The Disturbance: Acts 12:18-19
“18) Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter. 19) When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and was spending time there.” Acts 12:18-19
God has a habit of stirring things up. “When day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter.” I’m sure there was a thorough investigation. The chains were examined, the doors were checked, even the gate was looked at closely. Finally, the guards were examined to see if there was a Jesus sympathizer among them.
This line of investigation must have turned up some positive sentiment for The Way. After all, Cornelius and his Italian cohort had come to Christ in the previous chapter.
Herod concluded it was an inside job. There was no tolerance to consider of the Divine Intervention Theory. That would have been the modern equivalent of admitting an Intelligent Designer pulled off the origins of the universe. The notion was quickly dismissed.
Herod chose to kill four squads of soldiers rather than yield to the notion that the finger of God was responsible. Some people are dogmatically closed to the notion of the existence of God. They refuse to acknowledge Him or humble themselves before Him. They are blind and deaf to any an all evidence that point to God. They would rather die as atheists than live as Christians. The rest of the story screams that God is more than willing to accommodate their foolish fate!
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
