Author: Charlie Garrett

Rotunda painting. Salt Lack City, Utah.

Saturday, 10 September 2022

But Peter said, “Not so, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.” Acts 10:14

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, the voice from heaven said, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” This was concerning the vision he was seeing of the animals, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. With that remembered, it next says, “But Peter said.”

This is in response to the voice from heaven. One would think, “I just heard a voice from heaven, and it is instructing me to do something. I will be obedient.” Such will not be the case. The idea was so repugnant to an observant Jew that Peter cannot process what he is being told to do. And so, in response, he says, “Not so, Lord!”

Whether Peter feels this is a test of his faithfulness to the law, or whether he simply cannot participate in something so contrary to what he has always known and held as sacred, he balks. In this, he uses the common word kurios. It can mean anything from “Sir” to “Lord” and even implying the Lord God. As the voice is from heaven, he must mentally assume he is addressing the Lord God. And this is more likely based on his next words, which say, “For I have never eaten anything common or unclean.”

The words “common or unclean” are rightly explained by Albert Barnes –

“That is common – This word properly denotes ‘what pertains to all,’ but among the Jews, who were bound by special laws, and who were prohibited from many things that were freely indulged in by other nations, the word ‘common’ came to be opposed to the word ‘sacred,’ and to denote what was in common use among the pagans, hence, that which was ‘profane,’ or ‘polluted.’ Here it means the same as ‘profane,’ or ‘forbidden.’

Unclean – Ceremonially unclean; that is, what is forbidden by the ceremonial law of Moses.”

In his response to the voice, Peter is paraphrasing words that he would have heard in the synagogue over the years. In Ezekiel 4, a part of a discourse between the Lord and Ezekiel says the following –

“Also take for yourself wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt; put them into one vessel, and make bread of them for yourself. During the number of days that you lie on your side, three hundred and ninety days, you shall eat it. ¹⁰ And your food which you eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day; from time to time you shall eat it. ¹¹ You shall also drink water by measure, one-sixth of a hin; from time to time you shall drink. ¹² And you shall eat it as barley cakes; and bake it using fuel of human waste in their sight.”
¹³ Then the Lord said, “So shall the children of Israel eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles, where I will drive them.”
¹⁴ So I said, “Ah, Lord God! Indeed I have never defiled myself from my youth till now; I have never eaten what died of itself or was torn by beasts, nor has abominable flesh ever come into my mouth.”
¹⁵ Then He said to me, “See, I am giving you cow dung instead of human waste, and you shall prepare your bread over it.” Ezekiel 4:9-15

The Lord was instructing Ezekiel to do something that would make him ceremonially unclean under the Law of Moses. This is seen, for example, in Leviticus 5:2, 3 –

“Or if a person touches any unclean thing, whether it is the carcass of an unclean beast, or the carcass of unclean livestock, or the carcass of unclean creeping things, and he is unaware of it, he also shall be unclean and guilty. ³ Or if he touches human uncleanness—whatever uncleanness with which a man may be defiled, and he is unaware of it—when he realizes it, then he shall be guilty.”

Though ceremonially defiled, such a state of uncleanness simply required the appropriate sacrifices to restore him. Ezekiel thought it was repugnant to do this and he also balked at the Lord’s words. But Ezekiel was being used as a sign of what lay ahead for the people of Israel, and so, despite the clean foods he was instructed to eat, he was told to cook them in a manner that was ceremonially unclean. Because of Ezekiel’s concerns about being in a state of uncleanliness among the people, the Lord gave him the allowance of using cow dung.

The text of Ezekiel 4 makes it clear that the one speaking to him was the Lord (YHVH) God. Peter, certainly knowing the account in Ezekiel, would also know that the voice from heaven was also the Lord. As he knew at this point that Jesus is the incarnate Lord, the voice would be that of Jesus. In the case of Peter, the instruction would have been a direct violation of the Law of Moses. However, the Lord is going to convey to Peter that the Mosaic Code was no longer applicable to his life. Being in Christ meant something new was available to him.

Life application: Some years ago, a fad known as “the Ezekiel diet” came out. It can still be found on the internet and people have profited off it because it sounds biblical – “See, this is what was recorded for Ezekiel and so it must be good.” The same is true with the account in Daniel 1 concerning a diet that was decided upon there.

This is irresponsible, and it wholly ignores the context of what happens in Ezekiel. The Lord specifically tells Ezekiel why He was mandating the diet and what it meant –

“Moreover He said to me, ‘Son of man, surely I will cut off the supply of bread in Jerusalem; they shall eat bread by weight and with anxiety, and shall drink water by measure and with dread, ¹⁷ that they may lack bread and water, and be dismayed with one another, and waste away because of their iniquity.’” Ezekiel 4:16,17

This was not a diet that was intended to make people healthy. It was a diet that was the result of famine, lack, and affliction. It was a diet that would eventually cause the people to “waste away.”

Instead of getting caught up in fad things derived from a misuse of the Bible, live your life for the Lord, enjoy the blessings He has showered you with, and don’t allow people to sucker you into making them rich because of their twisting of Scripture. Have discernment. When people attempt to peddle things to you in the name of God or because of Scripture, they are the ones who will be home eating steak and potatoes while you are eating grass and tiny amounts of grain.

Lord God, give us discernment as we live out our lives before You. Help us not to get drawn into fads and novelty lifestyles that will enrich others but do nothing of value for us. May we be thankful for the blessings You have lavished upon us, and may we enjoy those blessings without feelings of guilt because they came from Your open hand of grace. Amen.

Looking up to chandelier and dome in capitol, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Friday, 9 September 2022

And a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” Acts 10:13

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).

The previous verse showed that “all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth” were in the object that was like a great sheet. With that remembered, it next says, “And a voice came to him.” The source of the voice is not stated, but it is certainly the Lord Jesus. This is most probable based on his reply in the next verse and what is stated between the two. And the words conveyed to Peter begin with, “Rise.”

Rather, it is an aorist participle – “Having arisen.” Peter was obviously still laying or kneeling as during his praying. And so, the voice lets him know that once he has gotten up, he is to take a particular action. After this, and calling him by his given name, the voice continues with, “Peter; kill and eat.”

This is obviously in response to his state of being “very hungry,” as was seen in verse 10:10. The voice instructs Peter to look upon the vast multitude of animals without distinction and to take whatever he desired for himself.

In this, Peter is clearly being shown that the dietary laws of the Law of Moses have been annulled. He is being returned to a time when Israel did not have the law and lived under the general command of God to Noah –

“And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. ³ Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.” Genesis 9:2, 3

The importance of this is not to be missed because if the dietary laws are annulled, then the entire Mosaic Code is annulled. It is a single body of law, no part of which could be left unfulfilled without guilt being imputed –

“For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” Matthew 5:18

If the dietary laws are annulled, thus meaning that the Law of Moses is annulled, then it means that the law has been fulfilled. Those of Israel who accept the completion of Christ’s work are brought out from the bondage and yoke of the law, and into a new and as yet unexplained dispensation. Those who are not of Israel, and who had never been under the law, are imputed the righteousness of the law’s fulfillment because of Jesus.

This is all being seen, or at least hinted at, in the details provided in this one verse. The voice is from heaven, indicating that it is of God. It is in connection with the presentation of unclean animals to Peter, indicating they have been divinely sanctioned to be eaten, and it is given in typology of the people who already eat such animals because they are not, and never were, under the law of Moses.

Life application: The Lord would not present supposedly unclean animals to Peter and admonish him to eat them if it were a violation of His own law to do so without a particular reason for doing so. Hence, without going forward in the text, it is clear and explicit that these animals are no longer to be considered unclean.

And yet, there are innumerable teachers of the word, and even entire denominations, that adamantly state Christians are bound to the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic Law. If this is so, then they are also bound to every other precept of the law – without exception – and they must fulfill them perfectly. They have set aside the grace of Christ, and they have fallen back on a system that was never effectual in removing sin, except in the anticipation of its own fulfillment by Jesus.

Be sure to get what the meaning of grace is. It is not, “I have done and so now you must do.” Grace is unmerited favor. Salvation is solely and absolutely a work of the Lord. It is true that there are things we are told to do under the New Covenant, but these things are to be accomplished because of our state in salvation, not as a means of either earning it or maintaining it.

Lord God, thank You for the grace You have bestowed upon us through the giving of Christ Jesus. All that stood against us is now taken away because of Him. Praise You, O God, for what You have done! Amen.

Chandelier and paintings in the rotunda area of capitol builing. Salt Lake City, Utah.

Thursday, 8 September 2022

In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. Acts 10:12

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).

The previous verse referred to the “object like a great sheet [sail]” descending to Peter from heaven to the earth. That now continues with, “In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth.”

The translation is not acceptable. It is stated without exception, saying, “all the quadrupeds of the earth.” It is a new word, tetrapous, that signifies “four” and “foot.” It will be seen here, in Acts 11:6, and then in Romans 1:23. Every four-footed animal that is to be found on earth was included in this display. That is followed by, “wild beasts.”

This word, thérion, is not included in some manuscripts, but it is found in Peter’s description of the account in Acts 11:6. It is possible a scribe either missed it in this verse, or it was purposefully inserted to reconcile the two accounts. Either way, the word comes from the word théra, signifying a trap used for hunting. Thus, this is a generic word for any wild animal. Next noted are “creeping things.”

The Greek word is herpeton. It also is a new word, and it signifies any crawling animal, reptiles, and especially a serpent. It is comparable to the Hebrew word remes first found in Genesis 1:24. The Greek word is the etymological root of our modern word herpes which is a disease that creeps. Finally, it says, “and birds of the air.”

Rather, the Greek reads, “and the birds of the heaven.” There is no qualifier saying, “clean birds.” Rather, it can be assumed that all birds of the heavens are included in the scene before him.

Though getting a bit ahead of the narrative, what is being seen is a picture of the cleansing of the Gentiles through Christ’s work. The sail is the means by which the message goes forth, signifying movement on the seas, even to the furthest parts of the world.

The sail being made of linen provides its own picture of purity. All that are noted upon it are cleansed by the blood of Christ, apart from deeds of the law, and are deemed as acceptable to God because of Him.

The sail having four corners signifies that the gospel will go forth to every part of the earth, the four corners representing the entire earth. And the animals, regardless of the kind, are included in the scope of the transmission of the gospels.

Under the law of Moses, animals were specifically divided into clean and unclean. The two main records of this are found in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. To fully understand the typology, please refer to the appropriate Superior Word sermons on these passages.

Israel was set apart under the law and was permitted to eat only certain foods derived from a select list of animals. Gentiles have no restrictions on them concerning dietary laws. This goes all the way back to Genesis 9 –

“And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. ³ Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.” Genesis 9:2, 3

The law was introduced as a tool for Israel, and Israel alone, to conduct its affairs. The Gentiles were never placed under that law, and no dietary restrictions, apart from drinking blood (Genesis 9:4), were placed upon the people of the world. With the law fulfilled by Christ, it was set aside. The Gentiles who ate unclean animals are no longer considered unclean. This will be made explicit in the coming verses.

The descending of this object from heaven to the earth was to signify to Peter that a mystery was being revealed. That mystery is then explained by Paul –

“For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— ² if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, ³ how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, ⁴ by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), ⁵ which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: ⁶ that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, ⁷ of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.” Ephesians 3:1-7

Despite Paul being the one through whom the mystery of the church is conveyed to the Gentiles, it is the same mystery that is first revealed to Peter, and which will be confirmed by Peter in Acts 10. Once again, as has been seen several times in Acts, the same working of God, meaning the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is given by both Peter and Paul. The focus of the ministry for that gospel (meaning Peter’s toward the Jews and Paul’s toward the Gentiles) is the only difference. It is one gospel to all people.

Life application: The Chinese people have a saying, “If it moves on the earth, if it is found in the oceans, or if it flies in the sky, we will eat it.” This is a truth found throughout the Gentile world to some degree or another. No dietary restrictions exist except those that are self-imposed or that may be imposed by a particular nation or by some false religion.

For example, Islam and Hinduism restrict the eating of certain foods. Also, there are things that are just culturally not considered acceptable. Various bugs have always been eaten in parts of Asia, and even the Levitical law allowed for the consumption of locusts.

However, until recently, it was considered socially unacceptable in the western world to eat bugs. It was not prohibited, but it was something looked down on as boorish and objectionable. With the modern green movement, bugs are in, and beef is out. This is not a dietary law. Rather, it is just an attempt to manipulate the populace for a perverse agenda.

Despite this, the vision that Peter is seeing is exactly what is found in the Gentile world. The old saying, “You are what you eat,” is on full display here. Gentiles eat snakes, bugs, and lobsters (to their delight by the way), while Jews do not. And so, what is being seen is more than just the acceptance of Gentiles into the plan of God, but the acceptance of what they eat as well. The two are not to be disassociated from one another.

And yet, heretical cults and false teachers will use Acts 10 to say that the typology only points to the cleansing of Gentiles, but not the cleansing of foods. This is incorrect and it is dispelled both in the coming account of Acts 10, throughout the Pauline epistles, and the book of Hebrews as well. Don’t be fooled by perverse people with an agenda to push you under the constraints of the Law of Moses! Pass the whale blubber and bacon, and enjoy the freedom God has given you in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lord God, how precious it is to know that by faith alone in Jesus and in His fulfillment of the law we are pleasing to You. He lived out the law, He shed His blood, dying in fulfillment of it, and He rose again, setting aside its ordinances so that we are justified not through our deeds, but through His. In Him, reconciliation and forgiveness of sins have come! Now, we have a blessed and eternal hope. Thank You for Jesus Christ our Lord, O God. Amen. 

Capitol dome, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Wednesday, 7 September 2022

and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. Acts 10:11

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).

Taken with the previous verse, the words form a complete thought – “Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance ¹¹ and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.” With this noted, the words can now be looked into, starting with, “and saw heaven opened.”

Rather, the first verb is present tense to more poignantly bring the reader into the narrative – “and beholds heaven opened.” It isn’t that he went into a trance and saw. He went into a trance, and he beholds. It is right there before him as he looks. While beholding this marvelous scene, it next says, “and an object.”

This is all happening while he beholds. This thing, described here as an object, takes hold of his vision. The word simply means a vessel by which something is contained. In this case, the object is “like a great sheet.” The word is othoné, and it is found only here and in verse 11:5 where Peter explains to others what he saw. It is fine linen, and thus it refers to a sheet or a sail. It is a piece of linen, obviously square (as will be seen), and extremely large.

Some speculate that this may be a tallit, a fringed prayer shawl used by Jews. If it were such an item, and because Peter is a Jew, he would have certainly said so when later describing it. Rather, it appears to simply be “like” a great sheet, and thus something specifically used for this purpose. Of this object, it next says that it was “bound at the four corners.”

This now gives a better sense of what the object may be. As noted, the word used to describe it is a sheet or a sail. The Weymouth New Testament uses the word sail –

“The sky had opened to his view, and what seemed to be an enormous sail was descending, being let down to the earth by ropes at the four corners.”

This is probably what is being conveyed. Peter bar Jonah (his full name as seen in Matthew 16:17) was a fisherman and well acquainted with sailing. He had just been called from Joppa where centuries earlier Jonah had sailed aboard a ship going to Tarshish. As he was by the sea at Simon the tanner’s house (Acts 10:6), he would have daily seen ships coming and going. When describing this object in Acts 11, it would be much more normal for him to use this description with those he talked to – “I saw this thing descending like a huge sail!”

The description of it being a sail would then fit more readily with the typology of what will later be described for other reasons as well. Of this great object like a sail, it next says it was “bound at the four corners.”

The word translated as “corners” means “beginnings.” It is the very extremity of the sail, and this is what would naturally be done to a sail. The billowing square sail of a ship is what catches the wind and impels it forward as it is bound by its corners. This is just what the word was used to indicate in ancient Greek as noted by Vincent’s Word Studies –

“Dr. J. Rawson Lumby suggests that the word, ‘applied to loose, bellying sails of ships,’ may indicate that the form of vessel which appeared to Peter ‘recalled an image most familiar to his previous life – the wind-stretched canvas of the craft on the Lake of Galilee’ (‘Expositor,’ iii., 272).”

The verse finishes with the words, “descending to him and let down to the earth.” The number four in Scripture is defined by Bullinger as the number of creation. It is the world number and especially the city number. This object bound at the four corners descended down to the earth. As such, it would indicate the four corners of the earth noted elsewhere in Scripture, such as in Isaiah 11:12. It is a way of describing the totality of a location, such as a city or a country, or even the earth itself.

As this has descended from heaven, its origin is in heaven. Due to its great size and the fact that it has four corners, and that it has descended to the earth, it is emblematic of the entire earth. These things can be deduced even before the next verses are given.

As a point of interest, the word used to describe this sail has a kindred noun, othonion. That is seen in the gospels when referring to the linen strips used to wrap Jesus’ body. That word is not used, but it is an interesting connection to help understand the word that is being used by Luke.

Life application: At times, the Bible provides information in typology, metaphor, and comparison, and asks us to think through what is being said. It can be an imperfect science to interpret these things, but the more we read the Bible, the more clearly such things begin to be understood.

The consistency of the Bible in its use of various literary devices, especially combined with the life or circumstances of those who are highlighted in the passages, can give us even more assurance of what is being conveyed. For example, Peter is being used to convey imagery to the church at this time. Who he is, what he did, and the surrounding passage all give us clues as to what the imagery is conveying.

From there, we can then make logical deductions about what is being expressed. In other words, read your Bible, think about what it says, and remember these things as you continue. When an interesting passage comes before you, then you can take your store of information and make such conclusions. Be careful, however, because some people can make anything mean anything by incorrectly analyzing what is being described. Don’t just jump on the first commentary’s explanation but be willing to research the matter fully in order to get the best hint of what is being expressed.

Lord God, thank You for the wonders and delights that are found in Your word. They give us a lifetime of things to study, contemplate, and consider. Someday, we long to see the word fully explained to us so that we can behold the marvel of all that it contains! Thank You for this precious gift, Your wonderful word. Amen.

Marbel coloums and arch at capitol building, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Tuesday, 6 September 2022

Then he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they made ready, he fell into a trance Acts 10:10

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).

The previous verse noted Peter going up to the housetop to pray at about the sixth hour. Now, it says, “Then he became very hungry.”

It is a word found only here in Scripture, prospeinos. It is a compound word signifying “toward” and “hunger.” Therefore, it signifies “hungering further,” and thus “very hungry.” This is not without purpose because it next says, “and wanted to eat.”

That is the usual thing that happens when one gets hungry. However, satisfying a hunger can be immediate, such as when grabbing an apple to eat, or it can take longer, such as waiting on a cook to prepare something. Peter has been praying, he got hungry, and so he obviously told someone that he would like to eat because it next says, “but while they made ready.”

The verb is a present participle, “they were preparing.” Nothing is said about anyone else in the narrative, so an answer to who “they” is must be mentally inserted by the reader. Whoever “they” are, they were preparing something for him to eat. As they were doing this, it next says, “he fell into a trance.”

Rather, the Greek reads with the same word found in Acts 8:16, saying, “an ecstasy fell upon him.” In Acts 8:16, it referred to the idea of the Holy Spirit falling on those of Samaria. It will be seen again in that context in Acts 10:44 and 11:15 when referring to the conversion of Cornelius and those with him. HELPS Word Studies says that the specific word used, epipiptó, comes from epi, on or upon, and pipto, to embrace (with affection) or to seize (with more or less violence, literally or figuratively).

In this case, it is a trance that has fallen upon Peter. It is not the same word, translated as “vision,” that described what happened to Cornelius in verse 10:3. This word, ekstasis, was seen in Acts 3:10 when describing the amazement of the people when the crippled beggar had been healed. It signifies a displacement of the mind. Thus, it is bewilderment or ecstasy.

Peter has entered into a different and bewildered state. It is in this state that he will start to understand particular points of theology that he never had considered before. Unfortunately, in his learning, he will afterward not always apply what he has learned. This is particularly noted in Galatians 2. For now, Peter has had a trance fall upon him for his learning, for our learning, and as a descriptive account of how it came about.

Life application: What Peter will see and be told in the verses ahead is rather clear, and it stems from symbolism going back to the book of Ezekiel, and it carries with it information that could only be conveyed to a person like Peter after the finished work of Jesus on the cross in fulfillment of the Law of Moses.

Despite being a descriptive account, it is clear and unambiguous in what it conveys. Some people ignore what is given here entirely. Others accept about fifty percent of the lesson and stop there. But what will be presented is so clear and obvious that it truly takes a full-blown case of cognitive dissonance to reject the lesson.

Pay heed to what is coming in the verses ahead, set aside any presuppositions that you may have about various matters, and carefully think about what is presented. In doing so, the difference between works of the law and the grace of Jesus Christ will become perfectly evident. It will also reveal the extent of this grace in relation to the people of the world.

Lord God, even the most studious of us may fail to understand what You are saying in Your word, simply because we have a presupposition or a bias about a particular doctrine. Help us to set such things aside and look to what You are conveying to us. Help us not to insert into the text what we want to see, but to draw out from it those things You want us to see. May it be so, to Your glory. Amen.