God’s Guiding Word: Spiritual Renewal
Introduction
Acts 13:13–41: Paul and his companions continue their missionary journey and arrive in Antioch in Pisidia, a Roman colony in Asia Minor. Paul delivers an important speech that outlines salvation history, beginning with God’s deliverance of the ancestors of the people of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. In verses 33 and 34, Paul quotes from Psalm 2:7 and Isaiah 55:3, pointing to Jesus as the fulfillment of the Scriptures. The reading concludes with Paul quoting from Habakkuk 1:5.
Today’s Key Verse: Acts 13:23
[Paul preached:] “It was Jesus, a descendant of David, whom God made the Savior of the people of Israel, as he had promised.”
Reading
13Paul and his companions sailed from Paphos and came to Perga, a city in Pamphylia, where John Mark left them and went back to Jerusalem.14They went on from Perga and arrived in Antioch in Pisidia, and on the Sabbath they went into the synagogue and sat down.15After the reading from the Law of Moses and from the writings of the prophets, the officials of the synagogue sent them a message: “Friends, we want you to speak to the people if you have a message of encouragement for them.”16Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and began to speak:
“Fellow Israelites and all Gentiles here who worship God: hear me!17The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors and made the people a great nation during the time they lived as foreigners in Egypt. God brought them out of Egypt by his great power,18and for forty years he enduredthem in the desert.19He destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan and made his people the owners of the land.20All of this took about 450 years.
“After thishe gave them judges until the time of the prophet Samuel.21And when they asked for a king, God gave them Saul son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin, to be their king for forty years.22After removing him, God made David their king. This is what God said about him: ‘I have found that David son of Jesse is the kind of man I like, a man who will do all I want him to do.’23It was Jesus, a descendant of David, whom God made the Savior of the people of Israel, as he had promised.24Before Jesus began his work, John preached to all the people of Israel that they should turn from their sins and be baptized.25And as John was about to finish his mission, he said to the people, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not the one you are waiting for. But listen! He is coming after me, and I am not good enough to take his sandals off his feet.’
26“My fellow Israelites, descendants of Abraham, and all Gentiles here who worship God: it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent!27For the people who live in Jerusalem and their leaders did not know that he is the Savior, nor did they understand the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. Yet they made the prophets’ words come true by condemning Jesus.28And even though they could find no reason to pass the death sentence on him, they asked Pilate to have him put to death.29And after they had done everything that the Scriptures say about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb.30But God raised him from death,31and for many days he appeared to those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now witnesses for him to the people of Israel.32-33And we are here to bring the Good News to you: what God promised our ancestors he would do, he has now done for us, who are their descendants, by raising Jesus to life. As it is written in the second Psalm,
‘You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.’
34And this is what God said about raising him from death, never to rot away in the grave:
‘I will give you the sacred and sure blessings
that I promised to David.’
35As indeed he says in another passage,
‘You will not allow your faithful servant to rot in the grave.’
36For David served God’s purposes in his own time, and then he died, was buried with his ancestors, and his body rotted in the grave.37But this did not happen to the one whom God raised from death.38-39All of you, my fellow Israelites, are to know for sure that it is through Jesus that the message about forgiveness of sins is preached to you; you are to know that everyone who believes in him is set free from all the sins from which the Law of Moses could not set you free.40Take care, then, so that what the prophets said may not happen to you:
41‘Look, you scoffers! Be astonished and die!
For what I am doing today
is something that you will not believe,
even when someone explains it to you!’”
Reflect
Who invites Paul and his companions to speak to the congregation (verse 15)? How does Paul address those gathered to hear his message (verse 16)? What key events in Israel’s salvation history does Paul recount? To whom does Paul say the message of salvation has been sent (verse 26)? Who are the witnesses that Paul speaks of (verse 31)? In what ways can you be a witness for Jesus?
Pray
Sovereign God, as you promised, you sent Jesus to be our Savior. You are ever faithful, and I worship you each day and place my trust in you. Help me to be a witness for you and to proclaim boldly your message of love and salvation. Amen.
Tomorrow’s Reading
Acts 13:42–52: Paul and Barnabas are invited to return to the synagogue in Antioch.
