Chapter 15
Delivered From Prison
[This chapter is based on Acts 12:1-23.]
"Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to
vex certain of the church." The government of Judea was then in the
hands of Herod Agrippa, subject to Claudius, the Roman emperor. Herod
also held the position of tetrarch of Galilee. He was professedly a
proselyte to the Jewish faith, and apparently very zealous in carrying
out the ceremonies of the Jewish law. Desirous of obtaining the favour
of the Jews, hoping thus to make secure his offices and honours, he
proceeded to carry out their desires by persecuting the church of
Christ, spoiling the houses and goods of the believers, and imprisoning
the leading members of the church. He cast James, the brother of John,
into prison, and sent an executioner to kill him with the sword, as
another Herod had caused the prophet John to be beheaded. Seeing that
the Jews were well pleased with these efforts, he imprisoned Peter also.
It was during the Passover that these cruelties were practised. While
the Jews were celebrating their deliverance from Egypt and pretending
great zeal for the law of God, they were at the same time transgressing
every principle of that law by persecuting and murdering the believers
in Christ.
The death of James caused great grief and consternation among the
believers. When Peter also was imprisoned, the entire church engaged in
fasting and prayer.
Herod's act in putting James to death was applauded by the Jews,
though some complained of the private manner in which it was
accomplished, maintaining that a public execution would have more
thoroughly intimidated the believers and those sympathising with them.
Herod therefore held Peter in custody, meaning still further to gratify
the Jews by the public spectacle of his death. But it was suggested that
it would not be safe to bring the veteran apostle out for execution
before all the people then assembled in Jerusalem. It was feared that
the sight of him being led out to die might excite the pity of the
multitude.
The priests and elders also feared lest Peter might make one of those
powerful appeals which had frequently aroused the people to study the
life and character of Jesus--appeals which they, with all their
arguments, had been unable to controvert. Peter's zeal in advocating the
cause of Christ had led many to take their stand for the gospel, and the
rulers feared that should he be given an opportunity to defend his faith
in the presence of the multitude who had come to the city to worship,
his release would be demanded at the hands of the king.
While, upon various pretexts, the execution of Peter was being
delayed until after the Passover, the members of the church had time for
deep searching of heart and earnest prayer. They prayed without ceasing
for Peter, for they felt that he could not be spared from the cause.
They realised that they had reached a place where, without the special
help of God, the church of Christ would be destroyed.
Meanwhile worshipers from every nation sought the temple which had
been dedicated to the worship of God. Glittering with gold and precious
stones, it was a vision of beauty and grandeur. But Jehovah was no
longer to be found in that palace of loveliness. Israel as a nation had
divorced herself from God. When Christ, near the close of His earthly
ministry, looked for the last time upon the interior of the temple, He
said, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." Matthew
23:38. Hitherto He had called the temple His Father's house; but as the
Son of God passed our from those walls, God's presence was withdrawn
forever from the temple built to His glory.
The day of Peter's execution was at last appointed, but still the
prayers of the believers ascended to heaven; and while all their
energies and sympathies were called out in fervent appeals for help,
angels of God were watching over the imprisoned apostle.
Remembering the former escape of the apostles from prison, Herod on
this occasion had taken double precautions.
To prevent all possibility of release, Peter had been put under the
charge of sixteen soldiers, who, in different watches, guarded him day
and night. In his cell he was placed between two soldiers and was bound
by two chains, each chain being fastened to the wrist of one of the
soldiers. He was unable to move without their knowledge. With the prison
doors securely fastened, and a strong guard before them, all chance of
rescue or escape through human means was cut off. But man's extremity is
God's opportunity.
Peter was confined in a rock-hewn cell, the doors of which were
strongly bolted and barred; and the soldiers on guard were made
answerable for the safekeeping of the prisoner. But the bolts and bars
and the Roman guard, which effectually cut off all possibility of human
aid, were but to make more complete the triumph of God in the
deliverance of Peter. Herod was lifting his hand against Omnipotence,
and he was to be utterly defeated. By the putting forth of His might,
God was about to save the precious life that the Jews were plotting to
destroy.
It is the last night before the proposed execution. A mighty angel is
sent from heaven to rescue Peter. The strong gates that shut in the
saint of God open without the aid of human hands. The angel of the Most
High passes through, and the gates close noiselessly behind him. He
enters the cell, and there lies Peter, sleeping the peaceful sleep of
perfect trust.
The light that surrounds the angel fills the cell, but does not rouse
the apostle. Not until he feels the touch of the angel's hand and hears
a voice saying, "Arise up quickly," does he awaken
sufficiently to see his cell illuminated by the light of heaven, and an
angel of great glory standing before him. Mechanically he obeys the word
spoken to him, and as in rising he lifts his hands he is dimly conscious
that the chains have fallen from his wrists.
Again the voice of the heavenly messenger bids him, "Gird
thyself, and bind on thy sandals," and again Peter mechanically
obeys, keeping his wondering gaze riveted upon his visitor and believing
himself to be dreaming or in a vision. Once more the angel commands,
"Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me." He moves toward
the door, followed by the usually talkative Peter, now dumb from
amazement. They step over the guard and reach the heavily bolted door,
which of its own accord swings open and closes again immediately, while
the guards within and without are motionless at their post.
The second door, also guarded within and without, is reached. It
opens as did the first, with no creaking of hinges or rattling of iron
bolts. They pass through, and it closes again as noiselessly. In the
same way they pass through the third gateway and find themselves in the
open street. No word is spoken; there is no sound of footsteps. The
angel glides on in front, encircled by a light of dazzling brightness,
and Peter, bewildered, and still believing himself to be in a dream,
follows his deliverer. Thus they pass on through one street, and then,
the mission of the angel being accomplished, he suddenly disappears.
The heavenly light faded away, and Peter felt himself to be in
profound darkness; but as his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, it
gradually seemed to lessen, and he found himself alone in the silent
street, with the cool night air blowing upon his brow. He now realised
that he was free, in a familiar part of the city; he recognised the
place as one that he had often frequented and had expected to pass on
the morrow for the last time.
He tried to recall the events of the past few moments. He remembered
falling asleep, bound between two soldiers, with his sandals and outer
garments removed. He examined his person and found himself fully dressed
and girded. His wrists, swollen from wearing the cruel irons, were free
from the manacles. He realised that his freedom was no delusion, no
dream or vision, but a blessed reality. On the morrow he was to have
been led forth to die; but, lo, an angel had delivered him from prison
and from death. "And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I
know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent His angel, and hath delivered
me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people
of the Jews."
The apostle made his way at once to the house where his brethren were
assembled and where they were at that moment engaged in earnest prayer
for him. "As Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came
to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not
the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the
gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed
that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.
"But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the
door, and saw him, they were astonished. But he, beckoning unto them
with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had
brought him out of the prison." And Peter "departed, and went
into another place." Joy and praise filled the hearts of the
believers, because God had heard and answered their prayers and had
delivered Peter from the hands of Herod.
In the morning a large concourse of people gathered to witness the
execution of the apostle. Herod sent officers to the prison for Peter,
who was to be brought with a great display of arms and guards in order
not only to ensure against his escape, but to intimidate all
sympathisers and to show the power of the king.
When the keepers before the door found that Peter had escaped, they
were seized with terror. It had been expressly stated that their lives
would be required for the life of their charge, and because of this they
had been especially vigilant. When the officers came for Peter, the
soldiers were still at the door of the prison, the bolts and bars were
still fast, the chains were still secured to the wrists of the two
soldiers; but the prisoner was gone.
When the report of Peter's escape was brought to Herod, he was
exasperated and enraged. Charging the prison guard with unfaithfulness,
he ordered them to be put to death. Herod knew that no human power had
rescued Peter, but he was determined not to acknowledge that a divine
power had frustrated his design, and he set himself in bold defiance
against God.
Not long after Peter's deliverance from prison, Herod went to
Caesarea. While there he made a great festival designed to excite the
admiration and gain the applause of the people. This festival was
attended by pleasure lovers from all quarters, and there was much
feasting and wine drinking. With great pomp and ceremony Herod appeared
before the people and addressed them in an eloquent oration. Clad in a
robe sparkling with silver and gold, which caught the rays of the sun in
its glittering folds and dazzled the eyes of the beholders, he was a
gorgeous figure. The majesty of his appearance and the force of his
well-chosen language swayed the assembly with a mighty power. Their
senses already perverted by feasting and wine drinking, they were
dazzled by Herod's decorations and charmed by his deportment and
oratory; and wild with enthusiasm they showered adulation upon him,
declaring that no mortal could present such an appearance or command
such startling eloquence. They further declared that while they had ever
respected him as a ruler, henceforth they should worship him as a god.
Some of those whose voices were now heard glorifying a vile sinner
had but a few years before raised the frenzied cry, Away with Jesus!
Crucify Him, crucify Him! The Jews had refused to receive Christ, whose
garments, coarse and often travel-stained, covered a heart of divine
love. Their eyes could not discern, under the humble exterior, the Lord
of life and glory, even though Christ's power was revealed before them
in works that no mere man could do. But they were ready to worship as a
god the haughty king whose splendid garments of silver and gold covered
a corrupt, cruel heart.
Herod knew that he deserved none of the praise and homage offered
him, yet he accepted the idolatry of the people as his due. His heart
bounded with triumph, and a glow of gratified pride overspread his
countenance as he heard the shout ascend, "It is the voice of a
god, and not of a man."
But suddenly a terrible change came over him. His face became pallid
as death and distorted with agony. Great drops of sweat started from his
pores. He stood for a moment as if transfixed with pain and terror; then
turning his blanched and livid face to his horror-stricken friends, he
cried in hollow, despairing tones, He whom you have exalted as a god is
stricken with death.
Suffering the most excruciating anguish, he was borne from the scene
of revelry and display. A moment before he had been the proud recipient
of the praise and worship of that vast throng; now he realised that he
was in the hands of a Ruler mightier than himself. Remorse seized him;
he remembered his relentless persecution of the followers of Christ; he
remembered his cruel command to slay the innocent James, and his design
to put to death the apostle Peter; he remembered how in his
mortification and disappointed rage he had wreaked an unreasoning
vengeance upon the prison guards. He felt that God was now dealing with
him, the relentless persecutor. He found no relief from pain of body or
anguish of mind, and he expected none.
Herod was acquainted with the law of God, which says, "Thou
shalt have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3); and he knew that
in accepting the worship of the people he had filled up the measure of
his iniquity and brought upon himself the just wrath of Jehovah.
The same angel who had come from the royal courts to rescue Peter,
had been the messenger of wrath and judgement to Herod. The angel smote
Peter to arouse him from slumber; it was with a different stroke that he
smote the wicked king, laying low his pride and bringing upon him the
punishment of the Almighty. Herod died in great agony of mind and body,
under the retributive judgement of God.
This demonstration of divine justice had a powerful influence upon
the people. The tidings that the apostle of Christ had been miraculously
delivered from prison and death, while his persecutor had been stricken
down by the curse of God, were borne to all lands and became the means
of leading many to a belief in Christ.
The experience of Philip, directed by an angel from heaven to go to
the place where he met one seeking for truth; of Cornelius, visited by
an angel with a message from God; of Peter, in prison and condemned to
death, led by an angel forth to safety--all show the closeness of the
connection between heaven and earth.
To the worker for God the record of these angel visits should bring
strength and courage. Today, as verily as in the days of the apostles,
heavenly messengers are passing through the length and breadth of the
land, seeking to comfort the sorrowing, to protect the impenitent, to
win the hearts of men to Christ. We cannot see them personally;
nevertheless they are with us, guiding, directing, protecting.
Heaven is brought near to earth by that mystic ladder, the base of
which is firmly planted on the earth, while the topmost round reaches
the throne of the Infinite. Angels are constantly ascending and
descending this ladder of shining brightness, bearing the prayers of the
needy and distressed to the Father above, and bringing blessing and
hope, courage and help, to the children of men. These angels of light
create a heavenly atmosphere about the soul, lifting us toward the
unseen and the eternal. We cannot behold their forms with our natural
sight; only by spiritual vision can we discern heavenly things. The
spiritual ear alone can hear the harmony of heavenly voices.
"The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him,
and delivereth them." Psalm 34:7. God commissions His angels to
save His chosen ones from calamity, to guard them from "the
pestilence that walketh in darkness" and "the destruction that
wasteth at noonday." Psalm 91:6. Again and again have angels talked
with men as a man speaketh with a friend, and led them to places of
security. Again and again have the encouraging words of angels renewed
the drooping spirits of the faithful and, carrying their minds above the
things of earth, caused them to behold by faith the white robes, the
crowns, the palm branches of victory, which overcomers will receive when
they surround the great white throne.
It is the work of the angels to come close to the tried, the
suffering, the tempted. They labour untiringly in behalf of those for
whom Christ died. When sinners are led to give themselves to the Saviour,
angels bear the tidings heavenward, and there is great rejoicing among
the heavenly host. "Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that
repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no
repentance." Luke 15:7. A report is borne to heaven of every
successful effort on our part to dispel the darkness and to spread
abroad the knowledge of Christ. As the deed is recounted before the
Father, joy thrills through all the heavenly host.
The principalities and powers of heaven are watching the warfare
which, under apparently discouraging circumstances, God's servants are
carrying on. New conquests are being achieved, new honours won, as the
Christians, rallying round the banner of their Redeemer, go forth to
fight the good fight of faith. All the heavenly angels are at the
service of the humble, believing people of God; and as the Lord's army
of workers here below sing their songs of praise, the choir above join
with them in ascribing praise to God and to His Son.
We need to understand better than we do the mission of the angels. It
would be well to remember that every true child of God has the
co-operation of heavenly beings. Invisible armies of light and power
attend the meek and lowly ones who believe and claim the promises of
God. Cherubim and seraphim, and angels that excel in strength, stand at
God's right hand, "all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister
for them who shall be heirs of salvation." Hebrews 1:14. |
