“Acts 12: Peter in Prison”

Thursday, January 12, 2017

In Chapter 12, Herod the king turns up the persecution. The events of this chapter take place in approximately A.D. 44. The Herod referred to, in this chapter, is Agrippa I. He kills James, the brother of John, making him the first apostle to die for his faith. When he realizes that the Jews are pleased with this action, Herod also arrests Peter.

The church prays for Peter and God sends an angel in response to those fervent, righteous prayers to free him from prison. This should remind us that prayer is a powerful tool in the battle against sin and unrighteousness. We should always pray when times are difficult and the challenges to our faith are great. Prayer must never be looked at as a last resort, only when all else fails. It is interesting that, although the disciples were praying for Peter’s release, when he is set free, some of them don’t believe it.

As an interesting side note, in verses 18-19, the New Testament tells us that “there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter.” Herod gets personally involved in the case and, after searching for him in vain, orders that the guards who let him escape be executed.

Chapter 12 concludes with the account of Herod’s death. While he is giving a speech, the people of Tyre and Sidon refer to Herod as a god. When he fails to give the proper glory to the one, true God, he is “eaten by worms” and dies. (Herod Agrippa I is the father of King Agrippa II, who will tell the apostle Paul in Chapter 26, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”)

Barnabas and Saul return to Antioch from delivering the assistance to the region of Judea, bringing with them, John Mark. The work of taking the gospel to the whole world continues.

--Roger Hillis

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