An Ill-fated Egotist

An Ill-fated Egotist

His flattery got him nowhere in the end.

HIS NAME was Agrippa, and he was born in 10 B.C. His grandfather was King Herod the Great, the king of Judea at the birth of Jesus.

Herod the Great had five wives, including two named Mariamne. Agrippa’s grandmother was the first Mariamne, a descendant of the Maccabees who freed the Jews from the Syrians. Herod married Mariamne I in 37 B.C. Their wedded bliss lasted only eight years before Herod became suspicious of her loyalty and had her executed. Their union had produced two sons, Aristobulus and Alexander.

Aristobulus married his cousin Bernice, and they had two children, Agrippa and Herodias. In 7 B.C. Herod became suspicious of the loyalty of Aristobulus and Alexander and had both sons executed just as he had their mother.

After his father’s death, Agrippa’s mother brought him to Rome, where he was raised with members of the imperial family. When he reached adulthood, Agrippa became a spendthrift, and when his wealth was gone, he borrowed heavily. Finally falling out of favor with the imperial family, he left Rome, leaving behind many unhappy creditors.

By A.D. 36 Agrippa was back in Rome to seek his fortune. He made friends with Gaius Caligula, the adopted son of the emperor Tiberius. When Agrippa remarked that he wished Tiberius would give the throne to Caligula who would do a better job of ruling, Tiberius immediately had him arrested. However, fortunately for Agrippa, six months later Tiberius died and was succeeded by Caligula.

Caligula immediately released Agrippa from prison and gave him a gold chain, the same weight as the iron chain he had worn in prison. Caligula also made him king over the region of Philip the tetrarch, Agrippa’s uncle, and also over the tetrarchy of Lysanias (Luke 3:1). Then in A.D. 39 when Caligula sent Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee and another of Agrippa’s uncles, into exile, he gave his territory to Agrippa as well.

Agrippa happened to be in Rome in A.D. 41 when Caligula was assassinated, and ever the opportunist, he helped Claudius ascend to the throne. Once he had become caesar, Claudius rewarded Agrippa by adding Judea and Samaria to his realm, making Agrippa’s kingdom even greater than that of his grandfather, Herod the Great.

February 8, A.D. 41, Herod Agrippa, as he came to be known, sailed from Rome to return to his enlarged kingdom. Once there, he began to persecute the church, trying to earn the favor of the Jews, and had the apostle James killed. When he saw how much this pleased the Jewish leaders, he arrested Peter during the Passover and imprisoned him with the intention of bringing him to trial after the feast. What Herod didn’t know was that while Peter was in prison, the church was praying for his protection (Acts 12:1-5).

The night before Peter’s trial he was awakened by an angel who said, “Put on your coat and follow me.” Peter’s chains fell off, and he left his cell, following the angel. The iron gate to the street opened all by itself, and Peter was free! He quickly went to thank those who had been praying for him. Meanwhile, Herod ordered a search for Peter, and when they couldn’t find him, Herod sentenced the guards to death (Acts 12:6-19).

Later Herod Agrippa spoke to a delegation from Tyre and Sidon that was trying to win his favor. After the speech they gave him a loud ovation, shouting, “It is the voice of a god, not of a man!”

As Herod was basking in their flattery, an angel of the Lord suddenly afflicted him with a terrible malady because he accepted his audience’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. He was consumed by worms and died five days later (Acts 12:20-23).

Reflection

Do you think that Herod Agrippa’s persecution of the church and the murder of James were contributing factors in God’s judgment on him? If nothing else, the story of Herod Agrippa’s death underlines the importance of giving glory to God and not keeping it for ourselves.

I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.

Exodus 20:5