The Praise of Men

Introduction:

Context

The Persecution of Herod

The Death of James

The Arrest of Peter

& Herod has returned unto Caesarea

The Giving of Praise

The Receiving of Praise

The God of Praise

1. The GIVING of Praise

Acts 12:20 (NASB95)

Now he was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon

Unsure as to why

Tyre & Sidon:

The 2 chief cities of the ancient Phoenician people

A people known for their ships & trading

Had traded with Israel for over 1000 years

When Solomon built the temple in the OT, he went to the king of Tyre, who provided materials for it’s construction

Yet now, there’s an issue

Herod had a problem with them… & apparently cut off supplies

So the Phoenicians are hurting

Acts 12:20 (NASB95)

… 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.

They send representatives to the court of Herod… and ‘won over’ Blastus

A plea for peace!

They beg for an opportunity to meet with Agrippa, to resolve the issues & restore the transportation of food

Acts 12:21 NASB95

21 On an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them.

Josephus

Began 1st of August… annual day that celebrated the building of Caesarea

Shows, Games, Fun

The theater of Caesarea

Agrippa, for this occasion, changes his normal royal garments… woven with fine threads of pure silver… in morning

This garment is so majestic that the people see Agrippa in the radiant sunlight, and believe now that they are in the presence of deity!

Acts 12:22 NASB95

22 The people kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!”

Daniel 3:13–18 NASB95

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 “Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. 17 “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

2. The RECEIVING of Praise

Acts 12:23 NASB95

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 died.

‘The voice of a god and not of a man’

Surprisingly, it’s not uncommon even in the book of Acts, where a man is mistaken to be of ‘the gods’

Peter, Paul, Barnabas, Angel

And every time, they utterly rebuke the worship they received, because they understand that God & God alone is worthy of worship

But Agrippa, instead of rebuking the people, accepts and lavishes in the fact that they deem him to be a god

Until (Josephus would say), Herod falls over in the most excruciating and painful way…

carried out

suffers for 5 days

dies

It’s debated, what exactly took his life… but all of them are secondary matters

The primary matter, is that God required his life, and it was indeed God who killed him

There is no worse condition to be in, than to have no fear of God in your heart

Balshazzar’s Feast

Brought out the Holy Vessels of God to celebrate

In the midst of his feast… arrogance… He looks

And what he saw, upon the back wall, was a hand… with no body

Writing on the wall

‘You have been weighed in the balance, and found wanting’

Face grew pale

Thoughts alarmed him

Hip joints went slack

Knees began to knock

Daniel 5:18–23 NASB95

18 “O king, the Most High God granted sovereignty, grandeur, glory and majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your father. 19 “Because of the grandeur which He bestowed on him, all the peoples, nations and men of every language feared and trembled before him; whomever he wished he killed and whomever he wished he spared alive; and whomever he wished he elevated and whomever he wished he humbled. 20 “But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit became so proud that he behaved arrogantly, he was deposed from his royal throne and his glory was taken away from him. 21 “He was also driven away from mankind, and his heart was made like that of beasts, and his dwelling place was with the wild donkeys. He was given grass to eat like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until he recognized that the Most High God is ruler over the realm of mankind and that He sets over it whomever He wishes. 22 “Yet you, his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew all this, 23 but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and all your ways, you have not glorified.

‘On that night, was Balshazzar, King of the Chaldeans, slain’

It was the same judgement, that now comes upon Agrippa, who dies, and is eaten by worms

Yet in contrast to the fate of the wicked king, he ends with the fate of the gospel

Acts 12:24 (NASB95)

But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.

The king died… the gospel flourished

Maclaren: “That Gospel may either be to us the means of freeing us from our chains, and leading us out of our prison-house into sunshine and security, or be the fatal occasion of condemnation and death.”

Acts 12:25 (NASB95)

And Barnabas and aSaul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark.

3. The GOD of Praise

God of PEACE ‘They were asking for peace’

God of JUDGEMENT ‘His royal apparel’

God of POWER ‘The voice of God and not of a man’

God of LIFE ‘Eaten by worms & died’

God of GRACE ‘The word of the Lord continued to grow & be multiplied’

Daniel 7:9–14 NASB95

9 “I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire. 10 “A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, And the books were opened. 11 “Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire. 12 “As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time. 13 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. 14 “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.