Acts 12:20-25

                                                         Acts 12:20-25

Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king's country for food.²¹ On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them.²² And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” ²³ Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.

²⁴ But the word of God increased and multiplied.

²⁵ And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.

Political power almost always leads to pride.  Pride always leads away from God.  God is the only true source of power.  Herod has been flexing his power by killing James and attempting to kill Peter.  With Peter’s escape, he moves out of the Jerusalem base to Caesarea where he hopes to have some relaxation by the sea and perhaps move away from where there is such controversy between the Jews and this new sect called Christianity.  He thinks that he is in control, but God is the one who is truly in control.  A lesson that Herod will learn the hard way.

 

A SEARCH FOR PEACE: Somehow the cities of Trye and Sidon had fallen out of favor with Herod.  Jesus refers to these cities as being commonly known for their immorality and commonly thought of as being worth of judgment.  The came to see Herod and convinced Blastus, an official that had control over who gained an audience with Herod, that they wanted to make peace.  Since Herod controlled their food supply, they had little choice in this matter.  When rulers begin to use these types of tactics and manipulations to control their people, it demonstrates a lack of character and lack of leadership.  When fear and depravation of food are the tactics a leader resorts to, it becomes clear that there is a problem.  God establishes authority for the purpose of serving others.

 

A DEATH BY PRIDE: Herod decided to make a show of his audience with his subjects that were there groveling before him in order to get food.  He dressed in his royal attire, perched himself on his throne and began to pontificate.  His audience, eager to please, began to shout that they were not hearing the voce of a man but of a god.  Herod was willed with pride by this declaration and act of worship.  However, an angel of the Lord saw him accepting worship that belonged to the one and only God and struck him down.  He fell backwards and his body was consumed by worms.  Pride is a serious sin but accepting worship that belongs to God is a form of pride that displeases God greatly.  Idolatry is bound up in the heart of fallen man.  Self is an idol that is especially common.  It is not that we declare ourselves to be gods but that we become upset when others don’t do what we want or do what we don’t want.  It is important that we protect our hearts and minds from this kind of pride and idolatry.

 

A GOSPEL OF POWER: While Herod was under the delusion that he was some sort of a god, the true God was at work.  Herod brought people to their knees through starvation.  God was bringing people to their knees through salvation.  Herod thought he could kill James, imprison Peter, kill his own soldiers, oppress the people and then sit back and accept worship as some and Barnabas had completed their mission to bring relief to the church in Jerusalem and were now returning to Antioch where God would soon have another mission for them.  The contrast between the power of Herod and the power of God is very evident.

 

APPLICATION: Serve other through leadership instead of expecting those we lead to serve us.  Guard our hearts from idolatry and the desire to be recognized or worshiped by others.  Know that God sees everything that is in our hearts.  Worship the Lord for His absolute power and don’t become impressed with our own achievements they are all the result of God’s grace.