180
The Desire of Ages
Herod waited in vain to be released from his oath; then he reluc-
tantly commanded the execution of the prophet. Soon the head of John
was brought in before the king and his guests. Forever sealed were
those lips that had faithfully warned Herod to turn from his life of
sin. Never more would that voice be heard calling men to repentance.
The revels of one night had cost the life of one of the greatest of the
prophets.
Oh, how often has the life of the innocent been sacrificed through
the intemperance of those who should have been guardians of justice!
He who puts the intoxicating cup to his lips makes himself responsible
for all the injustice he may commit under its besotting power. By
benumbing his senses he makes it impossible for him to judge calmly
or to have a clear perception of right and wrong. He opens the way for
Satan to work through him in oppressing and destroying the innocent.
“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived
thereby is not wise.”
Proverbs 20:1
. Thus it is that “judgment is turned
away backward, ... and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a
prey.”
Isaiah 59:14, 15
. Those who have jurisdiction over the lives of
their fellow men should be held guilty of a crime when they yield to
intemperance. All who execute the laws should be lawkeepers. They
should be men of self-control. They need to have full command of
their physical, mental, and moral powers, that they may possess vigor
of intellect, and a high sense of justice.
The head of John the Baptist was carried to Herodias, who received
it with fiendish satisfaction. She exulted in her revenge, and flattered
herself that Herod’s conscience would no longer be troubled. But no
happiness resulted to her from her sin. Her name became notorious
and abhorred, while Herod was more tormented by remorse than he
had been by the warnings of the prophet. The influence of John’s
teachings was not silenced; it was to extend to every generation till the
close of time.
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Herod’s sin was ever before him. He was constantly seeking to
find relief from the accusings of a guilty conscience. His confidence in
John was unshaken. As he recalled his life of self-denial, his solemn,
earnest appeals, his sound judgment in counsel, and then remembered
how he had come to his death, Herod could find no rest. Engaged in
the affairs of the state, receiving honors from men, he bore a smiling