Acts Bible Study: Day 21
Today’s passage: Acts 12:18–24
Focus verse: Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. (Acts 12:23)
After God answers the church’s prayer and Peter receives a divine jailbreak, the next morning there’s quite a commotion in the prison. Where’s Peter? The guards have no idea. Herod investigates thoroughly and executes the guards.
Then he leaves town. He goes to Caesarea. This might be a getaway of sorts. He stays there a while. He may hope to forget what happened in Jerusalem after his plans to kill Peter failed.
Herod’s been having an ongoing quarrel with the people from Tyre and Sidon. They seek an audience with him. They want to put their differences behind them because he controls the food supply, which they need to survive.
They set a day to meet and resolve their differences. Herod shows up dressed in his royal robes. He sits on the throne, showing his power, an imposing presence.
Herod addresses them. We don’t know what he says or if it’s even an impressive oration. But we do know how the people who want to garner his favor respond.
In a raucous reaction, they applaud. “This is no mere man. It’s like we just heard the voice of a god!”
Full of arrogance, Herod accepts their excessive praise and their unwarranted approval of his speech.
After his failure to bring about Peter’s death, Herod may think he’s due for a win. He’s willing to receive their adoration and bask in the glory they’re giving him. Though he should correct their tribute and redirect their praise to God, he doesn’t.
God isn’t pleased.
An angel strikes Herod. Worms eat at his body, and he dies. This is surely a painful, agonizing end. The outcome of death that Herod intended for Peter, he receives himself.
Although God doesn’t strike down all his enemies like he did with Herod, he can do it. In Herod’s case, God has had enough. He isn’t willing to let any more of his people die at the hands of this tyrant.
Questions:
- When have we received praise for ourselves that we should have given to God?
- When might be a time when it’s okay to accept the praise of others?
[Discover more about the affliction of worms in Job 7:5, Isaiah 14:11, and Mark 9:47–48, which quotes Isaiah 66:24.]
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