When God Says It's Enough
A Message by Dr. James O. Davis
We are about to read some of the most sobering verses in the Bible. In Acts 12:20-23, we read, “Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. On an appointed day, Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. And the people were shouting, ‘The voice of a god, and not of a man!’ Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.”
The date was August 1, 44 A.D., five months after Peter’s escape from prison. Josephus explains that Herod donned a robe woven with threads of silver. Coming into the amphitheater early in the morning, he stood so that the rising sun would reflect off his body. The spectacle was overpowering for the audience. However, leaving nothing to chance, Herod had planted sycophants throughout the audience. When he appeared, they began to shout that he was a god. Josephus affirms that they were shouting out that he was a god, adding that they also shouted, “Be thou merciful to us; for although we have hitherto reverenced thee only as a man, yet shall we henceforth own thee as superior to mortal nature.” This serves as independent confirmation of Doctor Luke’s observation that the crowd was shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man (Acts 12:22).
What was Herod’s sin? The answer depends upon whether we mean in addition to murder, theft and assault against the faithful; Herod was guilty of all these sins—and much more. Nevertheless, the final sin for which God said, “Enough!” was his failure to give God the glory due His Holy Name. The New American Standard Bible states that Herod “did not give God the glory.” Greek text can be translated Luke’s words as, “he had usurped the honor due to God.”
[The Rev. Dr. James O. Davis is the Founder/President of the Global Church Network and Cochair / Global Networking. He sends me his monthly newsletter. My life has been informed, inspired, and encouraged by his timely messages.]
A Message by Dr. James O. Davis
We are about to read some of the most sobering verses in the Bible. In Acts 12:20-23, we read, “Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. On an appointed day, Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. And the people were shouting, ‘The voice of a god, and not of a man!’ Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.”
The date was August 1, 44 A.D., five months after Peter’s escape from prison. Josephus explains that Herod donned a robe woven with threads of silver. Coming into the amphitheater early in the morning, he stood so that the rising sun would reflect off his body. The spectacle was overpowering for the audience. However, leaving nothing to chance, Herod had planted sycophants throughout the audience. When he appeared, they began to shout that he was a god. Josephus affirms that they were shouting out that he was a god, adding that they also shouted, “Be thou merciful to us; for although we have hitherto reverenced thee only as a man, yet shall we henceforth own thee as superior to mortal nature.” This serves as independent confirmation of Doctor Luke’s observation that the crowd was shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man (Acts 12:22).
What was Herod’s sin? The answer depends upon whether we mean in addition to murder, theft and assault against the faithful; Herod was guilty of all these sins—and much more. Nevertheless, the final sin for which God said, “Enough!” was his failure to give God the glory due His Holy Name. The New American Standard Bible states that Herod “did not give God the glory.” Greek text can be translated Luke’s words as, “he had usurped the honor due to God.”
[The Rev. Dr. James O. Davis is the Founder/President of the Global Church Network and Cochair / Global Networking. He sends me his monthly newsletter. My life has been informed, inspired, and encouraged by his timely messages.]