Daily Scripture Reading Acts 12:18 - 13:12
Modern society tends to be atheist rather than idolatrous, so we generally think our culture is not subject to the same wrath God imposed on ancient cultures who created gods out of wood and stone. However, Acts 12 tells us about the consequences that fell upon Herod when he allowed the people to proclaim him a god. Despite the claims of atheism, the reality is modern society worships man himself; therefore, Acts 12 serves as a warning to us about what God may really think of modern culture.
The early verses of Acts 12 tell us Herod began harming the church. First, he killed James the brother of John. Then he seized Peter during the days of Unleavened Bread and put him in prison. The night before Herod intended to bring Peter before the Jews, an angel of the Lord miraculously opened the doors of the jail while the soldiers slept, released the bonds on Peter’s arms, and delivered Peter out of prison.
Acts 12:18 ¶ Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.
Acts 12:19 And when Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and was spending time there.
It was about 50 miles / 80 km from Jerusalem down to Caesarea. That would have been a two day journey. Jerusalem was up in the Judean hill country, about 2,600 ft / 800 m above sea level. Caesarea was at sea level on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
Acts 12:20 ¶ Now he was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and with one accord they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king’s chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because their country was fed by the king’s country.
First, notice Herod was angry with the people, not vice versa. The text doesn’t tell us why Herod was angry. We don’t know if he had a legitimate reason to be angry or if he was being petty.
Second, take note that the people of Tyre and Sidon depended on Herod for food, so they needed him to act favorably to them.
Tyre and Sidon were north of Caesarea, along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It would have taken 2-3 days for the people of Tyre and Sidon to travel to Caesarea.
Acts 12:21 And on an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel and sitting on the judgment seat, began delivering an address to them.
Acts 12:22 And the assembly kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!”
Remember, the people depended on Herod for food, but he was angry with them, so they began appeasing him by calling him a god.
Acts 12:23 And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
Herod did not refute the attribution of deity, so the Lord struck him and he died.
In modern times, the people who are not Christians generally do not worship other gods, they tend to not believe in god at all, or so they claim. Therefore, we have a tendency to think that modern people do not or cannot make the same mistake Herod made.
However, the reality is our culture does worship man. 21st century scientists are working on gene modification so as to perfect food, drugs, and people. People today claim the right to determine which babies should live and who should die. It is more and more acceptable to kill elderly people who supposedly have outlived their usefulness. The majority of humans base their moral compass on themselves and not on the writings of a deity.
When Herod embraced the people’s acclamation that he was a god, the true God was so displeased with that he killed Herod. We should ponder if Yahweh is equally displeased with modern man due to the way we act like god.
Acts 12:24 ¶ But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.
Don’t overlook the significance of this verse. This is a simple, but important statement. Despite the opposition, Christianity was growing.
Acts 12:25 ¶ And Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem, fulfilling their ministry, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark.
We saw in Acts 11:22 that the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch when the gospel reached Antioch. Barnabas brought Saul to Antioch with him. Then Acts 11:30 tells us the church in Antioch gathered money to help the church in Jerusalem and they sent it to Jerusalem in the charge of Barnabas and Saul. Now we see in Acts 12:25 that Barnabas and Saul arrived in Jerusalem and delivered the gift.
Acts 13:1 ¶ Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
I assume a period of time elapsed between the 12th chapter of Acts and the 13th chapter. During that time, Barnabas and Saul went back to Antioch.
Antioch was near the north east corner of the Mediterranean Sea. It would have taken almost two weeks to travel from Jerusalem to Antioch via land. They may have traveled by sea.
Acts 13:2 And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Acts 13:3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Acts 13:4 ¶ So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
It was about 15 miles / 25 km from Antioch to Seleucia. That could have been traveled in about half a day. Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Obviously they traveled by boat to Cyprus.
Acts 13:5 And when they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews, and they also had John as their helper.
Notice they proclaimed the Word in the synagogues. They went to the Jews first. This is a reflection that the church was still primarily made up of Jews.
Salamis is on the eastern end of Cyprus, the end closest to Antioch and Seleucia.
Acts 13:6 And when they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus,
Pay attention to the words “gone through”. This implies they visited many towns and villages in the island, perhaps most or all of them.
It was about 90 miles / 145 km from Salamis to Paphos as the crow flies. That would have been at least a three day journey. There was a mountain in the middle of Cyprus which is over 6,200 ft / 1900 m tall. Since they traveled along the coast and made stops along the way, the journey took longer than a couple days.
Acts 13:7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.
The pronoun “who” refers to the Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.
Acts 13:8 But Elymas the magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
Acts 13:9 But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him,
Acts 13:10 and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?
Many people believe Christians should always speak kindly to non-Christians; however, Paul did not do that. He spoke the harsh truth to the magician.
From this point forward, Saul was called Paul.
Acts 13:11 Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand.
Acts 13:12 Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
The magician tried to prevent the proconsul from becoming a believer, but the proconsul did believe.
When Herod allowed the people to treat him like a god, the Lord put him to death.
What are some ways modern man acts like god?
What are some of the maladies we see in our world that may be the punishment for man acting like god?
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”