I’d Rather Be Herod’s Pig Than His Son

Caesar Agustus, a close personal friend of Herod was quoted as saying, “I’d rather be Herod’s pig than his son.”

The truth is, being a pig in Herod’s household would’ve been much safer than being a family member.

He killed his favorite wife, Mariamne (he had 10 wives), because he suspected infidelity.

Herod also killed his uncle, his mother-in-law, and three of his sons.

Herod was deeply insecure and paranoid.

He always felt threatened—not because of credible threats, but because his ego was fragile.

Herod’s method of dealing with feeling threatened usually included death and destruction.

Yeah, I’d rather be Herod’s pig than his son!

What was Herod’s response to the birth of Jesus?

He went from his baseline “yellow—elevated risk” to “red—severe risk” on his homeland security advisory system.

He requested GPS coordinates for the manger.

Herod’s weapons of mass destruction were armed and ready.

Yes, insecurity is a destructive force.

The destructive force of insecurity…

Torments the soul
Causes irrational behavior
Leads to comparison and jealousy
Desperately seeks recognition and approval
Takes credit for success; shifts blame for failure
Plays negative thoughts on a constant repeating loop
Makes it impossible to genuinely celebrate someone else’s victory

Suggestions for dealing with insecurity…

Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses; know yourself; be OK with who you are and who you aren’t
Don’t let praise intoxicate you; don’t let criticism derail you
Refuse to keep negative thoughts on repeat
Love people. Don’t need people
Celebrate the victories of others
Help others be successful
Avoid comparisons

Herod provides us with quite the example of insecurity and paranoia.

It’s easy to agree with Caesar Agustus: “I’d rather be Herod’s pig than his son” – but perhaps we should also consider the destructive force of insecurity in our own lives .

Do we have family/friends thinking they’d be safer in our presence if they were a household pet or farm animal?