Sunday, November 28, 2021
Acts 12:19b-25
“Disgusting Demise”
Service Overview: Pride goes before a fall, and Herod’s foolish pride led to his rather disgusting demise. But Herod’s demise can help remind us of some important things when it comes to our own pride and relationship with and to the God of the Universe.
Memory Verse for the Week: “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2 (NIV)
Background Information:
- (v. 20). Tyre and Sidon were the two principal cities of Phoenicia, and the Phoenicians had for centuries dominated the Mediterranean world with their highly developed sea trade. They had developed a sophisticated seacoast and built a nation on thriving commerce. In their commercial enterprises they had engaged in international business relationships with Israel that went back one thousand years before the time of the early church. When King Solomon was engaged in building the temple, he did business with Hiram of Tyre in order to secure some of the necessary provisions and materials for the structure, which illustrates the reciprocal business relationship between Phoenicia and Israel. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 184)
- Tyre and Sidon, coastal cities on the Mediterranean, were free and self-governing but economically dependent on Judea. It is unknown why Herod had been quarreling with them, but representatives from those cities were trying to appease him by having secured the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 210)
- It was while he was in Caesarea that Agrippa met his death, and Luke relates the circumstances. The cities of the Phoenician seaboard, Tyre and Sidon, depended on Galilee for their food supply, as they had done a thousand years earlier in the time of Hiram and Solomon (1 Kings 5:9–12). When, therefore, the inhabitants of those cities found that they had given Agrippa grave offense, for some reason which has not been recorded, they realized that it would be wise for them to regain his favor as soon as possible. (F.F. Bruce, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Acts, 262)
- The people of Tyre and Sidon, who depended on the Jews for food (see Ezra 3:7), had in some way displeased King Herod and were in danger of losing this assistance. In true political fashion, they bribed Blastus, who was in charge of the king’s bed chamber, and thus a trusted official; he in turn convinced the king to meet the delegation. It was an opportunity for the proud king to display his authority and glory, and for the delegates to please him with their flattery (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 363)
- Herod is called “the king.” But actually the Herods were flunkies, bootlickers, dependent for their continued plush existence on the whim of the Roman emperor. Thus as “king” Herod was given limited suzerainty over the people, primarily to keep the peace and overrule any insurrections. So long as Herod could maintain outward calm and have the people pay taxes, his job was safe. He could put on his royal displays (vv. 20—22), accepting the false praise of these sycophants, these Hatterers. But the Lord made an object lesson of Herod by striking him dead and his obituary is listed in verse 23. (Donald Grey Barnhouse, Acts, 115)
The question to be answered is…
What possible hope is there in considering the account of Herod’s disgusting demise on this first Sunday of Advent?
Answer…
Herod’s demise stands as a testament that God is king, his word stands true, and those who trust him will never (in the final analysis) be put to shame.
The word of the day is… Hope
What hope is gleaned from Herod’s disgusting demise?
- The hope of God’s justice.
(v. 23 | Ps. 37:27-29; Prov. 8:13; 16:5; 18:12; Is. 30:18; 61:8; Amos 5:24; Rom. 12:19)
The miracle of Peter’s release should have adequately reminded Herod that he was not in control. It did not. After the miraculous release of Peter, Herod did not admit his powerlessness. He still clung to what power he had, ruthlessly ordering the death of the soldiers who had done everything they could to obey his commands (see Acts 12:19a). God had given Herod opportunity to recognize Him as the true God. Herod, however, showed his true loyalties—to himself. God chose to remove Herod from the scene. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
When he came out, dressed in his robes, they flattered him. When he spoke, they worshiped him as a god. This pompous, egomaniacal king accepted their praise and worship and seemed to believe himself to be a god. We still see this kind of narcissistic self—importance in some people. Those who let their egos run away with them are on thin ice. (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 161)
Josephus says that Herod endured this pain for five days before departing life in his fifty-fourth year. The lesson of Herod’s death was not lost on those who were present, certainly not on Josephus. No mere mortal dare take the glory due to God alone. Herod did that, and God struck him down. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 217)
- The hope in God’s triumphal word.
(v. 24 | Ps. 119:160; Pro. 30:5; Isaiah 40:8; 55:11; Matthew 4:4; 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
[Chapter 12] opens with James dead, Peter in prison, and Herod triumphing; it closes with Herod dead, Peter free, and the word of God triumphing.” (John Stott, The Spirit, the Church, and the World, 213)
God displayed His sovereignty. No prison, no chains, no king—not even the death of an apostle close to Jesus—was going to prevent the word of God from continuing to increase and spread (12:24). (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
Notice also the irony of the next verse: But the word of God grew and multiplied (v. 24). The king died and was eaten by worms, but the Word of God did not die. The Word of God prospered. The Word of God continued to grow and multiply. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 186)
Conclusion…How does a text like this inform, influence, and shape our faith?
A. By teaching us to be mindful of where glory goes when given it.
(Proverbs 11:2; 16:18; 27:2; Matthew 5:16; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Galatians 6:3; James 4:6)
Most of us will never be in a position to take such glory to ourselves, and I trust that no such judgment is ever going to come upon us. Nevertheless, We do have a tendency to take praise to ourselves when it should go to God. (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 217)
What does Herod’s death mean? This is God’s way of demonstrating the folly of the thinking we can live apart from God. Herod had bought into the oldest lie of all, the same lie the serpent used to trick Eve in Genesis 3:5: “You will be like God.” Herod’s heart was darkened, and the result was physical and spiritual death. (Ray C. Stedman, God’s Unfinished Book: Acts, 161)
The greatest glory we can give to God is to distrust our own strength utterly, and to commit ourselves wholly to His safe-keeping. (Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God, 17th century)
When you’re full of yourself, God can’t fill you. But when you empty yourself, God has a useful vessel. (Max Lucado, Cure for the Common Life, 88)
B. By giving us confidence in God’s word despite any opposition.
(Ps. 30:5-6; 119:160; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35; Romans 12:2; Hebrews 4:12; James 1:21)
Despite any possible appearances to the contrary, God governs. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
Because of covenant, wounds need not leave scars. They can become imprints for the expression of His grace if only you will take God at His word—a word that cannot be broken and that will never be changed. (Kay Arthur, Our Covenant God, 204)
The genius of the Word of God is that it has staying power; it can stand up to repeated exposure. In fact, that’s why it is unlike any other book. You may be an expert in a given field. If you read a book in that field two or three times you’ve got it. You can put it on the shelf and move on to something else. But that’s never true of the Bible. Read it over and over again, and you’ll see things that you’ve never seen before. (Howard Hendricks, Living by the Book, 81)
I have before me God’s Word which cannot fail, nor can the gates of hell prevail against it; thereby will I remain, though the whole world be against me. (Martin Luther’s Table Talk, c. 1546)
Man lost life by unbelief—by not believing God’s word; and we get life back again by believing—by taking God at His word. (D.L. Moody, The Way to God, 57)
Gospel Application…
God judges sin, including and especially pride. But Jesus took the punishment for sin so mankind wouldn’t have to. By faith in Jesus, our just punishment was placed on him, thus becoming the greatest news of all, and the source of ultimate hope for all mankind.
(Prov. 16:5; 18:12; Mat. 10:28; 2 Cor. 4:16-18; Col. 3:25; James 4:6, 10; 1 Peter 1:3)
God does not immediately punish all sin, but he will bring all to judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Those who set themselves against God are doomed to ultimate failure. (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 211)
The end of Herod is not only an illustration of the righteous judgment of God, but typifies the certain fate of all who exalt themselves in defiance of His will. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 138)
The world still lives for praise and pleasure. Man has made himself his own god (Rom. 1:25). The world still lives on the physical and ignores the spiritual (see 1 John 2:15–17). It lives by force and flattery instead of faith and truth, and one day it will be judged. (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 364)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- Have you ever met someone full of themselves? What signs or markers indicate that someone thinks more highly of themselves than they should?
- Why is pride such a dangerous form of sin?
- Can you think of any modern examples as to how pride went before someone’s fall?
- How can you be on guard against pride in your own life?
- Knowing God’s word stands true, how do you respond to a world that seems to constantly come against it?
Quotes to note…
Luke tells us that on that day, arrayed in the special apparel, Herod sat on his throne and gave an oration. The people shouted. They went wild, crying, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” This is similar to what happened to Peter, when the crowd, in awe of what he had done, fell on the ground and worshiped him. Peter rebuked them, as Paul will do later. Throughout Scripture we see that whenever a godly person is mistaken for deity, he immediately rebukes those trying to worship him. That was not the response of Agrippa. When the crowd started screaming, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” Herod basked in that glory. (R.C. Sproul, Acts, 185)
This chapter begins with Herod in power, ready to kill. Peter was in prison, ready to be killed. By the end of this account, Herod had died, and Peter was free to serve God in power. (Phillip A. Bence, Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition, Kindle Edition)
He was “eaten by worms,” dying at the age of fifty-four. Josephus adds that Herod lingered five days with agonizing stomach pains. This agrees with the text, which says only that he was struck down immediately, not that he died on the spot. This took place in A.D. 44. After that the Roman emperors again appointed a series of rather weak procurators, not just over Judea and Samaria but over the whole of Palestine. (Stanley M. Horton, Acts, Kindle Locations 5236-5240)
For some reason, the authorities of the cities of Tyre and Sidon, to the north, had deeply offended Herod, and he had taken out his cruel spite on them by arranging to withhold from them the normal export of produce from his northern domain of Galilee. Since they depended on these food imports, they were forced to sue for his favor but could apparently only gain access to him by currying the favor of one of his close officials named Blastus. (Arnold E. Airhart, Beacon Bible Expositions: Acts, 139)
At the beginning of Acts 12, Herod seemed to be in control, and the church was losing the battle. But at the end of the chapter, Herod is dead and the church—very much alive—is growing rapidly! The secret? A praying church! (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 364)
Although the Word of God is always advancing, as the text says, it does not do so without human channels, which is why I think Luke closes this section by a reference to Barnabas, Saul, and John Mark. The gospel is going to expand. God has decreed that it will. But he has also decreed that it is to advance by human messengers like Barnabas, Saul, and the others. It spreads by all those whom Jesus in Acts 1:8 appointed “witnesses” (all Christians). (James Montgomery Boice, Acts, 221)
Herod Agrippa’s fate should not surprise us. The Scriptures proclaim that pride goes before a fall. “Your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 NLT); “Pride goes before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18 NLT); “You will always harvest what you plant.” (Galatians 6:7 NLT). By foolishly setting himself against God and refusing to give him glory, Herod guaranteed his own disastrous demise: he was “consumed with worms” (12:23 NLT). (Grant R. Osborne, Life application Bible Commentary: Acts, 209)
None are so empty as those who are full of themselves. Benjamin Whichcote
God works when churches pray, and Satan still trembles “when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.” (Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, 364)
