The Rise and Fall of King Herod

At this time.

Any children who would like to ages 3 to 6, can be dismissed to our children's church downstairs.

A teacher will be ready to meet you in the foyer.

It's summer, so there is no children's church.

That's not what Pastor Dennis told me.

Okay, never mind, thank you.

Thank you, that means wow.

Okay, like I said earlier, we are.

We are studying the Acts of the Apostles on Sunday morning and today we're going to continue and finish our study in Acts chapter 12.

Acts 12 · chapter mention

If you brought your Bible, you want to turn there.

Acts chapter 12.

Acts 12 · chapter mention

While the Church of Jesus Christ was expanding through conversions throughout the Mediterranean world, luke wants us to know what was happening to the church back in Jerusalem.

Last time we learned that the church in Jerusalem was under great pressure from famine, persecution, even annihilation from the Roman and Jewish authorities.

Persecution, even annihilation from the Roman and Jewish authorities.

King Herod had James, the son of Zebedee, put to death with the sword and when he saw that that pleased the Jews, he had Peter arrested and jailed, intending to put him to death the next day.

But, as we read last time, god intervened to rescue people, sent an angel to break his chains and free him from the prison, in response to fervent prayers made by the church in Jerusalem.

Herod plays a significant role in the life of the early church and to help us better understand the first century culture and the book of Acts and the difficult conditions the early church found themselves in.

I want to focus on what Luke tells us in Acts, chapter 12, about King Herod, and knowing this will also help any kind of Bible study you do in the New Testament.

Acts 12 · chapter mention

I'm just going to give you a little background here.

I'm going to read Acts 12, beginning in verse 11, kind of backing up a bit and then going forward to the end of the chapter, acts 12, beginning in verse 11,.

When Peter came to himself, he just was freed from prison.

He said I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.

And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.

When he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer when she recognized Peter's voice.

Because of her joy she didn't open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

And they said to her you are out of your mind.

But she kept insisting that it was.

So they kept saying well, it's his angel.

But Peter continued knocking and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed.

But, motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison and he said report these things to James and the brethren.

Then he left and went to another place.

Now, when the day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what could have happened to Peter, 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.

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.

Asking for peace because their country was fed by the king's country.

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

The people kept crying out the voice of a God and not a man, 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, but the word of the Lord continued to grow and be multiplied.

We're going to look at three things about King Herod and the lessons we can learn from that, about serving Jesus in our world.

From that about serving Jesus in our world.

We're going to look at, first, the rise of King Herod, the ruthlessness of King Herod and third, the ruin of King Herod.

First, a little history lesson the rise of King Herod.

The term Herod is just a title adopted by Herod the Great, who was the first ruler in the Herodian dynasty.

The Herod family were descendants from an intermarriage between the Edomites and the Jews.

Edomites were descendants of Esau.

The term Herod is a title referring to a male ruler who was a descendant of Herod the Great.

So when you're reading through the New Testament, just keep this in mind.

It's a title and there are different Herods to consider.

Around 40 BC, the Roman Senate gave Herod the Great the title King of the Jews and he was charged with conquering Judea so he could rule over it on behalf of Rome.

And so, after a three-year battle, herod the Great conquered Judea in 36 BC and because of Herod's mixed race, and served as a puppet of Rome, herod was absolutely hated by the Jews, hated.

They viewed him as an illegitimate usurper of the Davidic throne, which he was.

That is why, when the wise men came to look for Jesus, they came and stood before Herod and asked where's the king of the Jews?

Herod the Great was a little bit taken back.

He was afraid.

He knew he wasn't the legitimate Davidic king.

He was afraid and he to kill this newborn legitimate Davidic king when he found out where he was born, in Bethlehem.

But being warned by an angel of Herod's plot, mary Joseph and Jesus fled to Egypt.

A few months later, herod died a very painful death and Jesus' family returned to Nazareth.

Okay, just to give you a little sense here of what's going on in the New Testament.

There are several rulers mentioned in the New Testament that are referred to by the title Herod.

They were descendants of Herod the Great.

First there's Herod the Great.

When he died, he appointed or Rome appointed three of his four sons to rule in place over the various territories in Israel.

Herod Archelaus, mentioned in Matthew 2, ruled over Samaria, judea, edom until his death in 6 AD.

Then his brother, herod Antipas, took over the rule in 6 AD of Judea, galilee and Samaria until 39 AD.

He is the Herod mentioned in all the Gospels and in Acts 4 and Acts 13.

In all the Gospels and in Acts 4 and Acts 13.

Their brother, herod Philip, ruled over the other regions around Israel.

A fourth son, aristobulus, is not mentioned in the New Testament.

He was sent to live in Rome when he was 12.

And after those Herods we have Herod Agrippa I, who was a son of Aristobulus.

He is the Herod mentioned in most all the references in the book of Acts.

And then there was Herod Agrippa II, who was the son of Herod Agrippa I.

He is the Herod mentioned in all the references in Acts 25 and 26, which we'll get to someday in the future.

The Herod mentioned in Acts 12, verse 1, is Herod the Great's grandson Herod Agrippa I.

Acts 12:1

The Herods were governors appointed by Rome to rule over Israel, keep the peace, but they could be ruthless in doing that.

Their desire to please Rome and stay in power just took over their whole geopolitical sense.

We're going to look at the ruthlessness of King Herod right now.

The Herods literally lived in fear.

They knew they were illegitimate kings over Israel.

They feared losing their power, but they also feared losing their heads by the emperor in Rome.

He was not happy with them.

The Herods tried to win the favor of the Jewish people by reducing taxes, enacting policies that helped bring about economic prosperity, initiating many public works and many beautiful building programs.

Sound, familiar.

Politics doesn't change.

It's the same.

Herod the Great built the artificial port city of Caesarea, built the artificial port city of Caesarea.

He enlarged and updated the temple in Jerusalem to a size greater than Solomon's temple, all of this to please the Jews and keep the peace.

He built fortresses in case things got bad for himself.

He built a fortress in Jerusalem called the Herodian.

You can visit it if you go there.

He built the fortress at Masada, which is if he had to flee Jerusalem.

Well, there's another.

He can go to Masada.

And what he's doing is he's going.

He built these fortresses on his way out of Israel to end up in Edom, which.

His last fortress was Meharis, which is modern-day Jordan, but it's right on the border of where Edom would be.

Despite all these good efforts, the Herods had a very dark side.

Beginning with Herod the Great, we see a ruler fearful, so fearful of losing his power that he was willing to put to death scores of innocent children in and around Bethlehem, like I said, to try to kill Jesus, the rightful heir to the Davidic throne.

Herod the Great had his brother's wife, the high priest, his wife's brother I'm sorry, his wife's brother, who was a high priest drowned in the swimming pool in his palace.

He put 46 members of the Sanhedrin to death.

He killed his mother-in-law.

He had his wife Marian murdered, along with two of their sons he considered potential rivals to the throne.

By the way, herod the Great had ten wives.

Augustus Caesar, the emperor in Rome, is reported to say it's better to be Herod's dog than one of his children.

Ruthless he had to be to stay in power.

His ruling sons and grandsons were not much better.

His son, herod Antipas, was the Herod who jailed John the Baptist for calling out his adultery and then later had him beheaded in his palace so he could save face with his friends at a banquet.

In Acts 12, in an attempt to crush the new Christian religion.

Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great killed James in 62 AD, arrested Peter and planned to kill him before he was rescued by an angel and answered a prayer.

In other words, the Herods, all of them ruled ruthlessly, but we see, very soon we see their ruin.

All the Herods who wield their power cruelly were met with untimely.

Their power cruelly were met with untimely, very painful deaths.

The Jewish historian Josephus says that regarding Herod the Great, he says a loathsome disease descended upon Herod the Great as a judgment from God on account of his sins.

He describes the horrible details.

I'm not going to get into all the horrible.

I'll just mention a few things he said Burning fever, ulcerated entrails, foul discharges, convulsions, stench, on and on.

In the passage we're looking at today in Acts 12, herod, a grip of the first, didn't fare much better After Peter was rescued and he got away and Herod had the guards executed.

Herod went to his palace in Caesarea Acts 12, 19.

Luke tells us a little background leading to Herod's death.

Herod, the grip of the first.

Herod, was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon and, fearing Herod's violent retribution, they met with him in Caesarea to make peace and they went over one of Herod's servants, blastus.

He kind of served as an intermediary to set up a certain talk with Herod.

It was very urgent that Tyre and Sidon restored favor with Herod, because they were dependent on him for their food food supply.

When the day came for Herod Agrippa to meet with them, he put on his royal robes, he sat down on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them in all of his glory, impressing the crowd with his appearance and oration.

They began crying out the voice of a God and not a man, and Acts 12.23 simply says an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.

Now I don't know, but apparently this is a pretty awful way to die, and it is if you look at the other accounts.

The Jewish historian Josephus describes Herod Agrippa's death in graphic detail again, and his account echoes what Luke is telling us in Acts 12.

Josephus, though, adds a few other details.

He says Herod was carried to his palace complaining of severe pain in his belly and died five days later.

Luke adds that it was the angel of the Lord who struck him because he didn't give glory to God.

Well, listen to what Josephus says.

When the people hailed him as a god.

He did not rebuke them or reject their flattery and God's judgment fell on him because he glorified himself instead of God.

One present-day physician comments on this.

He says many people in Asia during this time harbored intestinal worms which can form a tight ball in your intestines and so on and cause very acute intestinal pain and obstruction.

That was probably the cause of Herod's death, why it says he was eaten by worms and died.

But I want you to see Acts 12.24.

Right after that there's this word of contrast.

But All that's happening?

The church in Jerusalem is being persecuted, jailed, put to death the leaders in contrast, and then the judgment on Herod.

The contrast, but God's word, the word of God, continued to grow and be multiplied.

God's word is still alive, active even to this day.

At the end of Acts 11.30, the church in Antioch sent Barnabas and Saul to give a contribution to the church in Jerusalem to help them during their famine.

When we come to the end of Acts 12, saul and Barnabas are returning now to Antioch from Jerusalem with John Mark, and we'll pick up the story from there sometime in the future.

But today I want to just talk about a few very important lessons we can take away from Luke's account of Herod's end.

First, this account of Herod Agrippa I highlights the danger of how power and wealth can corrupt us.

Power and wealth can become idols.

We'll serve them.

We'll go to great lengths to protect them.

Serve them.

We'll go to great lengths to protect them.

The living God, though, tolerates no rivals for our affections, for our heart, mind and soul.

Jesus said you know what?

A person can only love and serve one master at a time.

Matthew 6, 24,.

No one can serve two masters.

Either he's going to hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and something else Impossible.

Second, this account highlights God's opposition I mean vehement opposition to human pride and hubris.

This principle is repeated many, many times throughout the scripture.

God opposes the proud, gives grace to the humble.

God opposes the proud, gives grace to the humble.

He who exalts himself will be humbled.

He who humbles himself will be exalted.

Jesus hopped on it several times.

It's all through the humble.

He who exalts himself will be humbled.

He who humbles himself will be exalted.

Jesus hopped on it several times.

It's all through the scripture.

You would think we would get the message.

Pride not something good to deal with, and when you notice it, repent of it quickly, quickly.

James 4, 6,.

God opposes the proud, gives grace to the humble.

Isaiah 66, verses 1 and 2.

Isaiah 66:1

Pride and humility basically involve putting things in perspective with the universe.

Thus says the Lord Heaven is my throne, earth is my footstool.

Where, then, is the house you had built for me?

Where is the place I may rest?

My hand has made all these things.

Thus, all these things came into being, declares the Lord.

But this is the one to whom I'll look, to him who is humble, contrite of spirit, who trembles at my word.

Timeless principle from God's word is stay humble.

Don't raise that head and look at all I've been able to do.

You can see it.

You can see Aaron on the roster, whoa soaking it in Okay, Okay.

I don't want to get ahead of myself.

There's a danger we learn from this passage, danger of idolatry, of looking to, somehow hanging on to something we just have to have in order to feel like we're somebody.

That's what the Herods were doing.

The second lesson is watch out for human pride.

It's absolutely in opposition to God.

Make ourselves an enemy of him that he has to put down.

He will tolerate nothing like that.

Third, this account of Herod's judgment gives us hope that God's sovereign justice will prevail over evil.

Herod may have thought he'd gotten away with amazing things to keep his power.

Well, I slew the leaders of the Christian religion.

I'm going to do some more to stamp it out.

Oh no, maybe can get away with that for a bit.

But God is a God of justice.

I love when you read the Psalms, you read of the anticipation and hope we have in God's justice For one place Psalm 96, 12 through 97, 1.

Let the field exult in all that is in it.

Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord, for he is coming.

For he is coming, why?

To judge the earth?

He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.

The Lord reigns.

Let the earth rejoice.

Let the many islands be glad.

When you see the word islands in these poetic things, they refer to the Gentiles, the people way out from Israel, jewish people.

Many islands be glad.

Let us be glad he's coming to bring sovereign justice and stamp out evil.

Fourth, this account highlights the fact that God's word and the message of the gospel cannot be stamped out, can't?

We may fail, we may drop the ball.

God's word will not.

It's a very prominent theme in scripture All through the book of Acts.

All through the book of Acts, attempts to thwart the spread of God's word and the gospel are absolutely defeated Acts 12, 24,.

But the word of God, the word of the Lord, continued to grow and be multiplied in spite of the persecution, in spite of these Herods.

The psalmist said the word of the Lord stands forever, firmly fixed in the heavens.

Psalm 119.

Isaiah said God's word will not return to him empty.

Isaiah 55.11,.

So my word, which goes forth from my mouth, will not return to me empty, without accomplishing what I desire and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Jesus said God's word will be fulfilled After his resurrection, luke 24, verse 44,.

Luke 24:44

He said to his disciples these are my words, that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

Apostle Peter said 1 Peter 1, 24-25,.

All people are like grass.

Their glory is like the flowers of the field.

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.

He's quoting Psalm 119.

And this is the word that was preached to you.

Jesus told us, finally, that the word of the gospel is like a seed that we plant in the ground.

The word is like a seed when we hear it and receive it in the ground of our heart, our humble heart, it will grow and continue to bear fruit, fruit in people's lives.

The fruit that God's word bears first of all is eternal life.

That's why he sent it Eternal life.

When the word, the gospel word, is planted in a heart, it brings forth eternal life to those who believe in the message of the gospel and believe in Jesus as Savior.

So listen to Romans.

Paul writes in Romans 10, 8 to 13.

He says the word 8 to 13.

He says the word meaning the word of God, the Bible, is near to you.

He's quoting Deuteronomy 30.

The word is very near to you.

It is in your mouth, it's in your heart.

That is the message concerning faith that we proclaim.

If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

As the scripture says, anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.

There's no difference between Jew and Gentile.

The same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him.

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

The first fruit of God's word in a person's heart is that bears the fruit of eternal life.

No, god sends his Holy Spirit to live in us forever and one day join him in heaven.

I urge you, if you've never done so, tell God you're opening your heart to believe in Jesus as your Savior and receive the promise of eternal life in him.

Let's pray Our Father.

We again thank you for your scripture, for the promises you've given us, for the promises you've given us.

Thank you that you've given us a peek of our future, of Jesus returning, of hope in you, of bringing justice across the world and making all things new.

We thank you that, as judge of all the earth, you took off your robes and came down in order to take our place and receive the divine justice for the sins we've committed.

We thank you that Jesus is the word of life to all who believe in him.

Would you please, father, help us to humbly receive your word, as it really is breath of your mouth, giving us the power to enjoy fellowship with you forever.

I pray all this in Jesus' name, amen.