SATURDAY, MAY 18
Scripture: Acts 12:1-5

In Acts 12:1-5 we are told, “Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.” James had been executed, Peter had been left in prison, and he was going to be executed shortly. One of the things we have noticed about the wrath of God is, that whenever it falls, it dictates that whatever people are weighing in rebellion gets weighed back to them. When Jesus comes as Judge, He rewards people according to their works. So all the judgments of Scripture have in them the seed of the sin of commission, somewhere. Even if it goes back a couple of generations. Lot’s wife, for example, becomes a pillar of salt because she violated the covenant of salt. Because Egypt killed the sons of the Israelites, all their firstborn were killed in one night. Just like Pharaoh ordered the sons of the Israelites to be drowned in the Nile, all the sons in the Egyptian army were drowned in the Red Sea. Over and over again in Scripture, God’s wrath that brings death rewards people based on what they do. His judgments are custom-made. Herod killed James and prepared to kill Peter. Now the question is, in God’s wrath, does He kill in order to save? For all the people who believe that wrath is not a problem anymore because Jesus took care of it, how can they deny that God killed Herod?! Herod’s termination was undeniably God-originated! Maybe it is because wrath is still an issue in the New Testament. Surely Peter rejoiced when his calling was not cut short. Praying a path for wrath saved Peter!