Tuesday, October 27, 2020

The Acts of the Apostles, the history of the early church, by Luke the physician - Acts 13:14-41 comments: Paul preaches in Antioch of Pisidia

 


Acts 13:14 ¶  But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. 15  And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. 16  Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience. 17  The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it. 18  And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness. 19  And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot. 20  And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. 21  And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. 22  And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. 23  Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus: 24  When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25  And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose. 26  Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. 27  For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. 28  And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. 29  And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. 30  But God raised him from the dead: 31  And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. 32  And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, 33  God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. 34  And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. 35  Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 36  For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: 37  But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. 38  Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39  And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. 40  Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; 41  Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.

 

Perga was in Pamphylia. There were several places named Antioch in the Greek-speaking world. Pisidian Antioch is near Perga on the map. Both would be in what is present-day Turkey. This Antioch is not the Antioch called the “cradle of Christianity”. So, it is not the same town as where the Christians were first called as such near the modern-day city of Antakya, Turkey in extreme Southern Turkey. Pisidian Antioch is near the present-day Isparta Province in Turkey.

 

Here Paul gives a sermon in a synagogue. As they are Jews his sermon is filled with Old Testament references. Notice in verse 19 Chanaan, spelled with a Ch rather than just a C, gives us a clue as to the way to pronounce the Ch in words, like a K. Again, remember my remarks about variations in spelling.

 

In my comments on Genesis 15:12-16 I noted;

 

God tells Abram that his seed will be servants in a foreign land, which we know to be Egypt. They will be afflicted for four hundred years and will serve the people of that land. This is an about, not an exact 400 years, ten months, 23 days, and two hours type of statement.

Exodus 12:40  Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.

And then, Luke recounting what Stephen said, alluding to what Moses had written from God’s words;

Acts 7:6  And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.

If I wrote you a lesson that said, ‘in the thousand years since the Norman invasion of England,’ and then, in the lesson later wrote, ‘in the nine hundred and fifty four years since 1066, when William the Conqueror defeated King Harold at Hastings,’ would that be a contradiction or would you understand what I said as meaning the same thing?

Here is Paul referring to this bondage bracketed between the covenant and the giving of the Law.

Galatians 3:17  And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.

Rabbis have written that the affliction begins when Ishmael, the offspring of Abram and Hagar, an Egyptian, begins to persecute Isaac, the son of the promise. They regarded the four hundred years to start from that point.

God also tells Abram that four generations will come into being in Egypt before returning to the land that is promised, The Promised Land of Canaan. For instance, Levi, Jacob’s son, and his son, Kohath, and his son, Amram, and his son, Moses. These were four generations that sojourned in Egypt. It is then important to see that God is talking about two different things; four hundred years of affliction and four generations in a foreign land. As the Bible clearly states in Exodus the Hebrews come out of Egypt with a great deal of wealth given to them freely by the Egyptians.”

Notice verse 20 says about the space of four hundred and fifty years. Using the typical fallacious modernist mindset of reading the Bible like an instruction manual for your lawn mower I have been amazed at how many Christian commentators argue about how this figure of four hundred and fifty can be reconciled by adding this or subtracting that trying to fit it into the timelines one derives by adding up reigns and rules. This is nonsense. You dare deny the Holy Spirit the very same figures of speech you use yourselves? The very same general statements that are approximations or even hyperbole?

In verse 21 the Hebrew name Kish from 1Samuel 9:1 is translated from a Greek derivation as Cis in English. Note also how Elijah of the Old Testament verses like Malachi 4:5 is translated from the Greek as Elias in New Testament verses like Matthew 11:14.

Notice how in verse 33 Paul links the resurrection with the verse in Psalm 2. As an eternal being Christ represents all of us who will be raised incorruptible, the children of God.

Romans 8:17 ¶  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. 18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered

from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. 24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

 

In Hebrews 1:5 Paul connects it to Christ’s birth and the relationship between a Father and a Son. By the time we get to verse 8 in Hebrews 1 we are back at Christ’s rule and authority, the basis of Psalm 2.

Hebrews 1:4 ¶  Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5  For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art

my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 6  And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. 7  And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. 8  But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

 

Notice in verse 8 of Hebrews 1 the reference is made to Psalm 45:6. Here is the original reference in Psalm 2 marking out Christ’s physical reign on earth to come.

 

Psalm 2:1 ¶  Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2  The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his

anointed, saying, 3  Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 4  He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5  Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6  Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

 

    7 ¶  I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8  Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and

the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9  Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

 

    10 ¶  Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11  Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12  Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish

from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

 

In verse 34 in Acts 13 here he makes mention of the sure mercies of David.

 

Isaiah 55:3  Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

 

Following this is a reference to David’s prophecy of Christ’s resurrection a thousand years previously.

 

Psalm 16:10  For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

 

Peter uses this verse in his sermon noted in Acts 2:27. Here is the entire passage in Psalm 16.

 

Psalm 16:8 ¶  I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9  Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in

hope. 10  For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 11  Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

 

Note the argument that Paul makes here that David could not have been talking about himself as he did see corruption and knew that he would die eventually. Only Enoch, Elijah, and Christ saw no corruption.

 

See in verse 36 how if you are doing God’s work you serve in a generation and then you are gone from the world and others take your place. In modern evangelical terms we can get caught up in the broad sweep of events over history rather than placing ourselves in the context of our generation.

 

In 41 Paul issues a warning based on;

 

Habbakuk 1:5 ¶  Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.

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