NO ONE IS A GOD

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 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.

On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.”

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 12:19b-23

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Through more than 61 years of life, I have witnessed many, many people in positions of power. Most of them get drunk on it and believe they are more than they really are, almost as if they are gods unto themselves. Maybe you have seen a few yourselves.

What makes this so disturbing, disappointing, and foolish is that the God who made all things and orchestrates every matter in life, to include allowing people to elevate to positions of authority, has been, is, and will always be in complete control. Period.

And yet, the Lord is often an afterthought if He is even a thought at all. Many leaders behave as if they don’t need a higher power, even though they do.

Now this isn’t just a modern day problem. We can go to the Bible and see case after case after case of people God placed in power who abused the privilege God had given. In fact, you’ll probably have more trouble finding leaders who were faithful and obedient to God in the way they governed or led than those who weren’t, it’s a sad but true fact.

As we draw close to the end of Acts 12, we’re introduced to a Roman king, Herod Agrippa, who had a strong superiority complex. Ever seeking to gain more favor and support, we read where he launched a persecution campaign against Christians, going after two of Jesus’ very first disciples first. After beheading James, Herod turned his attention towards Peter, arresting him during the Festival of Unleavened Bread and imprisoning him with the intent of placing him on public trial after Passover. He may have succeeded if he wasn’t subordinate to God, even though he didn’t see himself that way.

We saw where the Lord came to Peter’s rescue and initiated a divine escape through an angel who led Peter from captivity to freedom. And after Peter went to Mary’s home for a divine reunion, testifying about all God had done, he departed and continued on his ministry journey.

As for Herod, he was none too pleased with Peter’s jailbreak and, not taking time to consider how it happened, he ordered execution for those guards who were assigned to watch him. Herod did this because he had the power to do so.

Well, as we see in our passage today, the last that will mention Herod Agrippa in the scriptures, the king had embarked on a road trip, traveling from Judea to Caesarea where he stayed over. We read where Herod had been quarreling with the people of the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon, located on the Mediterranean coast. Both cities were rich and powerful due to being important trade hubs but as we see in our passage, they were dependent on Herod for food.

In other words, Herod Agrippa was in a position of power over the people of Tyre and Sidon because they needed to eat to survive. The Phoenician cities had no leverage over Herod and so all they could do is plead for peace and to feed his need for flattery by proclaiming the following after Herod has addressed them publicly:

“This is the voice of a god, not of a man.”

What happened next had to leave all the Phoenicians in shock. For we see where God brought judgment on Herod, not so much for what he did as for what he didn’t do.

For as soon as the people of Tyre and Sidon glorified and worshiped Herod as a god, he never refuted their claim. He didn’t rebuke them for placing him at the same level as the Lord. No, he remained silent which basically showed he was in agreement with them. It had to sound good to the king to now be seen as a god.

Well, gods (small “g”) were seen as immortal in New Testament days by the people who worshiped them so God erased any hope that Herod was indeed a god by striking him down right then and there. The once mighty king now lay dead, feasted on by the worms of the earth. In the end, Herod was utterly powerless to stop even the most base creatures of the ground and oh how the mighty had fallen.

Friends, anyone who has elevated to positions of power and authority had better pay heed to the story of Herod Agrippa. For we see first-hand how God will not allow any person to be made a god. He has no rival or equal. It was true in the Bible and it’s still true today.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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