“Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply. 21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 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. 24 But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.” Acts 12.19b-24
As I’ve mentioned before, there are many generations of “Herod’s” throughout the Scriptures. The man mentioned here is the grandson of the Herod who persecuted the baby Jesus. Another Herod, ordered Jesus’ arrest and trial, and now we have the grandson Herod who is featured in this story.
The mistake Herod made was to consider himself equal to God. When he was asked to help rule over the country’s food supply, he “sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.” As the people shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man,” immediately, as the Scripture says, “because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.“ This seems very unpleasant.
And even though Herod died a sudden, unexpected and unpleasant death, God’s message of salvation did not cease. Acts 12.24 says, “But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.” Even though one “god” i.e. Herod, allowed others to mislabel him as a deity, the true God’s message was not hindered by human ambition. God’s word continued to grow and many came to know the Lord and his way of salvation.
All throughout our land people are attributing god-like power and persona to other humans such as those who have billions of dollars, those who sing and play music and those who are on the big screen in bigger than life stages or sport arenas. Whereas God has gifted many with extraordinary gifts, we worship but one God, the Lord Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth.
All the cheering and adoration apparently went to Herod’s head and it resulted in his suddenly death and fateful end. What a good lesson for us to attribute all the praise and glory to God, his Son Jesus Christ, through the Power of the Holy Spirit. He is the only one worth of our praise.
“O Lord God, I have no greatness. You love each of us so much that you allowed Jesus to die for us. You humbled yourself so that we might have life. For you are good and you are God. You are the only God, regardless of what the world might suggest. Your name is great. You are worthy to receive praise and honor. Come now, Holy Spirit, fall upon your people, return to save us once again. Redeem us by your name and help us walk in step with you. For you are good and your love endures forever.” Amen