Thursday 29 November, 2012

20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they got together and asked for a meeting with him. This was because they depended on the king’s country to supply them with food. They gained the support of Blastus and asked for peace. Blastus was a trusted personal servant of the king. 21 The appointed day came. Herod was seated on his throne. He was wearing his royal robes. He made a speech to the people. 22 Then they shouted, “This is the voice of a god. It’s not the voice of a man.” 23 Right away an angel of the Lord struck Herod down. Herod had not given praise to God. So he was eaten by worms and died. 24 But God’s word continued to increase and spread. 25 Barnabas and Saul finished their task. Then they returned from Jerusalem. They took John Mark with them.

Herod had a grudge against the church, and he was also resentful against the people of Tyre and Sidon. They were not his subjects, but they

received government aid, which was distributed by Herod. These people wanted Herod’s help, so they played the

game of politics to the hilt. They arranged to have Herod speak at a banquet. They called out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” These words stroked Herod’s ego. He received their words of false flattery; he died and was eaten by worms.

Herod died because he did not give God the glory. The crowd had given to Caesar what belonged to God, and Herod’s failure to reject the adoration and worship was the same as accepting this as truth. His silence was fatal!

When we do not give credit to God for all God has done for us…we die. If we are consumed by our own self importance, we grow smaller. We become short sighted, tight-fisted and if we do not reflect the greatness of God we live forgettable lives that are fit only for the worms to feed on.

God calls us to a kind of living that prompts to do our best and to publicly acknowledge that our talent, abilities and blessings all originate in God.

There is a type of “poetic justice” in the death of Herod. He killed James and tried to kill Peter. He played the politician, and politics killed him. He dressed in a way to depict he was divine, yet he died a dishonourable death and what a humiliating way to die. If we thank and praise Jesus for all He has done and will do, there wouldn’t be time for anything else in our day. Let us always be grateful for everything God has done.

Written by Catherine Croft