Right in the middle of one of his lavish demonstrations of self-exaltation he crosses the line of God's patience, and verse 23 describes what happens: "Immediately an angel of the Lord smote him, because he did not give God the glory; and he was eaten by worms and died."
This chapter is about God and Herod. This Herod is Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great who was king when Jesus was born and ordered the infants killed in Bethlehem. He was brought up in Rome and made king in Judea and surrounding territories by Gaius the emperor.
If You Oppose Jesus, You Lose
The chapter begins with Herod killing James the apostle of the Lord Jesus (v. 2), and ends with the angel of the Lord killing Herod (v. 23). The main point of the chapter is plain: if you oppose Jesus, you lose. Luke put this chapter together to make this plain for the early church: you may feel small and insignificant in the Roman empire; you may think that you are overpowered when some of your best leaders are killed on a political whim. But the truth is: if you stay with Jesus, you win, and if you oppose him, you lose. So be encouraged. Be bold and courageous to spread the Word of truth and leave the outcome to God….
…God turned the tables entirely on all that Herod was trying to do by killing James and arresting Peter—he made the Word of God grow and multiply. Verse 24: “But the word of God grew and multiplied.” He exalted God not Herod. He made the reputation of Jesus spread, not Herod’s.
This is the goal of all God does—to magnify his wisdom and power and spread the fame of his Son who saves sinners and glorifies his Father.
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 