Reviewing the Jewish history (1)

Paul and Barnabas, who visited the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia, were invited to give an exhortation. “Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, ‘Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen.’” (1) Paul stood up, moved forward, and began speaking from the platform. The phrase “motioning with his hand” describes a typical Jewish way of speaking. He addressed two types of listeners to capture their attention: (a) The people of Israel (Jews) and (b) you who fear God (God-fearing Gentiles). (2) Luke devotes a significant amount of space to this sermon, but even so, what is recorded is only a portion of it. The content is similar to Stephen’s sermon. Paul summarized the history of the Jews, but his emphasis was on two points: (a) God has always looked after Israel and responded to their needs. (b) However, Israel has continually been ungrateful and has rebelled against God. “The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out from it.” (1) God, in His sovereignty, chose the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) and from them formed the chosen people. God also made an unconditional covenant (the Abrahamic Covenant) with the patriarchs. (2) In Egypt, God grew His chosen people into a great nation. However, they became slaves in that land. (3) God led His chosen people out of Egypt, fulfilling the promise of the unconditional covenant. The land of Canaan was the land promised to His chosen people. “For a period of about forty years He put up with them in the wilderness.” (1) Yet, they did not give thanks to God and continued to rebel against Him. (a) They did not express gratitude for the manna and water miraculously provided in the wilderness. (b) They were always murmuring against God. (2) Because of their unbelief, the people wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Numbers 14:34 states this. “In accordance with the number of days that you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall suffer the punishment for your guilt a year, that is, forty years…” The generation that came out of Egypt perished, and a new generation entered the land of Canaan. The 40 years in the wilderness was a period during which God showed His patience. Let us learn a lesson from the history of Israel. For ourselves, let’s be thankful for God’s works and guidance so that we do not experience 40 years in the wilderness due to unbelief.