Acts 12:18-25

Be still: God help us to understand your character through your word today. Amen.

Read: Acts 12:18-25

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. (v23)

Encounter: This verse appears to mark a very abrupt end to Herod. He was struck by an angel, at God’s command, and then died. But doing some background research, I found it might not be as abrupt as it seems. Jewish historian Josephus recorded Herod got intense stomach pains in that moment – this would corroborate the angel of the Lord striking him – and then died five days later probably of stomach worms/parasites. 

This may seem like harsh punishment, but Herod had accepted for himself the honour and status due to God and that was part of a very long list of his sins. He abused his power to oppress believers for public approval: he murdered John; had the intention to do the same with Peter; and then let the people call him a god, despite knowing from his Jewish upbringing that this was against the law (Ex 20:3 You shall have no other gods before me).

God is not impulsive and does not lose his temper like we do; we know that from Exodus 34:6 where God describes himself as ‘slow to anger’. But in v7 of that same chapter he says he ‘does not leave the guilty unpunished’. For the sake of justice, continuous sin and unrepentance will have consequences with God; maybe Herod’s final act of taking God’s glory for himself marked that time of consequence. 

God’s grace and mercy is as much a relief to the sinner, as his justice is a relief to the victim.

Apply: Read Exodus 34:6-7. Looking back at your life, where have you received God’s grace and mercy and where have you needed his justice? 

Devote: Lord, thank you that you are infinitely self-controlled. Help us to trust your decisions of abundant grace and your decisions of justice.