God’s Judgment on King Herod
August 17, 2020
Commentary
After Peter’s escape, Herod cross-examined the guards and ruthlessly ordered their executions (v. 18). In that day, if a guard permitted a prisoner to escape, Roman law required that he receive the same punishment that the prisoner would have received (v. 19). After this Herod went to Caesarea. At that time, Herod had a quarrel with the people of Tyre and Sidon, to the north of Palestine. Tyre and Sidon were dependent on Palestine for their trade revenue and for food supplies. Therefore, maintaining good relations with Herod was crucial.
These people succeeded in gaining the ear of Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, and a public session was arranged. Herod, venting his ill will on Tyre and Sidon, proceeded headlong to his doom (vv. 20-23). While he was delivering a speech, the people honored him as a god. By flattering the king and calling him a god, the delegation hoped they could get from him what they wanted. Evidently Herod was being watched, as we are being watched. At this point the watcher smote him. Herod had gone too far. A terrible illness (‘eaten of worms”) suddenly fell upon him, and he never recovered. God judgedHerod with death. He had crossed the boundary between God’s mercy and wrath. Man has essentially made himself his own god. God has not always judged evil officials as He judged Herod, but He has always preserved His witness in the world.
At the beginning of this chapter, Herod seemed to be in control and the church was losing the battle. However, at the end of the chapter, Herod is dead, and the church is very much alive. The secret was a praying church! After Barnabas and Saul had done their work (Acts 11:29-30), they returned from Jerusalem to Antioch, bringing John Mark with them (vv. 24-25).
Application
Like Herod, have I recently had a puffed-up view of myself? I need to spend time in God’s Word and in Prayer to remind myself of who I am in Christ. He is everything and I am nothing without him.
Acts 12:18– 25 (NET)
18 At daybreak there was great consternation among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19 When Herod had searched for him and did not find him, he questioned the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution. Then Herod went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.
20 Now Herod was having an angry quarrel with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they joined together and presented themselves before him. And after convincing Blastus, the king’s personal assistant, to help them, they asked for peace, because their country’s food supply was provided by the king’s country. 21 On a day determined in advance, Herod put on his royal robes, sat down on the judgment seat, and made a speech to them. 22 But the crowd began to shout, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck Herod down because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died. 24 But the word of God kept on increasing and multiplying.
25 So Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem when they had completed their mission, bringing along with them John Mark.
Illustration: Beware of Our Judgment of Others
It was F.B. Meyer, I believe, who once said that when we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do not know: First, we do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin. And second, we do not know the power of the forces that assailed him or her. We also do not know what we would have done in the same circumstances. (Stephen Brown, Christianity Today, April 5, 1993, p. 17).