Introduction
I was driving to church in Llandovery last week and onto the radio came an episode of Desert Island Discs with Nick Cave. Now Nick Cave is a ‘bad boy’ singer, songwriter and author of Australian extraction who is as far as I can tell mainly around Christianity but not of it. He picked a track from Kanye West, another (this time American) ‘bad boy’ singer-songwriter who has been around Christianity, was more ‘of’ it but now more ‘not of it’. And the track Nick Cave picked is a rap called ‘I am a God’, and which has that line repeated a fair bit, washing around in a sea of bad language and gangster lyrics. Kanye West’s people have tried to row back from the most contentious bits, with West updating "I Am a God" (solely on Apple Music) in April 2016, and in a March 16 interview with Big Boy about his latest album “Vultures,” West said, among other things, that he has issues with Jesus. “Them prayers ain’t working,” Ye said. But Ye’s declaration of himself as God seems to have persisted: “Cause I’m God,” he said, “And anyone who wants to disagree, I’m the God of me” This is in strict contrast to his previous theology — and the message of his Sunday Service — which was launched in 2019 and whose live services were halted principally because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
References: https://wordinblack.com/2024/03/kanye-west-has-issues-with-jesus-declares-himself-god-to-himself/#:~:text=In%20an%20October%202019%20interview,for%20me%2C”%20he%20said. Downloaded 26/01/25 Kramer, Kyle (April 19, 2016). "Kanye West Is Updating 'Yeezus' Now, Too". VICE. Archived from the original on June 18, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_a_God#cite_note-vice-24
Since its release, "I Am a God" has received universal acclaim from music critics It plays right into the denial of human fallibility and impotence that our insecure age wants to hear, and the agenda that says: ‘You can be whoever you want to be.’
But Nick Cave doesn’t seem so impressed, saying on Desert Island Discs that this rap ‘starts with a strutting pretender to Deity and ends with West screaming with fear’.
In Scripture, of course, there are plenty of warnings that God alone is God and that individuals who claim to be Divine should really think again.
1) The Bible and the uniqueness of God
The Hebrew text of the very first principle of the Ten Commandments put it plainly: “There shall not come to be another god for you in (literally ‘upon’) my face” (Exodus 20:2)
Deuteronomy picks up this theme in Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the Lord is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” This verse calls for the worship of the One True God with everything you’ve got … with nothing left for loving or worshipping any other.
Known as the Shema, this declaration is CENTRAL to Old Testament faith which calls for the rejection of the worship of other gods. It is a call to the Hebrews to stand apart from the world around them by recognising only the One God, to love and obey Him exclusively (not just emotionally but through obedience to His commands) and to worship Him alone. This passage was recited twice daily (in the morning and evening prayers) as commanded in Deuteronomy 6:7 and it forms part of the liturgy in the Jewish prayer book.
The call to return to that theological foundation arises throughout the Old Testament, for example in Isaiah 44:6 (“‘This is what the Lord says – Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.”), and also in Isaiah 45:5-6 and Psalm 86:10. And to this day this remains the cornerstone of their faith and practice for observant Jews.
Moreover, the Lord Jesus Himself affirmed in Mark 12:29-30 that this was the GREATEST COMMANDMENT, referring back to Deuteronomy 6:4-5b as He did so.
Herein lies the theological and practical heart of both the Old and the New Covenant. The exclusive Oneness of God the Father, Son and Spirit on earth gets reinforced in John 17:3, 1 Timothy 2:5 and 1 Corinthians 8:4-6 and is manifest in the way Heaven worships exclusively Him in Revelation 4:11. Monotheism, Exclusivity, Sovereignty … the Bible teaches that the Triune God of the Bible is the One and ONLY True God, to Whom ALL worship and ALL allegiance belong.
Now let’s spend the rest of our time working through the implications of that …
2) The Bible and calling oneself God
a) The King of Babylon
In the Old Testament, Isaiah 14:13-14 records the sort of victorious ‘taunt song’ that the Israelites in the Babylonian Exile would raise over the King of Babylon when the Lord would step in to deliver them: “You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” 15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.’
The context there teaches that this ambition and intention to aspire to God’s position for oneself is sinful and serious rebellion.
It wasn’t just the Babylonian kings caving in to this sort of delusion of grandeur though.
b) The King of Tyre
The ruler of Tyre arrogantly claimed to be divine, but God really wasn’t going to let that go, so … Ezekiel 28:1-2 goes like this: “The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘“In the pride of your heart you say, ‘I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas.’ But you are a mere mortal and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god.
vv. 6-10 “‘“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘“Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god, 7 I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendour.
They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas. 9 Will you then say, ‘I am a god,’ in the presence of those who kill you?
You will be but a mortal, not a god, in the hands of those who slay you.
You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.”’
The Biblical doctrine of the LORD’s uniqueness carries this implication: there is only one true living God so you are NOT to call yourself divine, and the God Who is the one and only will enforce the implication … whoever you think you are.
And the implications of the uniqueness stretch out beyond not calling yourself divine to not for a moment tolerating others doing so.
3) The Bible and letting others call you God
The bottom line here is that God is God and there’s only One, and as he puts it elsewhere
Isaiah 42:8 “ “I am the Lord! That is my name! I will not share my glory with anyone else, or the praise due me with idols.”
Isaiah 48:11 “For my sake alone I will act, for how can I allow my name to be defiled? I will not share my glory with anyone else!”
And there are two crucial passages on this in Acts that deal with the two options we have when the issue of letting others give you Divine characteristics shows up.
a) Acts 12:20-24 – Herod
Acts 12 occurs during the reign of Herod Agrippa (AD 41-44), grandson of Herod the Great. He was a client king of the Emperor Claudius who gifted the Kingdom to him to look after, and he was known for trying to keep in with both the Romans on whom his rule depended and the Jewish populace … who the Romans expected him to keep happy, or at least quiet. And that’s why what happens here is a bit odd …
Acts 12:20-24 “Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.
On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.
They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.”
Tyre and Sidon were important, sea-faring Phoenician cities on the coast between modern Beirut and Haifa … still there but hugely diminished cities in Lebanon.
They were dependent on Herod’s territory for their food supply back in those days, but they were in an on-going state of conflict with Herod at this point in time.
In v. 21 here there is an ‘appointed day’ … a formal public event is taking place, as Herod turns up before the assembled crowd ‘clothed in royal robes’. We’re having the picture painted for us of an event designed to paint Herod with the dignity of his Roman masters … but it gets worse.
The Jewish historian Josephus tells us that Herod Agrippa died in AD 44 in Caesarea after suffering a sudden and very painful illness, so this chapter seems to belong in AD 44 during the reign of the Emperor Claudius.
Herod was Jewish.
He was also known for his (at least outward) devotion to Judaism!
He observed Jewish laws, he supported the Temple, he sought favour with the Pharisees … and that’s what he was up to when he persecuted the church, executing James and imprisoning Peter to please the Jewish leaders!
But like other Jewish rulers at the time he depended on Roman approval for his power and maintained strong ties with the Emperor Claudius.
Now that is all fascinating, because Claudius was preceded as Roman Emperor by Augustus (27 BC – 14 AD) who was proclaimed a god after his death and by Caligula (AD 37-41) – an Emperor well-known for his erratic and tyrannical rule – who DID claim divinity during his own lifetime. Claudius (Herod Agrippa’s boss) did NOT make strenuous claims to divinity during his lifetime. He WAS worshipped in the provinces as part of the Emperor cult, but he didn’t assert that strongly for himself.
So, WHAT politically dangerous fandango is going on here with this formal state occasion to celebrate his great feat of diplomacy over Tyre and Sidon where Herod Agrippa turns up in his royal finery and gets acclaimed as a God?! What’s going on?
In v. 22, at this event, the crowd uses hyperbolic language to proclaim HEROD as a god at a time when his boss the Emperor Claudius was deliberately and contrary to recent precedent NOT doing that.
And so … the Imperial guard popped around and took him out?
No.
This is NOT a political assassination, but a dramatic Divine judgement.
A word meaning ‘IMMEDIATELY’ describes the action of the Angel of the Lord who turned up and ‘struck’ him. Why?
vv. 23-24 “ Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.” Herod’s death is directly connected to the fact that ‘he did not give Glory to God’.
God is proving dramatically what Isaiah 42:8 and Isaiah 48:11 have God telling us directly.
Isaiah 42:8 I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
Isaiah 48:11 “For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.” The upshot is that God alone is worthy of Glory … it’s part of His uniqueness … and He will not share His glory with another: not with idols, nor rulers, nor false gods.
But notice this: Claudius didn’t personally claim deity … but he certainly didn’t stop others claiming that for him. And Herod Agrippa didn’t explicitly claim deity for himself … but (Acts 12:23-24):
“ Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. 24 But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.”
Of course, claiming this for himself when the Emperor was not keen to claim deity himself does not appear to be something Herod was comfortable to do. But he WAS content to let divine glory stick to him. And that was something that God most clearly was not content to let ride. We see another example of OTHERS trying to proclaim humans as gods in Acts 14, where things go very differently …
b) Acts 14:8-18
The Disciples at Lystra In Acts 14 Paul and Barnabas find themselves in a Roman colony in the province of Galatia … a rural, pagan city with no significant Jewish presence at all.
The people of Lystra were well into their classical paganism, worshipping the full pantheon of Roman deities with Zeus and Hermes way up there to the forefront as representatives of ‘The Big Twelve’ in the Roman pantheon ... devotion to which was closely tied in with loyalty to the Roman state.
In that sort of belief system there was this idea that these deities … which were often not at all friendly but potentially quite dangerous and needing to be placated somehow … could rock up and play around with mere human beings.
The Roman writer Ovid mentions there was a legend in this area around Derbe and Lystra that Zeus and Hermes once visited the area disguised as mortals but were rejected by the populace, with the exception of an elderly couple.
So the reaction Paul and Barnabas got when they healed the lame guy (in vv. 8-10) is probably explained by that legend Ovid talks about … the citizens didn’t want to make the same mistake a second time by not placating these pagan ‘gods’ before they did something nasty to them.
Even in that pagan situation, what seems remarkable about this lame man is that when Paul looked intently at the man Paul was given spiritual discernment. He looked at him, καὶ ἰδὼν ὅτι ἔχει πίστιν τοῦ σωθῆναι, seeing that he had the faith to be healed, Paul εἶπεν μεγάλῃ φωνῇ … called out in a loud voice (which is pretty brave) ‘stand upright on your feet’ … and the guy (we’re told) LEAPT to his feet.
So – in this really pagan context Paul, trusting in the goodness and greatness of God, heals this man who had been lame all his life … from birth … something considered utterly remarkable in those times.
In vv. 11-13 the crowd that saw this and heard Paul’s loud to the man to get up and concluded, in line with their understanding of the world, that for such a thing to happen the gods must have come down to them in human form, and not wanting to see the same mistake made twice IMMEDIATELY prepared sacrifices to make to the apostles and started bringing them in from the Temple of Zeus just outside the city to the city gates.
In vv. 14-15 the Apostles reacted to this immediately and decisively.
The Greek text says “tearing their clothes they rushed out.” The participle (διαρρήξαντες(diarrēxantes) has been translated as a finite verb ‘they rushed out and tore their clothes’ due to requirements of contemporary English style, but it’s something much more dynamic than that which they did immediately they realised what was going on.
They reacted and put a stop to it at the sound of the first advancing ‘moo’.
How? They ran out tearing their clothes, which sounds a bit odd but this action is the Jewish response to blasphemy described in the Mishnah and intertestamental writings (m. Sanhedrin 7.5; Jdt 14:16-17).
Paul and Barnabas decisively and immediately reject and seek to correct the blasphemy of attributing divinity to themselves:
v. 15 ““Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.
In the past, he let all nations go their own way.
Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”
Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.”
Firstly, they directly confront the error … why are you doing this? We are only human like you!
Secondly they plainly proclaim the truth … “We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them.” Where people are adherents of God’s book (in these terms Jewish) the apostles gave evidence of God through the revelation of the OT Scriptures but in the pagan world they referred to the testimony of God not through His revelation of truth in the Word of God but to His revelation of Himself in His Creation.
So that is (secondly here) where Paul and Barnabas went next …
Firstly they immediately refuted the error,
then they directly conveyed the truth in terms their hearers could relate to and then …
Thirdly, they dealt with the objection of ‘novelty’ that people with a clear and established worldview will often raise … there IS a religion of their fathers, and this was not it, so Paul and Barnabas seek to deal with that in vv. 16-17 (going back not to God’s Creation so much as His providence … which after the act of Creation is what God set about next, making it provide for His human Creation’s needs.)
And these verses tell us that the Apostles then really determinedly stuck to their guns with this:
v. 18 “Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.”
c) Comparison of Herod’s conduct and the Apostles’
Both passages deal with human beings being perceived or treated as divine, but the responses and outcomes are starkly different.
Let’s compare what goes on in them.
1. The context
Herod (Acts 12:20-22):
Herod’s actions are political and self-serving.
He wears royal robes and makes a public display to assert his authority (Acts 12:21).
When the people of Tyre and Sidon proclaim him as a god, saying, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man” (Acts 12:22), he accepts their adulation without protest.
His conduct reflects pride and a desire to elevate himself to a divine status, consistent with the Roman practice of emperor worship.
The Apostles (Acts 14:8-13):
In Lystra, Paul heals a man who was lame from birth (Acts 14:8-10). The crowd, amazed by this miraculous act, exclaims, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” (Acts 14:11). They identify Paul with Hermes and Barnabas with Zeus, even preparing to offer sacrifices to them (Acts 14:12-13). Unlike Herod, the apostles do not actively seek or encourage such veneration. The crowd’s response is unprovoked and based on their pagan worldview.
2. The Response to Being Treated as Divine
Herod (Acts 12:23):
Herod accepts the praise of the people without giving glory to God.
The text explicitly states, “He did not give praise to God” (Acts 12:23). This silence indicates his approval of being treated as divine, demonstrating his pride and self-glorification.
The Apostles (Acts 14:14-15):
Paul and Barnabas immediately respond to the crowd’s actions with alarm and grief. They “tore their clothes” (Acts 14:14), a traditional Jewish expression of outrage or mourning, and rushed into the crowd to stop them. They strongly reject divine status, saying, “We too are only human, like you” (Acts 14:15).
They redirect the crowd’s attention to the true God, calling them to “turn from these worthless things to the living God” (Acts 14:15), explicitly rejecting the idea of human divinity.
3. Acknowledgement of God’s Sovereignty
Herod (Acts 12:23):
Herod’s failure to acknowledge God’s sovereignty leads to his immediate judgement. “An angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died” (Acts 12:23). His death serves as a stark warning against pride and taking glory that belongs to God. The Apostles (Acts 14:15-17): The apostles take the opportunity to proclaim God’s sovereignty over creation. They declare God as the Creator of “the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them” (Acts 14:15). They further explain how God has revealed Himself through “kindness”, “rain from heaven”, and “crops in their seasons” (Acts 14:17). Their response exemplifies humility and a desire to point others to God rather than themselves.
4. Outcome
Herod (Acts 12:24):
Herod’s acceptance of divine praise results in his death.
The passage concludes by contrasting his demise with the continued growth of God’s word: “But the word of God continued to spread and flourish” (Acts 12:24).
This reinforces the theme of God’s ultimate authority and the futility of human pride.
The Apostles (Acts 14:18):
Despite their efforts to stop the crowd, “they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them” (Acts 14:18).
While the apostles face challenges in redirecting the people, they remain faithful to their mission and avoid any wrongdoing. Their humility contrasts sharply with Herod’s pride.
Application
1. Applications to Contemporary Society
1. Pride and Self-Glorification:
Herod’s behaviour reflects a modern tendency to seek personal glory and recognition. Social media influencers, corporate leaders, or celebrities who revel in public adulation without acknowledging others or God mirror Herod’s conduct.
Example: Accepting awards or honours while taking sole credit, ignoring teamwork or divine providence.
2. Humility in Leadership:
The apostles model servant leadership, pointing people away from themselves and towards God. Contemporary leaders can apply this by acknowledging their limitations and directing attention to those they serve or represent
Example: A politician or CEO who attributes success to their team and higher values rather than self-promotion.
3. Rejecting False Praise:
In a culture prone to idolising public figures, it’s essential to follow the apostles’ example by rejecting undue praise and maintaining integrity.
Example: An artist or athlete deflecting admiration by highlighting God’s role or the contributions of others.
Roman Emperors, Trump, People around us ... But what about … Us?
The Application to us:
Our Western society glorifies personal autonomy and individualism … to the extent that obedience to God and worshiping Him rather than ourselves go right out of the window. It’s more than just that though, it comes down to making those things not just permissible but redefining them as moral ‘goods’. It is deemed and proclaimed to be RIGHT to put yourself first, to do what YOU think is best FOR YOU.
Here are five examples of how humans ‘play God’, from the perspective of Biblical Christianity:
1. Appropriating to ourselves Attributes of the Divine
1. Claiming Omniscience – We act as if they have all knowledge, dismissing divine revelation (e.g., 1 Corinthians 1:20-25, where human wisdom is contrasted with God's wisdom).
2. Self-Deification – Rulers or individuals presenting themselves as divine (e.g., Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:28-37, or the Antichrist in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).
3. Seeking Worship – Individuals demanding devotion that belongs to God alone (e.g., Herod in Acts 12:21-23, who was struck down for accepting worship).
4. Creating New Moral Standards – Redefining morality apart from God's law, acting as the ultimate authority on good and evil (Isaiah 5:20 – "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil").
5. Attempting Immortality – The pursuit of eternal life through human effort, as seen in Genesis 3:22-24 (where Adam and Eve were barred from the Tree of Life after trying to be like God).
2. Deciding What Is God’s Alone to Decide (Human beings taking upon themselves decisions that belong to God)
1. Defining Life and Death – Deciding who lives or dies, such as in euthanasia or abortion, rather than recognising that life belongs to God (Deuteronomy 32:39).
2. Determining Ultimate Justice – Taking vengeance into one's own hands instead of leaving it to God (Romans 12:19 – "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord").
3. Altering God’s Created Order – Attempting to redefine male and female, marriage, or other aspects of creation that God established (Genesis 1:27, Matthew 19:4-6).
4. Declaring Who is Saved and Who is Not – Usurping God's role as the ultimate judge of souls (Matthew 13:24-30 – The parable of the wheat and tares, where judgment is reserved for God).
5. Predicting or Controlling the Future – Engaging in divination or assuming sovereignty over history rather than trusting God’s providence (Isaiah 46:9-10).
3. Behaving as if we Were God and Not His Creatures (Living as though they are self-sufficient, independent of God)
1. Denying Dependence on God – Acting as if human effort alone sustains life, rather than acknowledging God's provision (Luke 12:16-21 – The parable of the rich fool).
2. Exalting Self Above Others – Seeking to be the centre of power and authority rather than serving as Christ commanded (Mark 10:42-45).
3. Rebelling Against God’s Commands – Living autonomously and rejecting divine authority (Romans 1:21-23 – "Although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him").
4. Trusting in Human Strength Over God’s Power – Relying solely on human resources without seeking God’s guidance (Jeremiah 17:5 – "Cursed is the one who trusts in man").
5. Living as Though There Is No Final Judgment – Ignoring God’s ultimate authority over human history and personal destiny (Psalm 14:1 – "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God'").
Each of these examples illustrates how human beings, in a fallen state, seek to usurp divine authority, a pattern seen from Genesis onward.
In a culture that idolises personal autonomy and the importance and status of me and my will, my self-sufficiency and personal adequacy (the ‘you are enough’ narrative), Christians are called to give positive witness to the Biblical truth that living in dependent, obedient and awe-filled relationship with the Living God is where the ultimate source of life and meaning lie.
And we model the transformative power of the Gospel in a self-centred world by embodying appropriate humility and tangibly., promptly and decisively redirecting all glory to God … to Whom it all properly belongs.
