Give God The Glory (Acts 12:23)

 


Tuesday, June 24, 2025


Psalms 130; 131; 133

1 Samuel 18:17-30

Acts 12:12-25


Observance: The Birth of John the Baptist


Give God The Glory (Acts 12:23)


 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck Herod down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.


There is an Australian historian who makes a compelling suggestion to explain our national political culture. He looked at how the first colonies functioned; specifically with regards to the commissariat. If a farmer had a tough year, he expected the governor to open the shed and share government supplies with his family. If, on the other hand, the farmer had a bumper crop and the market could not afford to absorb his stock, he expected the governor to pay a fair rate and buy his excess. It all comes down to the politics of food – and today’s account of Herod’s death in Acts is the same.


There was a famine, and the people were arguing with Herod over food. The treasurer had managed to come to some agreement with the people, which made Herod look very good indeed. And so the benevolent king ascended his throne in fine clothes (and Josephus reckons he wore a silver robe during this speech) and accepted the accolades of the crowd. Yet God wanted everyone to know that self-aggrandisement was not the way to love your neighbour.


Herod dies, is eaten by worms, and meanwhile we get a little footnote about a certain Barnabas and Saul completing their mission. This mission we read about back in Acts 11, and we read St Paul’s own perspective in several of his letters – it was a charity mission, circling round the churches of the Eastern Mediterranean, putting funds together to support those starving in Jerusalem.


Jesus gave us a great turn of phrase when considering how we go about charitable works: we are not to let our right hand know what the left is doing. Helping one another is no cause for fanfare and accolades. It is just something that ought to be done. And in order to avoid the danger of pride in our giving, we are to keep it as much on the down-low as possible.


Certainly this gets difficult when unbelievers begin to criticise the Church. Little do our mockers know that we are, in fact, the biggest charitable organisation in the world. But – give glory to God, not ourselves. And our Father, who sees in secret, will reward us.


Where is God calling you to perform charitable works? Where does your self-interest come into that? Where would God’s glory be revealed?

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