A Lot Of Hot Air
On the day set for their meeting, Herod, robed in pomposity, took his place on the throne and regaled them with a lot of hot air. The people played their part to the hilt and shouted flatteries: “The voice of God! The voice of God!” That was the last straw. God had had enough of Herod’s arrogance and sent an angel to strike him down. Herod had given God no credit for anything. Down he went. Rotten to the core, a maggoty old man if there ever was one, he died. Meanwhile, the ministry of God’s Word grew by leaps and bounds. (Acts 12:21-24 MSG)
The contrast is so clearly drawn in this narrative that it hits me like 2×4 between the eyes. When I speak, are my words going to be filled with hot air meant to draw attention to myself? Or will I speak the Words of Life that actually bring about transformation and bring Glory to God? The people catered to Herods ego and played to his insecurities. They were going to say whatever needed to be said because they were dependent upon Judea for food supplies. “So, the man wants us to cheer him on, let’s cheer him on to keep food on our table.” Herod couldn’t even keep Peter locked up in jail because of Gods intervention so to be called “God” was exactly what he needed to feel like he was still the man on top and still in control of all things. Control is such an illusion as evidenced by Herods tragic demise.
Right now the air in America is suffused with the suffocating fumes of blustering and postioning on every side of the the political spectrum. Millions of dollars are being spent on all sides to convince people that they and they alone are the ones who will keep food on their tables. I can almost smell the rot coming from the core of so many of our politicians. Can you tell I’m already weary of this political pandering and we aren’t even close to the election yet? This bickering and fighting and pecking back and forth like so many hens in a coup is not what the people of this country need right now. Though certainly we are all worried about keeping food on the table our core hunger is the same as those in the early days of the church: we need hope for tomorrow which flows from knowing someone is looking out for us. So while the corpse of Herod deflated, the Word of God spread. Why? Because people of all political persuasions and racial backgrounds were encountering the one true reign of the King of Kings. No empty promises. No pandering. Would life still be hard? Yes, in fact it was going to get harder. But, they had met the One who was truly in control and heard the the true “voice of God” speaking directly to them. This is what people truly long for. We will most likely vote for the one we feel speaks most directly to us where we are at. Though I am thankful to be in a country that has this freedom to process opposing ideas I know we are all hungry for the eternal and how it informs the temporal.
May Your people not get caught up in the “hot air” and instead clear the air with the fresh wind of Your Words of life! May we not allow the worry about our daily food keep us from prioritizing the daily bread of your Word. Let us get into the habit of asking, “Jesus, what are You saying right now?” so that we will have a fresh word to share with our families, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and politicians. I think of how Samuel was described in the Old Testament: “not a single word of his would fall to the ground when he spoke.”. Words that come from you are what I’m hungry for, what we are all hungry for.
