Capitol dome and chandelier, Washington State Capitol.
Friday, 16 June 2023
“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, Acts 17:26
Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)
You can also read this commentary, with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).
In the previous verse, Paul noted that God needs nothing and that it is He who gives to all life, breath, and all things. He now continues, saying, “And He has made from one blood.”
The verb is not a participle. Rather than “has made,” it simply says, “made.” Also, some texts omit the word blood. The thought is still the same and the point is that God created one man from whom all others have descended. This is found in the creation account of Genesis 1 and 2. It is stated explicitly in Malachi 2:10 as well –
“Have we not all one Father?
Has not one God created us?
Why do we deal treacherously with one another
By profaning the covenant of the fathers?”
The meaning is that all differences that exist in men now are the result of a natural process but that all men are of the same human stock, regardless of color, size, national heritage, etc.
Despite the Hebrew sense of superiority over others, which is evident in Jesus’ words to those in the synagogue in Nazareth in Luke 4 and Paul’s words to the mob of Jews in Acts 22, they understood from their Scriptures that all men were created from one first man. Any superiority the Jews felt would have to be for some other reason. The Greeks, however, felt that they were intrinsically superior to the barbarians around them, as if they were created differently than others. Paul is telling them that from the perspective of humanity, this was not the case. With this noted, he next says, that from this one man came “every nation of men.”
This is recorded in the Table of Nations found in Genesis 10. The general breakdown found there continues to this day. An initial division of the descendants of Noah took place and that set the general parameters that have followed since that time. A study of the Table of Nations is one of the most important tools in understanding the breakdown of the people groups of the world, even to this day. With these families identified, they began to disperse in order “to dwell on all the face of the earth.”
This is seen, for example, in the line of Japheth where it is recorded, “From these the coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations” (Genesis 10:5). This is repeated with the other sons of Noah as well –
“These were the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations.” Genesis 10:20
“These were the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands, according to their nations.” Genesis 10:31
Of these people groups and the places where they settled, Paul next says that God “has determined their preappointed times.” There is a slight variation in some texts here –
prostetagmenous
protetagmenous
One means “assigned.” The other means “before appointed.” The meaning of the first would be that a people were assigned a land, probably after settling there. Once in that land, it became their assigned possession and that is their station where they belong. If they were preappointed, it would indicate that God has chosen the time and place where each nation, and thus each person, would most likely seek out God, as is indicated in the coming verse.
The difference in the idea presented between these two spellings is not small. Both, however, show that there is a set plan that was determined by God concerning the settling of the nations and the boundaries in which they are to reside. That is seen in the final words of the verse, “and the boundaries of their dwellings.”
The word translated as “boundaries,” horothesia, is found only here in Scripture. It conveys the idea of fixed boundaries. These things would be established by customs, laws, national interests, cultural expressions, and languages. It is such things that cause nations to be set and fixed. This is the plan of God in order to keep the world from doing what it did by reuniting as one, as is recorded in the Tower of Babel account in Genesis 11.
The dwellings of the people are regulated by a set plan of God to keep them separated. The wisdom of this is seen in the error of thinking that arose when all men sought to work together as one. In such a situation, the only One to work against would obviously be God Himself. For the sake of keeping that from happening, God has directed the peoples and nations through the division of tongues and the attitudes that arise among those of similar speech.
Life application: In understanding the Genesis account of the Tower of Babel and then reading Paul’s words in Acts 17, it is perfectly evident that what is occurring in the world today – concerning the movement of vast numbers of people across set borders – is an attack against the set limitations that God has instilled in man through their division by various languages.
That is also being challenged by universal translators where people of various languages can communicate in real time with one another. With the removal of the constraints assigned by God, the inevitable result will be another Tower of Babel scenario. In order to effect this, governments and non-governmental bodies are uniting through a set plan, using tools such as climate change, to destroy the fabric of the nations as set forth by God.
The people of Genesis 11 didn’t trust God and united as one against Him. They wanted to be like God and so they built a tower to reach the heavens. This united them as one, and replaced God with their own set authority. This is the purpose of the globalist movement today. With the various languages no longer being an issue to divide, and with the movement of peoples to destroy national identities, a uniting against God and His set order is taking place
Every perversion being publicly condoned, every attack on the family structure, every denial of creation (for example teaching and promoting evolution), every attack on the climate (as if it must be controlled by man because there is no God to do it), etc., is set forth by the globalists to destroy what God has ordained for man. This is perfectly evident when such things are directly approved of when they most fully express the opposite of what the Bible presents.
What is happening in the world is the natural result of rejecting God and ignoring His word. With modern technology, this has become possible. The people of the world are being directed by a satanic attack against God’s set order for humanity. The path is set and it can only end in one possible way. The Bible describes it in the pages of Revelation. Hold fast to God and His word. This is the only safety humanity can possess in a world of ever-increasing wickedness.
Lord God, how wise You are to have directed the world as You have. And how foolish we are to attempt to reject Your ways and to pursue our own reckless paths. This is true as individuals, as nations, and as the mass of humanity is united against You. May we wisely hold fast to You in this time when the world is being prepared to destroy itself through rejection of You. Amen.