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MESSAGE SERIES: “CHURCH ON THE MOVE”
Acts 12:19-25

INTRODUCTION: We are working our way through the book of Acts together, and today’s passage wraps up the first half (thematically) of the book of Acts.

These first twelve chapters have largely focused on Peter’s role in the early church. That is all about to change. This is the last scene before we begin the great Gentile mission, where the focus switches from Peter to Paul.

Last time, we looked at Peter’s great escape after being arrested by Herod. We saw the church’s response: they didn’t believe it at first! We saw Herod’s response: he pulled a Darth Vader and killed the guards. Now we see God’s response, and let’s just say, I would not want to be Herod in this story. (Read Acts 12:19-25 and pray.)

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“Flattery will get you nowhere.” “Don’t flatter yourself.” “A little flattery goes a long way.” We have a lot of sayings about flattery, most of them negative. Most people recognize that flattery is not a good thing.

The Bible agrees and takes it up a notch. Not only is flattery wrong. Flattery can kill. Not all at once. It’s more like death by a thousand paper cuts. But make no mistake about it. Flattery can kill. David prays in Psalm 12:3: “May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue.” The book of Job says: “I will show partiality to no one, nor will I flatter any man; for if I were skilled in flattery, my Maker would soon take me away” (Job 32:21-22).

You’ve heard the phrase: “Flattery will get you nowhere.” It’s not true. Flattery will get you somewhere, just not anywhere good. Flattery is a poison pill served up in a sweet, syrupy concoction. You might say, “I would never fall for flattery.” Don’t flatter yourself. We are all susceptible to flattery, and we can all be tempted to use flattery for our own selfish ends.

People sometimes wonder what’s the difference between gossip and flattery. Gossip is saying behind someone’s back what you’d never say to their face. Flattery is saying to their face what you’d never say behind their back.

The problem with flattery is that it’s not sincere. It’s manipulative. There is a world of difference between flattery and a sincere compliment. A sincere compliment is something you give with no strings attached. With flattery you give in order to get something back. A sincere compliment is, well, sincere. Flattery is duplicitous and deceptive. A sincere compliment gives a person encouragement and life. Flattery kills.

We get a striking example of this in today’s passage, where flattery literally kills Herod. This serves as a strong warning for us neither to flatter other people (endangering them), nor to give in to flattery from others (endangering ourselves). So, let’s look at Herod’s story together.

I. Seeking an audience (19-20)

The story begins with the people of Tyre and Sidon seeking an audience with Herod. Look at verses 19-20:

Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there a while. He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. Having secured the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply. (Acts 12:19-20)

Herod had left Jerusalem to spend some time in Caesarea. Caesarea was the administrative capital of Judea where the Roman governors lived. Herod’s grandfather, Herod the Great, had built a palace there, sort of like a summer home.

This brought Herod in closer proximity to the people of Tyre and Sidon with whom he had been quarreling. Now that he was closer to their territory, they sought an audience with him to work things out. They worked through the available political channels and got the support of Blastus, who was a trusted personal servant of the king.

Did they use bribery to secure Blastus’ support? It’s possible. Bribery and flattery have always been a big part of politics. Sadly, it’s the same way today. Politics is a dangerous business, dangerous to your soul. God bless those who are in politics. They need our prayers every day.

Through Blastus, they made their request for peace between Herod and their region. Why were they looking for peace? They were hungry! They needed food! Herod must have cut off their food supply, most likely corn from Galilee. Leaders around the world do similar things today when they apply leverage to other countries with various trade embargos.

So, as we continue with the passage, be aware of the power dynamics at play. Here we have a powerful king and a needy people coming together to sort things out. The people of Tyre and Sidon are probably grateful they even have an audience with the king. Now they must strike whatever deal they can to ensure their food supply. This is a situation ripe for manipulation and deceit on both sides.

II. Flattery and response (21-23)

What happens when they get their audience with the king? We get a classic example of flattery and response. Look at verses 21-23 next:

On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. (Acts 12:21-23)

The appointed day comes, that is, the day of their audience with Herod. There may be a divine irony in this verse. This is not only their appointed day. It is God’s appointed day—for Herod’s death. We all have an appointment with God someday, and we better be ready for it.

Herod is wearing his royal robes and is seated on the throne. These are symbols of his power and authority over the people. He gives a public address. We are not told what he said, so we don’t know whether it was a great speech or not, but we do know how the people responded. They flattered him: “This is the voice of a god, not of a man!”

I’m guessing the people Tyre and Sidon hated Herod. They didn’t like him at all. So why would they do this? Because they want his support. They want their Galilean corn. It probably doesn’t matter what the king said. The people needed food, so they were going to say nice things back to him no matter what. But this is way over the top. They proclaim him as a god rather than a man. This is incredible flattery.

Herod immediately has a choice to make. There are times in Acts where the people proclaim the apostles as gods, and every time the apostles choose to disavow the comments. They rebuke the people and remind them that they are men just like them. Instead of receiving undue praise, they encourage them to worship the one true God alone.

Herod doesn’t do that. He has the opportunity here to give glory to God, but instead, he takes the glory for himself. He takes the praise instead of giving praise to God. He is flattered by the people, and instead of rejecting the flattery, he revels in it.

The only problem is that flattery can kill, and in this case, it does. Herod dies a gruesome and painful death. Luke tells us the angel of the Lord struck him down, he was eaten by worms and died. Notice it doesn’t say he died and then was eaten by worms. That’s the normal order. No, Herod was eaten by worms first, and then he died.

It’s death by flattery. That’s not the way I want to go. Death by chocolate maybe. But not the way Herod died.

The historian Josephus recorded this event as well. Josephus also mentions Herod’s royal robes and adds the detail that they were “made wholly of silver and of a contexture truly wonderful.” He tells how the people hailed Herod as a god and says, “Upon this, the king did neither rebuke them, nor reject their impious flattery.”

Josephus does not go into detail about the worms but simply says, “a severe pain arose in his belly,” and five days later he died. This is an accurate description of a case of intestinal worms, which can ball up and cause a painful obstruction, leading to death.

The people flattered Herod by calling him a god. Herod failed to give praise to God. God responded by taking his life. Can flattery kill? Absolutely, and in this case it did.

III. The word goes on (24-25)

What effect did all this have on the gospel? Politicians come and go, but the word of God lasts forever. Look at verses 24-25:

But the word of God continued to increase and spread. When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark. (Acts 12:24-25)

The word of God continued to increase and spread. What a contrast from the opening of this chapter. John Stott writes: “The chapter opens with James dead, Peter in prison, and Herod triumphing; it closes with Herod dead, Peter free, and the word of God triumphing.” What a difference a chapter can make.

Herod died after persecuting the apostles and failing to give glory to God. But the word of God continued to increase and spread. As Christians that’s our heart’s desire. We want to see God’s word multiply and spread.

Don’t just read the Bible in the morning and then live your life without it. Take God’s word with you wherever you go. Take the gospel with you. Spread it far and wide. That’s part of what it means to be a church on the move.

Luke finishes the chapter by telling us that Barnabas and Saul were on the move. They completed their mission to Jerusalem and returned to Antioch, bringing John Mark with them. This is the same Mark who wrote the gospel of Mark. We met him earlier in the chapter. His mother Mary owned the house where the believers met in Jerusalem.

Barnabas and Saul are on the move, and God is on the move also. He is putting the pieces together for the first missionary journey where Barnabas and Saul will bring the gospel to the Gentiles in the regions beyond Judea and Samaria. The stage is now set for the Gentile mission, where God’s word will continue to increase and spread in a whole new way.

APPLICATIONS: Let me share with you three applications in closing.

1) Don’t flatter and don’t give in to flattery
   – Job 32:21-22; Psalm 12:1-3; Proverbs 28:23, 29:5-6; 1 Thess. 2:5-6

First, don’t flatter and don’t give in to flattery. What did we just learn? Flattery can kill you. Flattery puffs you up with pride, and pride goes before destruction. Flattery doesn’t usually kill immediately, but flattery is sin, and the wages of sin is death. Both the person who flatters and the person who receives the flattery put themselves in spiritual danger.

Here are some Bible verses that warn against flattery:

“I will show partiality to no one, nor will I flatter any man; for if I were skilled in flattery, my Maker would soon take me away.” (Job 32:21-22)

“Help, Lord, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception. May the Lord cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue.” (Ps. 12:1-3)

“He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue.” (Prov. 28:23)

“Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet. An evil man is snared by his own sin, but a righteous one can sing and be glad.” (Prov. 29:5-6)

And then one from the New Testament. “You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.” (1 Thess. 2:5-6)

So, that’s our first application. Don’t flatter and don’t give in to flattery. Don’t believe your own press.

2) Be sure to give God the glory in everything
   – Psalm 115:1; 1 Corinthians 4:7; James 1:17

Secondly, be sure to give God the glory in everything. Psalm 115:1 says: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”

It’s okay to receive a sincere compliment. It’s okay to say thank you when someone says something nice to you. It’s okay to receive the award at the podium. But be sure you give God the glory.

1 Corinthians 4:7 asks the question: “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” James 1:17 says: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.”

God is the one who gives you your abilities. God is the one who gives you your opportunities in life. Whatever you have comes from him. So be sure to give him the glory in all things.

3) God’s word always wins in the end
   – Isaiah 40:6-8; 1 Peter 1:25

And then thirdly, remember that God’s word always wins in the end. We read in Isaiah: “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field…. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isa. 40:6-8). Peter in the New Testament quotes these verses, telling us that the word of God here particularly refers to the gospel (1 Peter 1:25).

All men are like grass. So, don’t be discouraged by persecution or the world’s temporary victories. I love the old song that goes: “We win, we win, hallelujah we win; I read the back of the book, and we win!” I like the second verse even better: “God wins, God wins, hallelujah God wins; he wrote the back of the book, and he wins!”

Flattery can kill, so use your words wisely. Encourage others, but do so sincerely, from a pure heart, with the motivation of helping them rather than helping yourself. Avoid flattering others and be quick to give praise to God when others flatter you.

Don’t seek an audience for selfish purposes; rather, use whatever platform or influence God has given you to praise him and to serve others. Don’t make the mistake Herod made. Always give God the glory; never take the glory for yourself.

Of course, the worst and most damning flattery of all is the self-flattery that you don’t need God or Jesus. It’s the flattery that says, “I’m a good person. I don’t need Jesus. I don’t need a Savior.” Don’t flatter yourself. We all need a Savior, and Jesus is the only Savior we have.

We have all sinned, and the wages of sin is death. This is the ultimate death by flattery—rejecting Jesus as your Savior because you believe you are good enough for God on your own. Don’t flatter yourself. Confess your sin and put your faith in Jesus as your Savior today.

© Ray Fowler

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