Acts 12:1-25: The Supremacy of God

Acts 12:1-25: The Supremacy of God

We’ve been working our way passage by passage through the book of Acts, and today the next passage we come to is Acts 12:1-25. It says, 

1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. 6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” 12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place. 18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there. 20 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. 21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 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. 24 But the word of God increased and multiplied. 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark. 

May God bless the reading of his Word.

One fairly well-known element of the Christmas story is the barbaric actions of King Herod when he heard that one thought to be the Messiah had been born in Bethlehem. Herod was so paranoid about losing his power that this report put him in a jealous rage. And since his efforts to locate the child failed, he ordered that all of the male children in the region who were two years old and younger be put to death. Not only that, but, unfortunately, this barbaric action wasn’t out of character for Herod. It’s well documented that he was a very bloodthirsty ruler in general. He even executed many of his own family members for perceived crimes they committed or threats they posed—including one of his wives, her mother, and three of his sons. Also, shortly before Herod died, when he knew his own death wasn’t far away, he understood that nobody was going to mourn his death. So he lured some prominent Jewish leaders to the city of Jericho and imprisoned them and instructed the guards that these imprisoned leaders were to be put to death right after he himself died. This way, he thought, people would at least be mourning at the time of his death—even if they weren’t mourning over him. Thankfully, these instructions were never carried out. But they illustrate the kind of person Herod was. 

Now, the Herod we see here in Acts 12 isn’t the same Herod who did all of those things. The name “Herod” was actually a family name that was passed down. So this Herod in Acts 12—known as Herod Agrippa I—was actually the grandson of the Herod—"Herod the Great,” as he was called—who did all of these horrific things. However, as we can see here in Acts 12, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. This Herod that we see here seems to be just as arrogant and bloodthirsty as his grandfather had been. 

Now, one thing to understand about the situation here is that, even though Herod was allowed to bear the title of “king,” he was actually a regional ruler under the authority of the Roman Emperor. And, unfortunately for Herod, he was on pretty shaky ground with the emperor because of some events that had taken place in years past. So, it was critical that he govern well, and that meant keeping the Jews under control. The Jews were notoriously difficult to control and had a tendency to be quite rebellious since many of them desired to have their own autonomous nation, free from Roman control. So a big part of Herod’s job was to maintain the loyalty of the Jews. 

And that’s why he does what he does here in Acts 12:1-3. Look again at what it says: 1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. So Herod, being the shrewd ruler that he is, figures out a way to make the Jews happy and maintain their loyalty—and that is to kill prominent Christian leaders. So, he starts with the Apostle James and has him executed. Then, when he sees how well that works, he decides to “go for the gusto” and imprisons the most prominent Christian in the early church, the Apostle Peter. Yet, he doesn’t kill Peter immediately. Instead, he wants to ensure that Peter’s execution receives maximum attention. So he decides to wait to kill Peter until the end of the Jewish feast that’s taking place. That way everyone won’t be preoccupied with the feast any longer, but all the Jews who had come into town to celebrate the feast will still be in town. So that’s Herod’s plan. He wants to execute Peter in a way and at a time that will receive maximum press coverage. 

However, the subsequent verses reveal that God has something very different in mind. And God demonstrates his supremacy over Herod very dramatic way…which brings us to the main idea of this passage. God is supreme over even the highest earthly rulers. God is supreme over even the highest earthly rulers.

Herod foolishly thinks he can do as he wishes with Peter. He has Peter placed in what we might call the maximum-security wing of the prison, chained to two guards as he slept. Herod also assigns a total of four squads of soldiers to guard Peter, thinking that’s more than sufficient to keep Peter from escaping. But in reality, even eight squads or a hundred squads wouldn’t have been enough to keep God from rescuing Peter. God causes the shackles to fall off of Peter’s wrists, apparently blinds the eyes of all the guards, and causes the iron gate to open “of its own accord.” Nothing—not even Herod—can keep Peter in that prison when God wants him out. 

Then, a while later, God shows his supremacy over Herod again. This time, the people of Tyre and Sidon are trying to win Herod’s favor because, even though they aren’t officially under Herod’s jurisdiction, they’re dependent on the land that is under Herod’s jurisdiction for food. So verse 21 records how Herod, in his arrogance, arranges for a very showy gathering during which he puts on his royal robes, takes a seat upon his throne, and delivers a speech to these people of Tyre and Sidon. And the people are so eager to win his favor that, as verse 22 records, they begin shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” Herod, no doubt, was thoroughly enjoying the moment. Yet he fails to take into account that there’s one infinitely higher than him on the throne of the universe and that this God of the universe is jealous for his own glory. So, verse 23 states that “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.” Talk about God putting Herod in his place, that’s exactly what he does—and permanently. 

And notice how God’s supremacy is emphasized even further in the next verse, verse 24: “But the word of God increased and multiplied.” Notice the word “but.” It signals a contrast with what’s just been recorded in the previous verses. Herod experienced a horrific and humiliating end, “but,” in striking contrast to that, “the word of God increased and multiplied.” So that single three-letter word “but” might not seem like much, but when you think about it, the entire thrust of this passage can be seen in that one word. God’s supremacy is seen quite clearly in the contrast between Herod’s demise and the gospel’s advance. It all comes back to the idea that God is supreme over even the highest earthly rulers.

And, friends, that’s still just as true today as it’s ever been. Even though we might not be persecuted or oppressed by a tyrant like Herod, there are still circumstances in our lives that feel overwhelming—situations that test our faith and, at times, even drive us close to our breaking point. And when we’re in the midst of those situations, I can’t think of any truth in the Bible more comforting than what we see here in Acts 12—the absolute sovereignty and supremacy of God over everyone and everything. We serve a God who’s bigger than any circumstances we’ll ever face—and what a comfort that is. So the question is, “Are you allowing yourself to be comforted by that and to rest in this all-powerful God and take refuge in this One who’s supreme over it all?” 

You know, thinking of this idea of resting in our all-powerful God, I can’t help but notice how soundly Peter was sleeping in that prison cell. Look at verses 6-7: 6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. So there Peter is, in a disgusting prison, chained to two guards, laying on the hard cell floor, and scheduled to be executed the very next day. And yet, he’s sound asleep. In fact, he’s sleeping so soundly that it says the angel actually has to strike him on the side in order to wake him up. This is a man who knew how to entrust himself to God and rest in God’s supremacy. Peter’s trust in God was so complete that, even in the most adverse circumstances, he was sleeping like a baby. Have you learned to rest in God in that way? 

You know, difficult circumstances have a way of revealing what we truly believe about God. They’re like the ultimate theology exam. When life is easy, we can claim to believe certain things about God all day long. And perhaps we make those claims in all sincerity. Yet it’s not until a significant trial comes along that those beliefs are put to the test and our true theology—what we really believe about God—rises to the surface. You might also compare it to squeezing a tube of toothpaste. When you squeeze a toothpaste tube, what’s on the inside comes out. And, likewise, when we experience suffering, it becomes clear what’s on the inside. Our true beliefs about the sovereignty of God, the supremacy of God, and also the goodness and wisdom of God are revealed.

Let me ask you this: do you really believe that God’s sovereign and supreme over any circumstances you’ll ever face? Do you really believe in the God who demonstrated his supremacy at the very beginning by speaking this entire universe into existence? Do you really believe in the God who demonstrated his supremacy over Pharaoh when he drove back the waters of the Red Sea, allowing the Israelites to walk through on dry ground, and then caused the waters to crash back down over Pharaoh’s soldiers when they tried to follow? Do you really believe in the God who demonstrated his supremacy over the mighty city of Jericho when he caused the walls of Jericho to fall to the ground?  Do you really believe in the God who demonstrated his supremacy over all the Canaanites when he gave the Israelites victory time after time even when they were almost always vastly outnumbered? Do you believe in the God who demonstrated his supremacy over King Sennacherib of Assyria when the Assyrians had surrounded Jerusalem and God struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in a single night while the Israelites slept? And then, coming to an even greater display of God’s supremacy than anything seen in the Old Testament, do you believe in the God who demonstrated his supremacy even over death itself by raising Jesus from the dead, conquering sin and death, so that we also can share in his life? Then, finally, of course, let’s not forget the way in which Jesus will one day return to this earth, making this cosmic victory won at the cross a visible reality as he establishes his Kingdom here on earth. Friends, we serve a God who’s supreme over all. Do you really believe that? 

You know, our circumstances can seem overwhelming until we begin viewing them in light of the power and supremacy of God. When we see how big God is, it just has a way of putting everything else into perspective. All of a sudden, the things that initially seemed so overwhelming now seem a lot more manageable—because God is on his throne. You might compare our struggle to a solar eclipse. As you can see in this illustration, a solar eclipse happens when the moon gets in the way of the sun and momentarily casts a shadow over a portion of the earth. You probably remember that we experienced this back in 2017. And of course the sun is thousands of times bigger than the moon, so it’s pretty remarkable that the moon is able to block out the sun. The only reason it’s able to do that is because the moon is so much closer to us that the sun is. So the moon seems bigger than the sun because it’s so much closer and is therefore able to momentarily block out the sun. And in a similar way, our earthly circumstances often seem much more significant and “real” than God in the sense that they’re visible in a way that God isn’t and can therefore often eclipse our view of God and the hope that we have in him. That’s why we have to learn to look past our earthly circumstances and set our gaze on the One who reins sovereign and supreme over them all. 

And here’s the thing: our ability to do this and to rest in God during the difficult times of life is directly connected to how consistently we’ve cultivated that kind of mindset during the easy times. You might think of it as a bank account of sorts. During the easy times of life, we have the opportunity to make consistent deposits into this bank account through things like prayer and Bible study—habits that strengthen our faith in God. And it’s important that we consistently make these deposits so that our spiritual bank account is full and won’t be overdrawn when we’re hit with a significant trial in life. If we want to make sure we have enough money in the account for when a trail hits, we have to be making those daily deposits. That’s what’ll enable us to view our circumstances in light of God’s supremacy and weather whatever storms might come our way. 

Also, looking here in Acts 12, one of the most prominent features of this passage is the early church’s response to Peter’s imprisonment. Notice what they did. They didn’t focus on strategizing or figuring out some clever way to get Peter out. Instead, they prayed. And notice how verse 5 describes their prayer. It says, “So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.” That word “earnest” translates the same Greek word used in Luke 22:44 to describe the manner in which Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane right before his crucifixion. It says, “And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” So back in Acts, these Christians aren’t just halfheartedly going through the motions of prayer. They’re going before God’s throne with a sense of utter desperation, pleading with God to intervene. 

And, by the way, that’s a common theme we see in Acts. When the early Christians encountered a difficulty, their first and primary response—their reflex action, if you will—was to pray. For example, in Acts 4, right after Peter and John were arrested by the Jewish religious leaders and threatened with severe punishment and then released, notice what the early Christians did. We’re told in Acts 4:23 and following that 23 When [Peter and John] were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them… 29 look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness. So notice in these verses how immediately these Christians turned to God in prayer. Prayer was their first response rather than their last resort. And same could be said of Acts 12. 

Now, maybe there are some of you who are wondering, “If God already knows what we need, why does he instruct us to pray?” And that’s a great question. I believe the answer is that the act of prayer exalts God. It openly acknowledges his power and supremacy. In fact, prayer makes an implicit statement about several things. Simply by our act of going to God in prayer, consider what we’re saying about ourselves. We’re saying that we’re weak, impotent creatures in need of God’s help and rescue. Consider also what we’re saying about our circumstances. We’re saying our circumstances are more than we can handle, yet they’re not more than God can handle. The simple act of praying to God implies that. Then, finally, of course, we’re making an implicit statement about God.  We’re saying that God’s good, that he’s faithful to answer prayer, and that he’s able to help us regardless of the situation we’re in. That’s why God instructs us to pray. He already knows what we need, but he wants us to pray so that we can be reminded of all of these truths. 

And I don’t know about you, but when I pray, it’s like a massive weight is immediately removed from my shoulders. This is especially true when circumstances seem overwhelming. To change the metaphor, my experience has been that whenever I feel suffocated by my circumstances, prayer is like breathing in huge breathes of oxygen-rich air. It’s like I’m underwater, desperate for oxygen, and prayer is like me breaking the surface of the water and breathing in air—wonderful, glorious air. The great theologian Jonathan Edwards once made a similar observation. He said that “prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is to life.” So there’s a sense in which, if you have true faith, prayer should be one of the most natural things in the world for you. 

And, again, that’s what we see the Christians of Acts 12 doing. When they suddenly find themselves in a time of crisis—with James already having been executed and Peter about to be executed—their plan is very simple: they pray. And I don’t believe there’s anything more powerful they could have done. Think about it like this. In the secular world, one of the most valuable resources you can have is connections with powerful people. That’s just the way things seem to work. And the more power or influence or rank the person has, the more valuable a meaningful connection with them is. For example, if you’re tying to get hired by a certain company, let’s say, or maybe get that company to do something for you, a connection with a manager is more valuable than a connection with a lower-level employee. Then, moving up, a connection with a department director is more valuable than a connection with a lower-level manager. And moving up even higher, a connection with a vice president or even the president or CEO of the company is more valuable than a connection with a department director. That’s the way it works. Now think about this: as Christians, we have a connection with the One at the very top of it all. We can go straight to the top with our request. We even have his personal number and have been invited to call him at any time and ask for anything we desire—with the assurance that he’ll answer our request in a manner consistent with our good and his glory. What an incredible thought—a direct line to the God of the universe! 

Yet, the issue of ultimate importance in all of this is the posture of our heart. The act of praying is just one aspect or manifestation of the underlying posture of our heart. Are we, in our heart, looking to God for his all-sufficient grace in our times of need? I love what David says in Psalm 61:1-2. He states, 1 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; 2 from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. I love that! During a time of difficulty, when his heart is faint, David prays, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

Imagine you’re caught in the middle of a flood. And let’s say that this flood has come upon you all of a sudden and that the flood waters are rising rapidly all around you. What are you going to do? Well, in the absence of a boat or something like that, you’re of course going to do everything you can to get to higher ground, right? You don’t have to be a genius to figure out that, in a flood, higher ground is way better than lower ground. So you’re going to get to higher ground. But what are you going to do if you’re already at the highest point that’s accessible to you and the water level continues to rise? Let’s say the water level reaches your feet and it’s still rising. Well, at that point, you’re pretty much out of options, aren’t you? And that’s the picture David’s painting for us here when he says to God, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” In other words, “I’m here, God, and I’m about to be swept away by this current. And since I don’t have any way to rescue myself, I need you to rescue me. I need you to pick me up and bring me to higher ground—to a “rock that is higher than I.’” Is that the posture of your heart as well? 

And, ultimately, the rock we need to look to is Jesus. You see, the ultimate problem we have is the problem of sin. The Bible says each one of us is in a state of sinful rebellion against God and that our sins deserve his judgment. We stand guilty and condemned before a holy God. And try as we might, there’s nothing we can do to rescue ourselves. No amount of good works can ever make us acceptable in God’s sight or earn his favor. So we need to look beyond ourselves for the answer. We need a rock that’s higher than ourselves. Thankfully, as we celebrate each Christmas, Jesus came to our rescue. He was born into this world in the most humble of circumstances but came for a purpose more glorious that we’d have ever imagined. That purpose was to live a perfectly sinless life and then die on a cross to accomplish the rescue of his people. His sinless life perfectly fulfilled the requirements God’s law in our place. Then, his sacrificial death perfectly satisfied the requirements of God’s justice in our place. Somebody had to suffer the judgment our sins deserved—and typically that “somebody” would be us. But Jesus loved us so much that endured that judgment on our behalf. He then, as we’ve said, demonstrated his supremacy over sin and death by rising from the dead, with the result that he’s now able to save all who will look to him in faith. That involves turning away from our sins and putting our confidence in him alone to rescue us—as that rock higher than ourselves.

Or consider what we see in our main passage of Acts 12. As verse 6 describes, Peter was in the bondage of his imprisonment and sentenced to die—and there was nothing he could do to extricate himself from that situation. He was utterly powerless to rescue himself. Yet God rescued him from that prison in a very dramatic way. And just as God rescued Peter from his physical bondage, he rescues us from our spiritual bondage. Many times, interestingly enough, we don’t even know we need to be rescued. Like Peter asleep in his prison cell, we’re in a state of spiritual slumber. Yet, just as we see in verse 7, God shines his light—the light of the gospel—into the darkness of our prison cell and awakens us by striking us with conviction of sin and then causes the spiritual shackles to fall off of our hands. He then leads us out of that prison and into the glorious freedom that’s ours in Christ. What a God and what a Savior!

As the famous hymn-writer Charles Wesley wrote so many years ago, 

Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

Can you honestly say that this morning? Do you have that testimony of the glorious freedom from sin that’s found in Jesus?