There are a number of other matters in 12:1-24 that we need to consider. First, when Peter was in prison, “prayer was being made fervently by the church to God concerning him” (v. 5). This indicates that behind the scene there was a battle between spiritual forces, a battle between God and His enemy, Satan. Apparently the conflict was between Herod and Peter; actually it was between God and His enemy. No doubt, Herod was instigated by Satan. Satan was behind him and even within him. Therefore, the church fought the battle with God against Satan, the evil one.
This battle was fought not by the flesh but by prayer. The church prayed, and the weapon used by the church to defeat Herod and the spiritual force behind him was not of the flesh but of the Spirit.
Second, in 12:12 we see that in the house of Mary a considerable number were assembled together praying. This indicates that the prayer concerning Peter was offered mainly in the home of a sister. From this we see that in the church life the sisters should take the lead in the matter of prayer. According to the basic principle in the Word, the activities should be carried out by the brothers, and for the most part the sisters should do the supporting work behind the scene. The main supporting work is to pray. This was exactly the situation in Peter’s case. After he was released, he went to Mary’s house, where many of the saints were still praying.
In Acts 12 we see that the Lord is truly the Lord; He is the Ruler of the kings. Herod the king was arrogant, but Jesus the Ruler was above him. The Lord Jesus exercised His lordship to send an angel to deal with Herod, one who had been instigated, usurped, and used by Satan. Here we clearly see that the Lord fought the battle and won.
Finally, 12:24 says, “But the word of God grew and multiplied.” The previous verse says that Herod was eaten by worms and expired. Then this verse begins with “but.” Herod expired, but the word of God grew. The word of God is actually the Lord Himself because the word is the container of the Lord. Therefore, for the word of God to grow actually means that the Lord grew.
Acts 12:24 says that the word of God not only grew but also multiplied. The word does not grow and multiply in itself. Rather, the word grows with the believers and multiplies with the church. When the believers grow, the word within them grows. When the churches multiply, the word multiplies within the churches. The fact that the word of God grew and multiplied indicates that in ancient times the believers and the churches were filled with the word and were one with the word. This is a strong sign of the Lord’s victory in His battle against the evil one.
The growth and multiplication of the word in 12:24 was the result, the issue, of Peter’s ministry. Therefore, this verse indicates that Peter’s ministry concluded in a victorious way. The last word concerning his ministry in Acts is that the word of God grew and multiplied. This is a glorious and victorious ending of Peter’s ministry.
Furthermore, this verse is a declaration of the Lord’s move on earth from Jerusalem, through Samaria, to the Gentile world. The Lord’s move from chapter two to the end of chapter twelve was altogether victorious over the situation. His move in His ministry for the propagation of the resurrected Christ was victorious not only over Jewish religion but also over Roman politics.
Since the record concerning Peter’s ministry in Acts concludes in a victorious way, we should not belittle Peter. The New Testament says clearly that Peter was appointed only for the circumcision, whereas Paul was appointed for the uncircumcision. They were in two regions of the New Testament ministry. As an insertion into the record in Acts, 12:1-24 proves that God’s move is victorious in all circumstances.