by Ivan Maddox
Atlanta, GA


Has it ever looked to you like God has failed? Has it ever seemed to you that He has NOT come through in what you expected Him to do? Has it ever looked like all His promises have proved worthless, and that all the trust you had placed in Him was wasted?

What do you do when that happens? You hang in there and you trust God anyway! In this study, we're going to look at a situation described in scripture where God seemingly did not come through for His own, and when a believer whose very life was in jeopardy seemingly had every reason to give up on God. We will see what this believer, and other believers with him, did in this most trying of situations. And we will see what God did as a result.

We need to look at one more thing before we start. Proverbs 3:5 instructs us to "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding." It's hard enough to do this when things are going reasonably well; it's far more difficult to do when God seems to be dropping the ball! Yet His instruction remains the same, in spite of what we see going on around us. The decision we must make is whether or not we will obey Him; whether we will trust God with our whole heart, or let go of our confidence in Him to trust in our own good judgment.


By the time Herod Agrippa was made king over Judea, the church had experienced a short but stormy history. Only five to ten years had passed since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (depending on what date you accept for this monumental event); yet in those few short years the church had experienced its own birth on the Day of Pentecost, rapid growth in Jerusalem and Judea in spite of the opposition of the religious leaders, the murder of Stephen and the persecution of the church by the hand of Saul of Tarsus, the scattering of the saints and the spread of the gospel into Samaria and gentile areas, the conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus and the end of the persecution, and the door of salvation being opened by God to the gentiles. In spite of great opposition the church had not only survived, but grown tremendously. Nothing seemed to be able to halt its progress.

But important political changes were taking place. In Rome, Tiberius Caesar had died, and Caligula, his chosen heir, was emperor in his place. Herod Agrippa, grandson of Herod the Great, had grown up in Rome (kept there initially as a hostage for his grandfather's good behavior), and was a close personal friend of the new emperor. As a reward for his loyalty and faithful service, Caligula appointed Herod Agrippa king of Judea in 37 A.D.

Herod was under no illusions about the attitude of the Jews about his appointment. The Herods were Idumeans, descendants of Esau. In the eyes of the Jews, such a one had no legitimate claim to the throne of David. But Herod was a master at the political game, and he came up with a clever stratagem to win over the people. He attacked a common enemy: the church.

Acts 12:1-2.
12:1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
12:2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

James' death is mentioned and passed over so quickly in this passage that it's easy for us to miss how his death must have stunned the early church. One of the Twelve Apostles was dead -- put to death by the new king. And not just any one of the twelve; this was James, one of Jesus' inner circle.

James, Peter and John were the only three disciples Jesus kept with him when news reached Jairus of his daughter's death. Jesus had allowed no one else other than Jairus to follow them, and, once there, he put everyone but them and the girl's parents out of the room. Then, with only James and those few others present, Jesus had raised her from the dead. (Mark 5:21-43.)

James, Peter and John were the only disciples who went with Jesus into the mountain when he was transfigured. James had seen Jesus there as he would appear in his glory, with Moses and Elijah standing in resurrection and talking with him. (Mark 9:1-10.)

James, Peter and John were the only disciples Jesus invited to go with him to the garden of Gethsemane on the night he was betrayed. It was James and his two companions that Jesus asked to pray with him that night.

James had witnessed Jesus' arrest, had hidden behind closed doors with the other apostles following Jesus' crucifixion, and was there when the Lord appeared to them in person following his resurrection. James was there on the Day of Pentecost, and was one of the very first to be filled with "power from on high." James had borne witness for Christ, and had done many signs and wonders, along with the other apostles. Like them, he had refused to leave Jerusalem when Saul of Tarsus made havoc of the church. He had stood his ground. He had proved faithful to His Lord under trial.

And now he was dead, put to death by Herod Agrippa, friend of the Emperor Caligula.

Where was God when James was taken? Why did God not intervene? The scripture gives us no hint as to the reason. We may guess, but the truth is, we do not know. God has not told us.

What were the other believers to think after seeing what had happened to James? If even James was not safe, who was? If God would allow even James to be put to death, how could any other believer trust Him to protect them? Put yourself in their shoes for a moment. How would you have felt?

The death of James had just the effect Herod had hoped for. The Jews were pleased with what he had done. And Herod was a man who knew how to exploit his successes.

Acts 12:3-4.
12:3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
12:4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

Herod followed up the killing of James with the arrest of Peter, another of Jesus' inner three. If James' death had stunned the church, Peter's arrest must have sent it into absolute shock. This was not a haphazard attack on the church. Saul had hacked away at its arms and legs; Herod was going for the jugular. He was systematically eliminating the top leadership of the church.

Peter was already in jail, in maximum security. Four shifts of four soldiers (sixteen soldiers in all) took turns guarding him. After Passover ("Easter" is a mistranslation) Peter would receive a fair trial -- before the people who were so pleased at James' death -- before being executed.

If God had not intervened to save James, what hope could Peter have? Sure, Peter was trusting God -- but so had James, and look what had happened to him! It was time to make a realistic appraisal of things, to get one's head out of the clouds and back on solid ground. Realistically, Peter was already lost; all that remained was to save the other leaders and lie low until things died down.

"Leaning to your own understanding" is also known as "being realistic." There's nothing wrong with either one -- except when they stand in opposition to what God has said in His Word.

Paul's epistles had not yet been written while these things were happening, but Philippians 4:6 describes perfectly God's counsel in even the most hopeless-looking situations: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." (NIV) And Jesus had taught that "men ought always to pray, and not faint." (Luke 18:1)

Acts 12:5.
12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

In spite of what had happened to James, in spite of what was happening even then to Peter, the church stubbornly refused to give up on God. They prayed and they prayed and they prayed to God for Peter's deliverance.

It wasn't a matter of their faith being so great; later events showed that they really didn't expect him to be released. But in spite of not knowing what the future held, and in spite of how hopeless things looked, they put their trust in God and refused to give up on Him.

Acts 12:6-11.
12:6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
12:7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
12:8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.
12:9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.
12:10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.
12:11 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.

Even Peter wasn't expecting his own deliverance! But it says much that he was able to spend what was supposed to be his last night on earth in peaceful sleep. He had placed his trust in God, and that was enough.

God delivered Peter in a great and miraculous way, and Herod's war against the church was stopped cold. Never again in scripture do we hear of him attacking the church. And in a few short years, he himself was struck down in the prime of his life, eaten alive by worms, because he accepted from others worship as god.

So God came through for Peter, right on time, with a mighty deliverance. But what about James? Why did not God deliver him, too? This is an important question, raising as it does the issues of whether God is fair, whether God is faithful, whether God is to be trusted. But before we set ourselves up as judges and put God on trial, we might want to keep a few things in mind:

{SYMBOL 183 \f "Symbol" \s 10 \h} God knows all the facts; we don't. "...We know in part...", and our knowledge is necessarily fragmented, prejudiced, inaccurate. God's knowledge is perfect and complete. How can we understand what He does without knowing what He knows?

{SYMBOL 183 \f "Symbol" \s 10 \h} "...Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." (I Samuel 16:7b.) Our knowledge is skin-deep and superficial; God knows the thoughts, the motives, the intentions and the hearts of all involved. For this reason we are warned to "judge nothing before the time", until the Lord will "bring to light the hidden things of darkness...", and things will be seen for what they really are. (I Corinthians 4:5.)

{SYMBOL 183 \f "Symbol" \s 10 \h} We know only the present and the past -- and both only partially and imperfectly. God knows "the end from the beginning..."(Isaiah 46:10), and knows all there is to know about the past, present and future. How can we judge His decisions and actions in the present from our short-sighted perspective?
{SYMBOL 183 \f "Symbol" \s 10 \h} We love or don't love as it suits us, and we love some more than others. God's love is perfect -- God IS love! -- and there is no end to His loving kindness, His tender mercies. How can we, who love is so flawed, judge the works of the author of love?

We could go on and on, but I trust you see the point. Either we will judge God by our own imperfect perceptions of what is happening around us, or we will judge Him by what He has revealed to us in His Word, and, as we grow in our knowledge and understanding of Him, by how He has made Himself known to us in our own lives.

Why did James die? Why was he not delivered like Peter was delivered? We don't know -- God has not revealed that to us. But we do know that God loved James -- more than anyone on earth could possibly love him. And we know that Jesus, who knew James as a personal friend as well as a disciple, was sitting at God's right hand as his advocate before the Father. We know that God doesn't use and discard His people, like men sometimes do. And we know that James' death was costly in the sight of God. (Psalm 116:15.)

That will have to do. It is not our job to figure God out. That's the serpent's game, and it's as old as the Garden of Eden. We are not called, made or equipped to do that.

The best we can do is to trust in the LORD with our whole heart, and lean not to our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5.) And because we trust Him, we can be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, we can make our request known to Him. When we do this, we will have peace, because the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7.)

God is loving and mighty and faithful. He does not "drop the ball" in His dealings with us, no matter how things may look. He is faithful in all His dealings with us. The question is, will we trust Him, even when we don't understand what He's doing, and be faithful to Him?

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Created 6/15/97, by Ivan Maddox