Audio Transcript

Interesting question for you today, Pastor John, on how to read providence in Acts 12, which we encounter together tomorrow in our Bible reading. The question comes from an anonymous listener to the podcast, who writes, “Pastor John, hello, and thank you for the continued encouragement I receive for my soul through the Ask Pastor John podcast! I have a Bible question for you today, because I admit that I have a hard time reading and understanding providence in Acts 12.

“There we are given a long and detailed account of the divine intervention that came to Peter’s rescue to save his life in Acts 12:6–11. But just above his dramatic and detailed deliverance, in the same chapter, we’re told that James — matter-of-factly — was murdered by the king’s sword. That’s in Acts 12:1–2. What are we to make of the differences here in the level of protection and in how elaborately, or not, each story is told? Why the difference? And what lessons do we learn about reading providence in the lives of each follower of Christ?”

Well, I’m tempted to say, “Don’t read providence; read the Bible.” But that’s not fair. That’s an inadequate response to the question because, on the one hand, while it’s true that most of God’s providential acts in the world do not communicate all of his thousands of particular designs in that providence, there are circumstances in this world that providence has designed in such a way that we ought to be understanding what they mean. Jesus got very upset that people in his day could read the weather but couldn’t read the signs of the times (Matthew 16:3).

On the other hand, to say that we should read our Bibles does not make matters completely simple, right? Because here in Acts 12, the question remains: Why does the death of James get two verses and the rescue of Peter get twelve verses? And I think the answer ought to be sought in a careful reading of the chapter, not simply by asking questions about providence. We learn about providence by a careful reading of the biblical text, not the other way around.

Fall of a Tyrant

Acts 12 begins, “About that time Herod [the king] laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also” (Acts 12:1–3). Then, for the next twelve verses, you get this amazing story about how God rescued Peter miraculously and saved his life. So, providentially, God gave up James to death and rescued Peter.

So, what’s going on in this chapter? What’s the point of Acts 12? I think the point of this chapter has more to do with Herod and Peter than with James and Peter. This chapter begins by Herod killing James, and the chapter ends by God killing Herod. James is mentioned twice in this chapter; Herod is mentioned six times.

Proud King

So here’s what I think is going on. Herod is the first person introduced in the chapter and is portrayed as anti-Christian and as arrogantly presumptuous against God’s people. And it is precisely Herod’s presumption and his pride that begins the chapter and that will bring him to ruin at the end of the chapter. I think the overall point of the chapter is this: while God may allow arrogant man to have some temporary triumphs over his people (hence the death of James), nevertheless, God reigns over arrogant kings, governors, and brings them to ruin in his time and puts them to shame.

“We learn about providence by a careful reading of the biblical text, not the other way around.”

Now, lest we think of the death of James is somehow a fluke or an occasion for Herod to think he’s in charge, remember Matthew 20:20–23: James’s mother asked Jesus if James and John, her sons, could sit at his right hand in his kingdom, and Jesus said, “You do not know what you are asking.” He turns to them and he says, “Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” And they said yes. And he said, ominously, “You will drink it.” And James drank it in the second verse of Acts 12.

Herod was not in charge; God was fulfilling his word. Herod wasn’t ruling when he beheaded James; God was ruling. Oh how careful we need to be in reading providence.

Foolish King

But then Luke describes the imprisonment of Peter in such a way as to make Herod look presumptuous and silly. First, Luke highlights that Herod fully intended to bring Peter out of prison the next day and do to him what he did to James; that was his futile plan. Then, to show how helpless Herod was, Luke tells us that on the very night before Herod planned to bring Peter out, he made sure — Herod made totally sure — that he was being safely guarded. He had him in chains; he had him between two guards on either side of him; he had two sentries behind locked gates. The whole emphasis falls on Herod’s sense of power. I’ve got him. I’m holding him.

And all of it is totally futile because when God’s angel shows up, the chains simply fall off. They just fall off. The guards don’t know what’s going on. They’re totally oblivious. The gate is described as opening as if it had a will to do it all by itself. It just opens. And Peter comes out to a praying fellowship, and then he goes on his way. And when Peter realizes what’s happening, he says, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod” (Acts 12:11). He didn’t just say, “rescued me from prison,” but “from the hand of [this presumptuous king] Herod.”

Dead King

And the story of Herod and Peter could have ended right there, with the triumph of God over this man who thought he could do anything he pleased with God’s people. But the story doesn’t end there because the story really is about Herod as much as about Peter. What does Herod do? He does what every tyrant does who is frustrated that he doesn’t have all the power he thinks he has and who is about to be mocked (for Peter’s escape): he kills the soldiers who failed to guard Peter. Of course he does. That’s what tyrants do. Futile.

And then, to bring the story to a climax, the chapter ends with Herod — on an appointed day, with his royal robes — taking a seat on the throne, delivering an oration and being claimed by the people, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” (Acts 12:22). In other words, his presumption reaches a crescendo in this chapter. And Acts 12:23 says, “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.”

Kings Beware, Saints Be Bold

So, the message of this chapter — and, in a sense, the providence behind it — is that yes, God’s faithful servants will sometimes drink the cup that Jesus drank in martyrdom, but beware, kings of the earth: Don’t think that you have ultimate power over God’s people. Beware of pride and presumption, beware of not giving God glory. And, saints of the Lord, in all your suffering know this: God reigns over the earth. He reigns over the kings of the earth. So press on with the business of spreading the gospel, whether you live or whether you die.