Acts 12:19b-25\u00a0<\/b>\u2013 Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea\u00a0and stayed there.\u00a020\u00a0He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon;\u00a0they 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\u2019s country for their food supply.\u00a0 21\u00a0On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.\u00a022\u00a0They shouted, \u201cThis is the voice of a god, not of a man.\u201d\u00a023\u00a0Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel\u00a0of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.\u00a0 24\u00a0But the word of God\u00a0continued to spread and flourish.\u00a0 25\u00a0When Barnabas\u00a0and Saul had finished their mission,\u00a0they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cThen Herod went from Judea to Caesarea\u00a0and stayed there.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 Caesarea was a beautiful resort town on the Mediterranean coast.\u00a0 It was one of the \u201cit\u201d places to vacation, or live.\u00a0 After Peter\u2019s escape Herod Agrippa figured he needed a respite and headed to Caesarea for a vacation.\u00a0 Accepted non-scriptural information is provided by the respected first century Jewish historian Josephus.\u00a0 He informs us that Herod had organized athletic games in Caesarea to honor Emperor Claudius, who had supported Herod\u2019s position of kingship over the Jews.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon;\u00a0they 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\u2019s country for their food supply.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 Herod had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon.\u00a0 Luke does not say what the quarrel was about.\u00a0 Josephus however informs us that the bad blood between Herod and these two Syrian cities began years earlier.\u00a0 Herod had wanted to rebuild and fortify the wall around Jerusalem however the Roman governor of Syria sent a letter to the Emperor objecting and so the Emperor ordered Herod to stop.\u00a0 In Herod\u2019s resulting anger he had ordered a cutback in food shipped to these Syrian towns.\u00a0 Tyre and Sidon were now in need of increased food supplies.<\/p>\n
We are not told how the people from Tyre and Sidon managed to persuade Blastus to get them before the king, but he did manage to get them their appointment.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 Again Josephus gives us added detail.\u00a0 Herod had ordered that a garment made wholly out of silver be made for him.\u00a0 The effect of the silver garment was a shining, glimmering effect on the people.\u00a0 They were stunned by Herod\u2019s glowing appearance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey shouted, \u201cThis is the voice of a god, not of a man.\u201d<\/i>\u201d The crowd began to worship him as a god.\u00a0 Josephus records that they repented to Herod that they had formerly given him the reverence of great man when in fact they should have been honoring him as a god.\u00a0 Sadly, but predictably, Herod accepted their worship and acclamations that belong only to God.\u00a0 People who not filled with pride and who love God would quickly correct such praise, as Peter had done when Cornelius fell at Peter\u2019s feet (Acts 10:25-26<\/b>).\u00a0 Even angels are quick to correct anyone who begins to worship them rather than God (Revelation 19:10<\/b>).\u00a0 Truly Godly people will not accept praise and honor that is only fitting for God.\u00a0 Herod relished the praise.<\/p>\n
\u201cImmediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel\u00a0of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 There are many thoughts about what exactly occurred here.\u00a0 Josephus wrote that Herod was taken ill and he died five days later.\u00a0 At the autopsy he was found to be filled with worms.\u00a0 The exact details of his death are not important.\u00a0 The important detail is that anyone who accepts praise and glory that belongs to God is filled with devilish pride (Isaiah 14:12-<\/b>15) and is bound to repent of the action, either on time here on earth, or regretfully and under condemnation at Judgement Day.\u00a0 God has said that He will not share His glory with another or anything (Isaiah 42:8<\/b>).\u00a0 Only God deserves the glory so for him to share it would be dishonest, because He is the one to whom it belongs.\u00a0 God does not share His glory because He always is truthful.\u00a0 Only to God does divine glory belong.\u00a0 Praise God!<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the word of God\u00a0continued to spread and flourish.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 Herod, killer of James and attempted slayer of Peter, died a horrible death.\u00a0 But the eternal and glorious Word of God continued to spread.\u00a0 There have been many persons since the days of Jesus who have attempted to defame the Truth, and have died and their legacies rotted with their flesh.\u00a0 However, the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not only endures, but prospers.\u00a0 Though the enemy attempts to kill and destroy, God\u2019s Word prevails and reigns.\u00a0 It did then, it always has and it always will.\u00a0 Praise to our God!\u00a0 Thank you Jesus!\u00a0 Only to Him belongs divine praise and glory!<\/p>\n
Psalm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/i><\/p>\n
Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; And what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Acts 12:19b-25\u00a0\u2013 Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea\u00a0and stayed there.\u00a020\u00a0He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon;\u00a0they 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\u2019s country for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[82,103,94,17,711],"class_list":["post-1685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-acts","tag-isaiah","tag-micah","tag-psalm","tag-revelation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1685"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1686,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1685\/revisions\/1686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}