing power that he even killed his sons at one time, so killing the innocent children of others would not cause him too much trouble. So often we cry out to God, “why don’t you stop these horrible things from happening?” This is a real question, because our world is really messed up. Most of the problems of this world are the result of our own horrible choices, human beings deciding not to obey God, but do what is best for themselves, no matter what that does to others.
Jesus was not shielded from all of these attacks – Joseph and Mary had to flee to Egypt to save their child. Jesus was not shielded from the pain and loss of this world. He saw people starve, He lost His earthly father at some point, He knew constant rejection, He experienced very real pain. The Bible does NOT teach that God will cause all pain or trouble to go away from us, as much as we want that, as much as we hurt, as much as we wish He would. The Bible says that someday they pain will go away – that is the world to come, and God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, because He is always near to us. The Bible also teaches us to be wise and strong against the evil and selfishness of this world, and the pride that lives inside of us. We can avoid the trouble by following God. We can fight against the problems of the world with the strength God gives us.
http://nlt.scripturetext.com/matthew/2.htm
