Scripture
And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him [Herod] because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.
~Acts 12:23, NASB
Quote
The wicked die but the Word lives on.
~John MacArthur
The Herod of Acts 12 is the grandson of Herod the Great who was ruling Judea at the birth of Christ. There were five Herods so it does get confusing. Herod the Great died shortly after Christ was born. Herod Archelaus took his fathers place but he didn’t last long because the Jewish big whigs didn’t like him and they had a lot of influence with Rome. Then there was Herod Antipas who had John beheaded and then Herod Agrippa who is the subject of today’s text. There would be one more, Herod Agrippa II who heard Paul’s case. Herod Agrippa got into it with Tyre and Sidon and was angry with them. These two Phoenician sea ports depended on Judea for food supplies and so they arranged through Herod’s assistant Blastus a meeting at the amphitheater in Caesarea. They are there to placate Herod and to get on his good side and they are not too proud to use flattery or whatever is needed. Herod makes his speech and they go to chanting, “The voice of God, the voice of God.” Herod, being a fool, lapped up the praise and glories in the moment. He actually encouraged their worship. God struck him dead: he was eaten up with worms. Acts 12:23 states this fact and the very next verse reads…But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied. Don’t you love it–the wicked persecutor of the church dies and the word prospers. Herod gave the Church misery and pain but he is long gone and the Church is alive and well.
Remember Jesus parable of the Mustard seed…“The Kingdon is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden; and it grew and became a tree, and THE BIRDS OF THE AIR NESTED IN ITS BRANCHES.” The mustard seed is tiny, barely visible to the naked eye but the seed produces a huge plant, as large as a small tree which birds can use to roost. The Kingdom of God is not visible to the naked eye and not visible at all to those who walk in darkness: at present, it is spiritual in nature but it is real and it is growing. No tyrant, no tin-pan dictator, no pagan president is going to stop the spread of God’s word nor will they impede the growth of the kingdom.
John MacArthur pointed out something is last Sunday’s sermon that helped me. I have been stopping short in the 1 Timothy passage on praying for our leaders…First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. This is what we pray for Biden, that he will be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. I can do this: it helps me over a major hurdle.
A little rhyme from the pen of Issac Watts…
They hate me, Lord, without a cause,
They hate to see me love Thy laws;
But I will trust and fear Thy name,
Till pride and malice die with shame.
I have several new words to day:
[1] Marjoram–an aromatic southern European plant of the mint family, the leaves of which are used as a culinary herb.
w words for you:
[2] Amenemope-A wisdom writer in Egyptian literature {their version of Solomon}
[3] Ugaritic–An ancient Semitic languaget closely related to Phoenician and Hebrew.
[4] Vignettes–a small illustration or portrait photograph which fades into its background without a definite border.