God and Man
A few days ago we read about Herod. Herod was a king. The people, trying to win favor with him, used flattery calling him a god. Herod let them do it. He accepted the praise that belongs to God. Because he did this God struck him down and he died a painful death.
In this passage we see Paul and Barnabas. They were not kings. They were apostles of Christ. The people, because they were amazed at the power of God at work in Paul and Barnabas, called them gods and wanted to worship them. When Paul and Barnabas realized what the people were doing they tore their clothes and with great effort prevented it because they did not dare accept the praise that belongs to God.
Within a short time the people turned on the apostles and stoned Paul. Whether they killed him or not is debatable. They thought they had killed him for sure. Either God raised him from the dead or He caused a man on the point of death to recover sufficient to “go back into the city.”
Jesus warned against seeking the praise that comes from man. It is usually deceptive and for sure it can’t save you. He also said to not fear the one who could only kill the body. Life is more than the body and for sure God can restore even the body. Here we see a perfect example of the truth of His words. It would be good if we remembered this.
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