His belly was growling as he tried to listen. The king’s speech meant everything to him. The night before he’d gathered with his fellow countrymen pleading with the king to end his angry tirade and open up the food bank again. His children were starving. They were desperate. They wanted to get back the homeland they loved so much. They had hoped their world would be great again.
They listened with great anticipation as the king sat upon his throne and delivered a speech. His wealth was evident. His speech was appealing. In fact his oration was so compelling that the people saw in this king that which they’d been longing for. He would be the one to rescue them. He would make their land great again.
This father of four was appalled at what he saw and heard. What he heard was just a bloviating mad man. He could see the emptiness behind his silver tongue and profound wealth and power. What bothered him the most though was what his fellow people started doing. It was unthinkable. Even sensible God-fearing people started talking like this man was a god, and not man.
How could this be? How could the people fall for this man who was so full of himself. How could he be so prideful? How were they so blinded by his royal robes that they couldn’t see through the empty rhetoric?
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That’s a bit of an imaginative look at Acts 12 and the speech of Herod the Great. In reality, the role of the bloviating mad man could be filled by countless people throughout history.
And when you are on the outside of the hysteria looking in it can be a bit disconcerting. Seeing your fellow country-men flocking to a leader and falling for his/her empty promises is painful to watch. It’s easy in these times to get terribly discouraged and throw up your hands in frustration. You can find yourself wondering if you should just sit quietly in a corner while the world just plummets itself into the hell they’ve requested.
Acts 12 is encouraging, though. It tells us that there is a different story which trumps that of the bloviating mad man.
Herod finished up his speech and took the glory which belonged to. He started to believe his press clippings and wondered if maybe he really was a god. “Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down…and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.”
Breathed his last.
Do you know what that means? His tongue is now silent. His spectacular speeches are in the grave with him. He joins the host of other bloviating mad men who thought they spoke as gods but who are now silent. This terrific accomplishment of oratory is now forgotten. And Herod lies in the grave.
Luke does something beautiful in Acts 12:24. Right after saying that Herod “breathed his last” he says, “But the word of God increased and multiplied”.
But.
Why put that “but” there? Because Luke is contrasting the living word of God with the breathless Herod. God’s Word continues on—increasing and multiplying—while Herod now lies in the grave.
This is a great reminder for us when we find ourselves on the outside listening in on a world gone crazy. The tongue of the mad man will only spout as long as God gives it life and breath. It will cease. He will not. His words will continue throughout all of the ages and into eternity.
Treasure the words which will truly last. Don’t fret about the silver tongues which have an expiration date. Speak the words which are eternal.
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Photo source, from A Mad Mad Mad Mad World: here
A better title would be, “When Did The World Go Mad?” (Eccles 9:3) Answer: In the Garden of Eden.