With Me You Win, Against Me You Lose

I would rather lose in a cause that will some day win, than win in a cause that will some day lose. – Woodrow Wilson

Arguing against God is arguing against the very power that makes you able to argue at all. – C.S. Lewis

Matthew 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

Throughout the universe, war rages on every front. God, the holy angels, and elect men battle Satan, his demonic hosts, and fallen men. Although the outcome of the war has never been in doubt, the battles are no less real.

The war began on the angelic level when Lucifer, highest of all created beings, rebelled against his Creator. Lucifer, Satan (“adversary”), was cast from heaven, taking with him one-third of the angels (Rev. 12:4). From that moment until the present, war has raged between Satan and God, engulfing angels and men.

On the human front, the battle began when Adam and Eve rebelled against God in Eden.

Solomon well expressed the hopelessness of fighting God when he wrote, “There is no wisdom and no understanding and no counsel against the Lord” (Prov. 21:30).

The nineteenth-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche despised Christianity as the religion of weaklings. Fighting God eventually pushed him over the brink, and he spent the last several years of his life insane.

In biblical times, just as in our own, there were those who tried vainly to battle God. Many of them were kings or other rulers, whose immense earthly power deceived them into thinking they could successfully oppose heaven.

One of the first in the long line of rulers who fought God was the pharaoh who ruled Egypt at the time of the Exodus.

Even many leaders of God’s own people fought Him. Every one of the kings of Israel, and many of those of Judah, opposed God. The result was the destruction of the northern kingdom by
Assyria and the southern kingdom by Babylon. God does not tolerate rebellion even among the ranks of His own people.

In the New Testament era one family of rulers stands out in the battle against God: the Herod’s. The patriarch of the family was known in all modesty as Herod the Great. He ruled Judea from 47 B.C. to 37 B.C. Then, having been dubbed “King of the Jews” by Antony, Octavius, and the Roman Senate, he ruled all of Palestine from 37 B.C. until his death shortly after Christ’s birth (Matt. 2:15).

Most barbaric of all was Herod’s slaughter of all the innocent young male children near Bethlehem (Matt. 2:16).

When James was martyred, probably not long before Peter is arrested, his death was NOT because the Lord couldn’t save him. It was not because he was weak or incompetent. It was because, among other reasons, Jesus had said to James, “The cup that I drink you also will drink” (Mark 10:39). Some bear witness through death, others through life.

God can release, sustain and empower in martyrdom. That is the point of releasing Peter and not James. God is in control over this little Herod in both cases. In fact there is an extraordinary power in martyrdom. Paul said in Philippians 1:14, “Most of the brethren have been made confident in the Lord because of my imprisonment and are much more bold to speak the word of God without fear.” The suffering of Christian martyrs has a powerful spiritual effect on those who live. It puts us face to face with eternity. It shows the reality of faith. It strips away the petty pursuits and the trivial anxieties in our lives.

Tertullian, the Christian defender of the faith who died in 225, said to his enemies, “We multiply whenever we are mown down by you; the blood of Christians is [the] seed [of the church].” Jerome said about 100 years later, “The church of Christ has been founded by shedding its own blood, not that of others; by enduring outrage, not by inflicting it. Persecutions have made it grow; martyrdoms have crowned it”

If You Oppose Jesus, You Lose

The Herod the king of this chapter was Herod Agrippa I, who reigned from A.D. 37 to A.D. 44. He was the grandson of Herod the Great. Agrippa I was always on shaky ground with the Romans. He was made ruler of northern Palestine (Luke 3:1), to which Judea and Samaria were eventually added in A.D. Because of his tenuous relationship with Rome, it was imperative that he maintain the loyalty of his Jewish subjects.

The chapter begins with Herod killing James, and ends with the angel of the Lord killing Herod. The main point of the chapter is: if you oppose Jesus, you lose. Luke put this chapter together to make this plain for the early church: you may feel small and insignificant in the Roman empire; you may think that you are overpowered when some of your best leaders are killed on
a political whim. But the truth is: if you stay with Jesus, you win, and if you oppose him, you lose. So be encouraged. Be bold and courageous to spread the Word of truth and leave the outcome to God.

in Luke 22:25–26, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors [that’s exactly what Herod was exalting about himself—“You are dependent on me!”]. But not so with you; rather let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.” So Herod was in direct violation of Jesus’ call for humility.

It is Foolish to Fight Against God

God’s power cannot be contested,

Herod’s Two Deep Desires

The first desire Herod had was self-exaltation and the second was Christian limitation. The first was the deepest desire and the second was only a means to that end owing to the political climate in Jerusalem.

Self-Exaltation and Seeking the Praise of Men

In verses 2–3, “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.” In other words, what drove him was his desire to be popular as a powerful ruler. “When he saw that it pleased the Jews …” He loved the praise of men, especially praise for power.

This desire for self-exaltation led him to oppose Christianity. We don’t know why he had arrested and killed James in the first place, but we can easily imagine that a man like this would take offense at the sons of thunder, James and John, just like Herod Antipas (the tetrarch, Luke 3:1, 19) took offense at John the Baptist and had him killed to please others.

The message of Jesus is always going to stick in the craw of people devoted to the praise of men. In John 5:44 Jesus said to the glory-seeking Pharisees, “How can you believe, who receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?” In other words, you can’t believe in Jesus and be devoted to glory-seeking among men. Faith is God-exalting. Glory-seeking is self-exalting. They can’t go together. If you are seeking the praise of men, you are on a collision course with God.

Being Seen as Powerful

That’s exactly what Herod was seeking and that’s just what happened. This is crystal clear in verses 20–23. Tyre and Sidon, coastal cities in Syria, depended on Herod’s breadbasket in Galilee, just like California depends on Iowa. But Herod was angry at these cities and their food supply was in jeopardy. So they come seeking somehow to please Herod. Which is exactly what he likes to be—pleased.

But in a very special way. He likes to be pleased by having himself exalted as powerful. If that takes killing Christian apostles, then he will do that. If it takes giving public speeches with regal pomp and glory, then he will do that. That’s what he does in verse 21 “On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and made an oration to them.” In other words he made every effort to let these folks from Tyre and Sidon see that he was really somebody. They were not just coming to beg from a tenant farmer. He held sway over their food supply more like God than like a farmer.

This is exactly the opposite of what Jesus taught in Luke 22:25–26, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors [that’s exactly what Herod was exalting about himself—“You are dependent on me!”]. But not so with you; rather let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.” So Herod was in direct violation of Jesus’ call for humility.

Peter is Sleeping

Herod thought he had the situation well in hand. On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains; and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. Despite his appalling circumstances, Peter was sound asleep. Neither the presence of the guards, wretchedness of the prison, nor the imminent threat of execution could disturb his rest. In fact, so soundly was he sleeping that the angel had to prod him to wake him up.

Our sleeping pill and tranquilizer saturated society could take a lesson from Peter on how to trust God. Peter’s advise to believers cast “all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

In Herod’s plans to curry favor he neglected to consider what God might do. An angel of the Lord suddenly appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and roused him, saying, “Get up quickly.” As already noted, Peter was sound asleep. Not even the brilliant light that shone in the cell aroused him. Finally, the angel struck Peter’s side and roused him, saying, “Get up quickly.”

While Peter was kept in the prison, the church responded as they usually did when facing persecution: prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God ( 4:23–31). They knew only God had the power to release Peter. Their prayer was like the stretching of a muscle to its limits. Luke 22:44 to describe our Lord’s prayer in Gethsemane, when “being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.” The church poured the maximum effort they were capable of into their prayers for Peter.

He thought he was dreaming,

Passed the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street; and immediately the angel departed from him

Only then did Peter fully realize what was happening. He finally came to himself and exclaimed, “Now 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,” namely his execution. This was not a dream;

He went to the house of Mary, the mother of Peter’s companion John Mark, was where many of the believers were gathered together praying for Peter’s release.

When Peter got to Mary’s house, he knocked at the door of the gate and a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer. She, naturally, asked who was there at that hour of the night. Peter identified himself, but instead of opening the gate for him, when she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

They finally opened the door (much to Peter’s relief), they saw him and were amazed. His inability to enter without their opening may show something of the fear of arrest that gripped these believers.

The noise made by the overjoyed believers threatened to do what Peter’s knocking had not: to arouse the neighbors and get Peter recaptured.

Peter quickly told the amazing story of his escape, which no doubt greatly encouraged his listeners. Peter then commanded them to report the news to James ,he was the head of the Jerusalem church at this time. Having done that, Peter prudently departed and went to another place. He didn’t want to put all his fellow believers in jeopardy, and he knew Agrippa would soon be looking for him.

Peter is Missing

Peter’s sudden, mysterious disappearance from a securely guarded cell caused an uproar among the guards. They turned the prison upside down searching for him, since they knew all too well what fate awaited a soldier who lost a prisoner.

They could not find Peter, however, and eventually were forced to report that to Herod. Their worst fears were realized, for Herod, having searched for Peter unsuccessfully, turned his fury on the hapless guards. He examined the guards and ordered that they be led away to execution.

After executing the offending guards, Herod in a huff went down from Judea to Caesarea and was spending time there. His plan had blown up in his face, and he needed a vacation to pull himself together.

God’s punishment cannot be avoided

Several months had passed since Peter’s escape when, for reasons unknown to us, Herod became very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They were outside Herod’s jurisdiction,
but since Old Testament times their country had been fed by the region ruled by Herod (. 1 Kings 5:11; Ezra 3:7; Ezek. 27:17).

Realizing the danger of having Herod mad, they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king’s chamberlain, they were asking for peace. Herod’s economic blockade was crippling them, and they needed to make peace with him quickly.

Herod agreed to terms, but to further demonstrate his prowess, he subjected the ambassadors from the two cities to a spectacle.

On an appointed day (according to the Jewish historian Josephus the occasion was a feast in honor of Herod’s patron, the Roman Emperor Claudius), Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them. They met in the amphitheater built by Agrippa’s grandfather, Herod the Great. Josephus describes the scene: “[Herod] put on a garment made wholly of silver, and of a contexture truly wonderful, and came into the theatre early in the morning; at which time the silver of his garment being illuminated by the fresh reflection of the sun’s rays upon it, shone out after a surprising manner” (Antiquities XIX, vii, 2).

Overwhelmed by his splendor (or, more likely, seeking to flatter him), the people kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” Josephus notes that Herod “did neither rebuke them, nor reject their impious flattery” (Antiquities XIX, vii, 2).

God’s response was swift. Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.
Herod’s crime for which he was executed (A.D. 44) was that he did not give God the glory, the very crime for which all the unregenerate who reject God will be condemned (Rom. 1:18–23).

God’s purposes cannot be frustrated

But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark. (12:24–25)

Despite the furious opposition of men, the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.

After stating the fact that God’s purposes cannot be frustrated, Luke cites as an example Barnabas and Saul, who returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission. They had completed their mission of bringing famine relief to the Jerusalem church (11:30). That mission took place after Herod’s death. He died, but the church he persecuted lived on.

Verses 24–25 mark an important transition in Acts. They introduce again the apostle Paul, with whose ministry the rest of the book will be primarily.

Are we like Herod, do we fight against God when we make a choice to do something directly opposed to what He says? And we think we can get away with it? We will not, we will lose.