Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people's worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died. Acts 12:23
In the movie The Princess Bride, there is a quirky character named Inigo Montoya, whose life's mission is to avenge his father's death. When he finally meets his father's killer, he looks at him and says the infamous words, "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Confronted face-to-face with his father's killer, Inigo Montoya wastes no time sharing his message of judgment upon this man who took his father's life. Today we are going to talk about a completely different group of messengers of judgment: Angels.
We are talking this week about a specific name for God: The God of Angel Armies. As we study Scripture, we see that there are several specific purposes of angels. One of those purposes is to proclaim God's judgment. We see an example of this in Acts 12:20-25, where King Herod Agrippa was giving a speech to a crowd of people. After he gave the speech, the crowd was so amazed by his speech that they exclaimed that he must be a god because of his inspiring words. As this happened, an angel came to Herod and struck him because he allowed people to worship himself rather than giving God glory. As this angel proclaimed judgment on Herod, he became instantly sick, was eaten by worms, and died. What a tragic end to his story.
Herod's story is not easy to talk about, but it is important. God sends his angels to proclaim judgment on people because of their sin. What sin in your life do you need to turn away from? Are you living in a way that you know is dishonoring to the Lord? Let Herod's story be a reminder that God takes sin seriously. Turn away from any sin in your life that is dishonoring to God. If you need help, reach out to someone who can help you fight against any sin currently tempting you.
This reminder that angels are messengers of God's judgment is sobering. Herod's story in Acts 12 ends on a devastating note and serves as a reminder to us to repent of sin in our lives. I am convinced that King Herod did not even recognize his sin when this angel struck him, and he fell dead. Similarly, we may be struggling with sin, yet we are completely unaware of it. Spend time in prayer today, asking God to reveal any sin in your life that you are unaware of. When He reveals that sin, repent and turn to Him!
Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they sent a delegation to make peace with him because their cities were dependent upon Herod’s country for food. The delegates won the support of Blastus, Herod’s personal assistant, and an appointment with Herod was granted. When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them. The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!”
Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.
Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers.
When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission to Jerusalem, they returned, taking John Mark with them.
