Acts 13:13-52 | the Next Chapter in Israel's Storyਨਮੂਨਾ

In the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch, all eyes were on Paul. The Jews and God-fearing Gentiles had just heard the Law and Prophets read. Now they were expecting a word of encouragement, and perhaps some exhortation—calling them to remember what God has done, urging them to keep trusting and hoping in God. Maybe they thought Paul would give them a fresh perspective on the scripture they had just read. Something they could take home with them and apply to their lives.

Paul did all of that, and much more. But he started by telling a familiar story. Their story.

He first summarized hundreds of years of Israel’s history, from the exodus to the promised land to the period of the judges. Then God’s people asked for a king, and God gave them Saul. That didn’t go well, so God removed Saul and raised up a new king, David. For the Jews in Pisidian Antioch and throughout the Mediterranean world, King David was a legend. They knew the tales of his courage in battle, of his triumph over Goliath, of how he expanded the kingdom of Israel, of his faithfulness to God. They still remembered God’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7, that God would raise up a descendent of David and establish his kingdom forever. And one thousand years after David, through centuries of idolatry and disaster, through disappointment after disappointment, the hope remained that God would yet fulfill his promise.

And then, Paul told his audience that God had done just that. “From this man’s descendants, as he promised, God brought to Israel the Savior, Jesus” (Acts 13:23). God has done what he promised, Paul preached, and has made it known to us. This is what we have been waiting for!

But Paul went on. Many of the people in Jerusalem, and especially the religious leaders, did not connect the dots. They did not recognize Jesus and completely missed what the prophets were saying, even though their words were read every Sabbath. (Paul’s audience themselves had just heard the words of the prophets read.) And so, ironically, they ended up fulfilling the prophets’ words by condemning Jesus. They put an innocent man to death. And not just any man: the promised descendant of David, the new king.

But God raised Jesus from the dead. God had raised up David, anointing the shepherd boy as king over Israel, one thousand years earlier. But David died after serving God’s purpose. Like Peter had preached in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, Paul underscored that David died and was buried. And then David’s body decayed because that’s what happens to dead bodies. We all know this, Paul implied.

But now, in a new and utterly unexpected way, God really, truly raised up the rejected and crucified Jesus, bringing him back from the dead. We know this, Paul said, because he appeared to his followers for many days. They saw him. They touched him. They ate with him. And now they are his witnesses, declaring the good news that God has fulfilled his promise to their ancestors.

God keeps his promises. It’s who he is. After hundreds of years, Israel’s story of disappointment and hope has a new chapter. Today, ask the Holy Spirit to help you trust more deeply in our promise-keeping God. Pray for wisdom and revelation to see God’s story continuing to unfold.