And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory, and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. But the Word of God grew and multiplied. Acts 12:23,24
If we were able to choose the way we are to die, I suppose most of us would prefer to go in our sleep, although an old friend of mine assured me he wanted to die at age 97 by being shot by a jealous husband. For sure, none of us would want to die in some painful accident or by some agonizing disease. Some people have great fear of drowning or of falling to their deaths. To be tortured to death must surely be a horrifying way to go. But I cannot imagine a worse death in terms of agony and horror that that of being eaten alive by worms. Yes, we will all, as Shakespeare declared, be food for worms after we die. But for it to occur while we are still alive is beyond description. So why does Scripture record such a horrible death for King Herod?
It is hard to argue that Herod deserved better. This man knew the Gospel well, having heard it many times from the faithful and fearless lips of John Baptist. Then he cruelly murdered John to fulfill a drunken vow to a tart. He had also had a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, although he sought the audience for entertainment only and accorded Him nothing but mockery. Earlier in the chapter of our text, Herod slew the great apostle James to gain some brownie points with the Jews, and sought to do the same with Peter. In response to Peter’s miraculous escape, Herod petulantly ordered the execution of the guard detail for spoiling his fun. Then, in a pompous display to a crowd of visitors from Tyre and Sidon, he made a great oration, reveling in the adoration from the fawning folks who were there to curry his favour. So God put a stop to all that. Our text declares it was because he gave not God the glory. If Herod had given God the glory, he would have set John at liberty, released Jesus, and never have messed with the disciples. God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7).
Given what happened to Herod, we find it hard to understand why atheists and God rejecters such as Richard Dawkins and his buddies are not all eaten by worms. Be assured that if these people fail to repent, they will all be eaten of worms either in time or in eternity (Mark 9:44,48). But God is allowing them to fill up the cup of their iniquity to reap the judgment that they deserve.
It seems so unfair to us sometimes to see the enemies of the cross win so many apparent victories. But they are not winning; they are merely building up for themselves a huge loss. And as our text declares, the Word of God that is being downtrodden today will be vindicated and exalted. -Jim MacIntosh