God's Exceptional Choice
Out of Slavery - Into Nationhood
Who Is King
Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5)
Acts 13:21-31 The Voice21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them one—Saul, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin—who reigned for 40 years. 22 After God moved Saul aside, He made David king in his place. God had this to say about David: “I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after My own heart. He’s the kind of king who will rule in ways that please Me.”[a]23 God has selected one of David’s descendants as the long-promised Liberator of Israel. I am speaking of Jesus. 24 Before Jesus arrived on the scene, His cousin John was hard at work, proclaiming to all the people of Israel a ceremonial washing through baptism[b] and pointing to a new direction in thought and life. 25 John’s ministry climaxed when he said, “Who do you assume me to be? I am not the One you’re looking for. No, but One is coming after me, One whose sandal thong I am unworthy to untie.”[c] 26 My brothers, fellow descendants of our common father Abraham, and others here who fear God, we are the ones to whom God has sent this message of salvation. 27 But you know the people of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus. They didn’t understand the words of the prophets that are read in the synagogues on Sabbath after Sabbath. As a result, they fulfilled the ancient prophecies by condemning Jesus. 28 Even though they could find no offense punishable by death, they still asked Pilate to execute Jesus. 29 When they carried out everything that had been foretold by the prophets, they took His body down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. 30 But that was not the end: God raised Him from the dead, 31 and over a period of many days, He appeared to those who had been His companions from the beginning of their journey in Galilee until its end in Jerusalem. They are now witnesses to everyone.
For Reflection
Luke wants us to know that the Gift of Jesus and the Gospel were not an on-the-spot decisions. That the advent of Jesus is part of a plan for God's reconciliation with God's people. Even though the people of Jerusalem did not recognize it, the prophecies of the Messiah were fulfilled. Furthermore, Jesus' death was not the end of God's plan. Jesus rose from the dead and those who witnessed the resurrected Messiah have become God's emissaries, delivering God's invitation to Salvation. PrayPray. Give thanks to the living God. Pray and know that God is sovereign. Pray and know the joy in your witness to the resurrection.
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