In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.
On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.”
Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.

–Parallel verses:
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭4‬, ‭10‬-‭12‬
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

What is it inside a man that likes to think they can be god-like? It is the sin of pride. Herod had this sin, and we see that his bruised pride set him up for a great fall. How was his pride bruised? Just before this passage in Acts, we find that he could not explain how Peter escaped his grasp; he blamed the soldiers who were guarding him instead of giving God the glory. And now his bruised pride takes things to a whole new level.

The proud puff themselves up and deflect or excuse away anything that threatens their pride.

Some of the great takeaways here are: 1) In front of a multitude of people, God judged the evil acts of Herod. 2) God’s final judgment came after Herod tried to take the place of God himself. While his other deeds were evil, God was making a statement to the people. Setting oneself up as God and allowing others to worship you is a challenge to God himself and will not be tolerated in the end. 3) He did not just die, he was cut down by a single angel. This is the same number of angels that rescued Peter from jail — one. One angel is an immensely powerful force against any number of Roman soldiers. The message is clear, just like God cut down the heavily guarded Herod in front of the people of Tyre and Sidon, he also saved Peter who was heavily guarded. No manner of earthly troops are enough to go against the God of heaven and earth and his mighty angelic force! 4) Justice was taken on Herod. He did not just die, he was killed in a humiliating way, in front of his defenseless troops, and with his body eaten by worms. This last part was likely a supernatural power too. Worms do not just appear to eat a body quickly. The body must be starting to decay and then the maggot eggs are laid and then they hatch.

So why do the nations conspire against the Lord? Why do the rulers persecute his people? The psalmist is correct, it is laughable and silly to wage war against such a powerful force. The warning here is clear, rulers of our world be on alert! God will judge you for your actions! You are not above the consequences of your evil actions!

Lord, thank you that you dispense justice for the evil in this world. Sometimes this comes in our lifetime, other times it does not, but will come on the final judgment day. Help me to take heart when evil seems to benefit and injustice prevails. You are still in control and have a master plan to glorify your name and protect your people.