When Jesus was born, wise men came from the east in order to worship Him (Matthew 2:1-2). They asked Herod the king where they could find the one who was “born King of the Jews.” This “troubled” Herod (Matthew 2:3).
After determining that “a Ruler” for the people would be born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:5-6), Herod sent the wise men there. He also asked them to return after they found the Child so that he could “come and worship Him” as well (Matthew 2:8).
However, the wise men were “warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod” (Matthew 2:12). The reason for this warning is obvious when we read what happened when Herod realized the wise men went back to their country without informing him of the Child’s location. Herod “became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem” (Matthew 2:16). Obviously, he hoped that by doing this, he would kill the Child the wise men came to see. Yet the Lord warned Joseph to flee to Egypt in order to keep Jesus safe (Matthew 2:13).
Though this is an extreme case, Herod shows us that just because people claim to want to worship the Lord does not mean their heart is right. Some may want to join us in serving the Lord but have ulterior motives and only seek to gain something for themselves. If we are not careful, we can do the same thing.
So remember that not all worship is sincere. Let us examine our hearts to be sure we worship God “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).