Peter
Rejoins the Believers as King Herod Dies
[Acts
chapter 12, verses 13-25]
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Last
week when we concluded the first half of Acts chapter 12, the apostle
Peter had just been miraculously set free from prison by what the
Bible calls an “angel”. Personally, I do believe angels exist,
and I think everyone has a guardian angel. There are skeptics and
scoffers, I know, but I don't let that bother me. I can recall a time
back in 1980 when I was hit head-on by a drunk driver who was
southbound in the northbound lanes of I-65 just north of Nashville,
Tennessee. I didn't break a single bone, and I'm certain to this day
that my guardian angel's intervention is why I survived that awful
accident. Similarly, Peter's guardian angel, or some other agent of
the Lord, is what spared him from the execution that awaited him the
following day. This week as we start the second half of chapter 12,
Peter has just realized that his escape from prison is not just a
dream as he first thought. So he has gone to the house of Mary, the
mother of the apostle Mark, the same man who wrote the Gospel of
Mark. Numerous individuals were inside, praying earnestly to the Lord
on Peter's behalf. When Peter arrives, he starts knocking on the
door, and that's where we will begin starting at verse 13.
“13)
Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came
to answer the door. 14) When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was
so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter
is at the door!” 15)
“You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept
insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.” 16)
But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw
him, they were astonished. 17) Peter motioned with his hand for them
to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison.
“Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he
said, and then he left for another place. 18) In the morning, there
was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of
Peter. 19) After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not
find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be
executed.” (Acts 12,
verses 13-19)
In
another time and place, what happened in the first 3 verses could
have been comical. When Peter shows up at the door and identifies
himself to Rhoda, the servant girl, she breaks into her 'happy
dance'! “When
she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back
without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”
“You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept
insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”
So there they are at
their serious all night prayer vigil for the apostle Peter, praying
their hearts out that Peter's life might somehow be spared. Peter
then becomes the embodiment of the answer to their prayers, even
while they were praying, and yet they don't believe it. They wouldn't
even get up to answer the door. They were too busy praying. People
still made these kinds of mistakes, these errors in perception, all
the time.
“But
Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him,
they were astonished.”
There was the answer to their prayers, standing in front of them! You
know, God really can answer prayers in dramatic fashion just like he
did with the saints in Jerusalem, where all this took place. He wants
to do these same kinds of things in the lives of anybody and everyone
who will simply place their faith in God and then – and here's the
hard part – step aside and let God take control. Only those who are
willing to humble themselves in such a way will be considered worthy
of eternal life. “Peter
motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the
Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other
brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for
another place.”
As you can see, the apostle Peter knew when to get the heck out of
town!
Peter's
guards in the prison where he was being held all found themselves
executed at the hands of king Herod, as we saw in verse 19. Innocent
people being executed for crimes they are falsely accused of has been
occurring ever since government was first established, which was at
least 5,000 years ago with the Sumerians, and probably a lot further
back than that. Clearly the most egregious example of the abuse of
authority would be the crucifixion of Christ. In modern times we have
The Innocence Project,
a nonprofit dedicated to pursuing wrongful convictions and freeing
the innocent. Stories of their accomplishments pop up on the evening
news from time to time, one of the few worthwhile things the
mainstream media does with their time and resources. It's nice to
know that, here on earth as it is in heaven, we have angels in human
form who have dedicated themselves to this noble and noteworthy task.
I hope there will be more good people who will devote their time to
freeing the innocent as well. And now let's move on to part 2 of
today's lesson, starting at verse 19.
“19) After Herod had a thorough
search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the
guards and ordered that they be executed. 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. 25) When Barnabas
and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem,
taking with them John, also called Mark.”
(Acts 12, verses 19-25)
Clearly,
Herod got what he had coming to him. First he had had the prison
guards executed for failing to stop an angel of the Lord – an
impossibility. Then he goes to Caesaria to have an audience –
similar to a town hall meeting today – with some people he had been
“quarreling with”. That is, Herod's troops were decimating their
people through aggressive law enforcement campaigns, not unlike what
the police do today. They were killing innocent civilians, and now
the people of Tyre and Sidon risked having their food supply cut off
if they didn't come to the bargaining table with the king and his
team of support staff, presumably to be extorted for payment. “....
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....”
So there you have it, the peace talks are now being convened, and
Herod delivers his message to the people. Evidently his message was
not at all conciliatory, and so his entourage and the audience roared
their approval by declaring jointly that Herod was a god, that he was
divinity in the flesh. As you can see, Herod had quite a cult
following!
“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....”
As you just read, there is only one true God, only one King of the
universe, only one heavenly Father. When Herod's followers declared
him to be a god, his silent approval became his death warrant, and
God struck him down right in front of everyone. Let this be a lesson
for us all on Who is in charge. Herod was a hated despot, an evil and
vicious dictator who regularly amused himself by abusing his
authority. The blood of many was on his hands, and he couldn't have
cared less. So when he was struck down by the Lord in full view of
all the people, everyone immediately knew who the real, authentic God
was, and who is! The fact the Herod was “eaten by worms” tells us
he never even got a proper burial. They simply threw his body down a
ravine somewhere outside of town, where he was left to decompose in
the hot Middle Eastern sun. Such is the ultimate fate of tyrants.
“But
the word of God continued to spread and flourish. When Barnabas and
Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking
with them John, also called Mark.”
So after all has been said and done, Barnabas and Saul finished their
mission in Antioch, and left to meet up with the apostle Mark while
Peter departed in the opposite direction in order to elude those who
sought to execute him. Meanwhile, the early Church continued to grow
by leaps and bounds as it was being turbocharged by the Holy Spirit!
And so everyone had departed from there by this time, since Peter had
escaped from that location. But the apostle Peter's ordeal, combined
with his miraculous escape, made the early Church grow all the more.
And next week when we return, we'll be moving on to chapter 13. Take
good care, everyone....
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