Acts (Written)

Piece of support section of Twin Towers.

Thursday, 6 June 2024

However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. Acts 28:6

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, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

More literally, it reads, “And they expected him about to be inflamed or to fall down dead suddenly. And they, upon much anticipating, and seeing nothing unusual happening to him, having turned about, they declared him to be a god” (CG).

Paul was just bitten by a viper, which he shook off into the fire and suffered no harm. Now, Luke continues with, “And they expected him about to be inflamed.”

It is a unique word in Scripture, pimpremi. It is the usual medical word for inflammation in ancient Greek. It literally signified “to fire,” and thus a burning inflammation which includes swelling. They were sure Paul was a goner, so they watched, expecting him to be inflamed “or to fall down dead suddenly.”

This is the third and last use of katapiptó, to fall down, in the New Testament. All three uses come from Luke’s writings. Those on the island were aware of this particular viper and knew its effects. Hence, they fully expected Paul to keel over and die.

Luke uses the word aphnó, suddenly, to describe their expectation. This is the third and last time it is used. It referred to the sudden coming of the Spirit in Acts 2:2 which was accompanied by sound and wind. It also referred to a sudden earthquake in Acts 16:26 when Paul and Silas were in prison and their chains were loosed.

The islanders were expecting something just as sudden with Paul, however, Luke next records, “And they, upon much anticipating.”

The word translated as “anticipating” was a word known in Greek medical writings. It signifies to watch in expectation where mental direction is employed. The people were keeping an eye on Paul, fully expecting him to have one of these symptoms. But Luke continues the thought with, “and seeing nothing unusual happening to him.”

Here, the words translated as “nothing unusual” were also used by physicians to indicate unusual symptoms of a disease, including something fatal or deadly. The use of these medical terms gives a good indication of the authenticity of Luke’s authorship.

He was a carefully observant man who was able to see the same traits in others as they watched for such symptoms as well. Because nothing untoward came upon Paul, Luke next records of the people, “having turned about, they declared him to be a god.”

These words include another word unique in Scripture, metaballó. As a paraphrase, it signifies to change one’s mind, but a literal translation is “to turn round” or “to turn about.” Just as a person will turn around to face another direction, so a person turns about in his mind when he changes his mind.

Instead of thinking of Paul as a murderer, they suddenly realized that he was instead rather extraordinary. Taking things a bit too far, however, they ascribed deity to him. It could be that they may have been thinking of the Greek deities like Apollo or Aesculapius who are depicted as subduing serpents.

Their minds surely raced, looking for a suitable conclusion. How could any mortal be bitten by a poisonous serpent and show no signs of it harming him?

Life application: This verse shows the fickle nature of the people which is found in all people everywhere. It is highlighted in Acts 14 as well but in the opposite sense. There, it said –

“Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, ‘The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!’ ¹² And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice with the multitudes.
But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among the multitude, crying out ¹⁵ and saying, ‘Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them, ¹⁶ who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways. ¹⁷ Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.’ ¹⁸ And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.
¹⁹ Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.” Acts 14:11-19

In the eyes of those at Lystra, he went from being a god to being a dead man. On Malta, he went from being a dead man to being a god. In the case of their suddenly exclaiming Paul a god, their superstitions cannot be considered uncommon even in today’s world. We simply package them up differently.

It is human nature to want to deify things we don’t understand. But as Christians, we need to remember that there is one God. All else is a part of creation. We are never to ascribe deity to any created thing, we are to refrain from idolatry, and we are to promote God to His rightful position in our words to others.

In doing these things, we will be acting properly in the presence of our Creator.

Lord God Almighty, You alone are worthy of all glory, honor, and praise. You are magnificent in Your being and You are caring for Your creatures. May we respond to You accordingly, giving You alone our heartfelt worship and adoration. Yes, glory to You, O God, in the highest! Amen.

A couple of eagles. Obvious stuffed after a big meal.

Wednesday, 5 June 2024

But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. Acts 28:5

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, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

A literal rendering of the Greek is, “He indeed then, having shaken off the beast into the fire suffered nothing evil” (CG).

In the previous verse, Paul had a viper latch onto his hand, and because of this, the people accused him of being a murderer whom justice had not allowed to live. However, Luke next records, “But he shook off the creature into the fire.”

Here is a word found for the second and last time, apotinassó. It signifies to brush away or shake away. The only other use was in Luke 9 –

“Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. ⁵ And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off [apotinassó] the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” Luke 9:4, 5

Luke’s words concerning Paul seem almost casual as if he was shaking the dust off his garments after a long walk in the wilderness. Despite it having been a viper and the people being sure he would keel over from the poison, he not only shook it off, but Luke next says, “and suffered no harm.”

The words here again imply that the snake was poisonous. Were it not so, there would be no need to give the details as they are recorded. As noted previously, these words are certainly given as a fulfillment of Mark 16:18.

Those words, as recorded in Mark, were spoken to those present with Christ. There is no reason to assume that they go any further than them. Snake-handling churches, poison-drinking churches, and the bizarre antics in charismatic churches have mistakenly and inappropriately taken such things out of context.

As a witness to this fact, one can take a bottle of poison into a snake handling church, and they won’t drink it. One can take a snake into a poison drinking church, and they won’t handle it. And one can take either into a charismatic church, and the people will quickly exit the building. This is all hubbub involving terrible theology. The Bible bears witness to the miracles promised to the apostles. There is no need to go beyond that.

Life application: Why anyone feels the need to force the speaking of tongues is beyond comprehension. And yet, this is the standard in churches that supposedly speak in tongues. People have to be coaxed into doing what they would normally not do.

Does the Spirit need to be forced? Rather, the Spirit of God will overshadow, clothe, or come upon people in Scripture, guiding them without being forced to do so. As previously mentioned, snake handlers in churches die from time to time. The Spirit obviously wasn’t condoning their actions if He allowed the people to die from what was, supposedly, a demonstration of His presence.

It is unreasonable to expect God to do things simply for show. There is no need to “prove” that God is among His people. If they are being obedient to His word and living rightly in His presence, He is there among them.

Be reasonable in your thinking, be diligent in your studies, and be ready to share the gospel with others at all times. Such things will be pleasing to God. But forcing yourself to speak in gibberish is not only ridiculous, it is unscriptural. Don’t get caught up in unsound theology. Rather, get caught up in the wonder of God’s precious word!

Lord God, may our conduct before You be sound, reasonable, and honoring of You. Help us to think rightly and clearly about You at all times, bringing honor to You and leading others to a desire to pursue You more and more all their days. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.

Eagle, one each. Wyoming Capitol.

Tuesday, 4 June 2024

So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.” Acts 28:4

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, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

A literal translation is, “And when the barbarians saw the beast hanging from his hand, they said to one another, ‘This man is altogether a murderer, whom, having been saved from the sea, the justice has not permitted to live’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Paul went out gathering sticks to add to the bonfire. When he laid them on the fire, a viper came out and fastened on his hand. With that recorded, Luke next adds, “And when the barbarians saw the beast hanging from his hand.”

As is normally the case, it is a shocking sight to see a venomous snake. How much more when its fangs are embedded in the hand of someone? It is a sure sign that a great deal of misery and maybe even death lies ahead.

This is especially so because a snake may quickly bite, giving a small dose of poison, but a viper that latches onto someone will have time to pump all of its venom into its foe. This is the case with Paul. Therefore, “they said to one another, ‘This man is altogether a murderer.’”

As is common to most people of the world, when something bad happens, it is ascribed to karma or some other type of cosmic justice that keeps things in check. The Book of Job is a great study on this. In this case, the people saw the viper hanging from his hand, knew it was a poisonous snake that would kill him, and jumped to the conclusion that he must have deserved what had happened to him.

In this case, they made the illogical jump to the conclusion that he was a murderer. As such, they then said, “whom, having been saved from the sea, this justice has not permitted to live.”

Accepting that this was divine justice, though the sea failed to kill him, which was obviously (what else would one expect!) what should have been the case, the serpent was sent to complete the task. Of course, this was so! The tense of the verb, being aorist, states it as an accomplished fact. Literally “the justice to live not has permitted him,” or more directly, “he is dead.”

In their words, Justice, diké (deekay), is personified. Justice to these pagans was represented as a goddess, the daughter of Jupiter. It was her office to take vengeance or to inflict punishment for crimes. As such, they believed that the goddess, Justice, had rendered judgment and executed the criminal.

Life application: Though it may seem a bit superstitious to accept that the snake was a retributive punishment for some supposed crime of Paul, Jesus let those of Israel know that this thought is not entirely unfounded. In Matthew 5, while speaking to the people of Israel, we read His words, saying –

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.” Matthew 5:21, 22

And again –

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:27, 28

One of the points of Jesus’ words is that God’s standard of measurement includes the thoughts and intents of the heart. If we are honest with ourselves, there isn’t one of us who has been perfect in such matters. Therefore, the standard of justice that God demands because of His own personal perfection has been violated. Because of this, we all are under a death sentence.

This doesn’t mean that we can expect a viper to come out and bite us, but it does mean that we can expect to be eternally separated from God for the corruption that exists within us. And more, we should accept that because of our corrupt state, we will have the resulting corruption of the world that surrounds us to afflict us at any given time.

Paul speaks of this in Romans. The perfect creation that God made was marred when man sinned. Now, the very forces of nature and the creatures in the world work against us at times. Time, along with the decay within us, also works against us, wearing us down. Our golden years are really not so golden, and death is only a heartbeat away.

Though we do not have to look at every catastrophe or accident as the hand of God actively working against us, looking to bring justice upon us, we can still know that this world is constructed in the way it is because of sin. And, therefore, we can expect bad things to happen at any given time.

Let us remember, however, that for those who are redeemed through Jesus, we have the expectation of a life that will be far more glorious than we can ever imagine. When we are removed once and forever from the presence of sin, things will be restored to a state that we cannot even conceive at this time. This is our great hope, and it has all been provided because of the goodness of God that is found in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lord God, may we hold fast to the hope set before us. Even in this terrible world of chaos and disaster, we see enough of the beauty and harmony of Your loving hand to assure us that something far better lies ahead for Your people. We know this is so and we long for that glorious day. Until then, may we never fail to praise You for Your goodness! Amen.

Buffalo, one each, Wyoming Capitol.

Monday, 3 June 2024 

But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. Acts 28:3

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, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

The Greek more closely reads, “And Paul, having bundled a multitude of kindling, and having laid upon the pyre, a viper – having come from the heat – seized his hand” (CG).

In the previous verse, the people on the island made a fire for the shipwrecked people because of the rain and cold. Now, Luke begins a short description of an unusual event concerning Paul. He begins with, “And Paul, having bundled a multitude of kindling.”

A couple of rare words are used here. The first is sustrephó, to gather or roll. It was seen in Matthew 17:22. This is the second and last use. Also, the word translated as kindling is found only here, phruganon. It signifies a dry stick for burning. Thus, a word like kindling, tinder, touchwood, etc. will suffice.

Those who argue for the other location being the spot of the shipwreck, as reviewed in the previous verse, note that there is no wood that grows on Malta. However, the word doesn’t specifically imply wood from a tree.

Rather, in the area of the shipwreck, there are shrubs which are used for this very purpose. There is no reason at all to assume that Paul wasn’t out gathering exactly this type of material or even driftwood that shows up on beaches all over the world.

Paul was making a bundle out of dried sticks he had found, gathering them together to bring for the fire. With that complete, Luke next says, “and having laid upon the pyre.”

It is the same word found in the previous verse, pura. It signifies a pile of burning fuel. This is its second and last use in the New Testament. Paul has bundled up a pile of sticks and brought them back, laying them on this bonfire. With that, Luke next records that “a viper – having come from the heat – seized his hand.”

This is the fifth and last use of echidna, or viper, in the New Testament. The other four verses were all quotes of John the Baptist or Jesus calling those who had come near them a “brood of vipers.” The word signifies a venomous snake of some sort. This viper is said to have seized Paul’s hand.

It is another unique word, kathaptó. It signifies to lay hold of, fasten onto, seize, etc. The snake probably felt the heat of the fire and darted to get away from it. As it did, it seized Paul’s hand and would have immediately started pumping its venom into him.

These words bring in another complication. There are no indigenous vipers on Malta. Therefore, the claim is that this is not the true spot of the shipwreck. However, Malta was sparsely populated then. It is heavily populated now.

On the barrier island of Siesta Key, Florida, until the 1970s, there were poisonous snakes everywhere. However, as the population grew, they were eradicated. It is now very rare to see them on the island. Where there were once rattlers in abundance, none remain. Where water moccasins once hung from mangroves in almost every location, they are rarely seen anymore.

As far as the words noting that the viper seized his hand, it never says he was bitten by the viper, but it is implied, especially by the words of the next verse.

Life application: There are snake handling churches throughout the southern US. Deadly rattlers are brought out and passed around the congregation. At times, someone will get bit. Sometimes a person will die from the bite.

This practice is based on the words of Mark 16:17, 18 –

“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸ they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

This is not sound practice. To actively drink poison or handle poisonous snakes is to test God in a way that is unnecessary. This account in Acts is the only time a snake is referred to in this manner in the Bible. There is never a time that it is recorded that someone drinks poison.

Until the Lord comes for His people, every person who has lived since His first coming has died or will die. There are innumerable ways to die. To assume that God is going to protect a person every time he picks up a poisonous snake or drinks something poisonous is, therefore, ridiculous. There is no need to test God in such ways. Instead, live your life safely, carefully, and with clear thinking. This will generally increase your lifespan. Snake handling… not so much.

Lord God, help us to think clearly about how we conduct our lives in Your presence. There are things that we can do that may not be so smart. Rather, just because we can drive a car really fast, it doesn’t mean that we should do so. Instead, may we live our lives circumspectly, doing things that are reasonable and prudent all our days. Amen.

Indian headdress. Wyoming Capitol.

Sunday, 2 June 2024 

And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. Acts 28:2

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, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

A more literal translation, even if a tad clunky, is, “And the barbarians offered not the ordinary philanthropy to us. For having kindled a pyre, they received all of us through the rain that had come and through the cold.” (CG).

The previous verse, which began the chapter, noted that those shipwrecked discovered that they had come to an island called Malta. Now, the words continue with, “And the barbarians.” The word is barbaros, barbarians. It doesn’t mean the same thing we think of today, meaning an uncivilized group of people or a backward culture.

Rather it indicates a foreigner who speaks neither Greek nor Latin. The NKJV “natives” is technically correct, but that is because they are on an island belonging to these people and translating it “foreigners” wouldn’t make sense. Rather, those who are shipwrecked are the foreigners. Therefore, to keep the idea literal while not being confusing, simply translating this as barbarians is a sound option.

The term itself, barbaros, is of uncertain origin, but it is probably onomatopoeic for “unintelligible sounds.” As they didn’t speak one of the common languages, those who heard them speak might say it sounds like “bar bar.” Of these oddly speaking people, it next says that they “offered not the ordinary philanthropy to us.”

The Greek word translated as philanthropy is a transliteration of the Greek philanthrópia. It is derived from philos, an experience-based love, and anthrópos, man. Thus, it signifies love of mankind and, hence, benevolence. It is used here and one more time in Titus 3:4 when speaking of the love of Christ for mankind. This extra kindness they showed those shipwrecked is noted by Luke, saying, “For having kindled a fire, they received all of us.”

Here is a new word, pura. It signifies a fire or a pile of burning fuel. Hence, it is a fire. It will be used in this and the next verse. One can see the etymological connection to our modern word pyre. The natives saw that the people were wet and probably quite chilled to the bone. And so, they got a fire going and began to tend to their needs accordingly. This tending to them was “through the rain that had come and through the cold.”

The word dia literally means through, as in the diameter of a circle being a line through it. Hence, it can be paraphrased as “because of” or “on account of.” As for the rain itself, the verb is a perfect participle. It had started to rain and that continued on as Luke’s description is presented. This continuous rain, along with the cold, would have made the soaked shipwreckees very cold, even to the point of hypothermia.

Some commentaries, probably to take up space or for some other strange reason, focus on the rain. As it wasn’t mentioned before, it is claimed that the rain must have just started. However, being a perfect participle, this is not a sound analysis. But more, anyone who has been in a hurricane or similar type of storm is fully aware that the rains come and go continually.

The fact is that the people were wet, and they were cold. With the continued rain, that wouldn’t change. There is no reason to go beyond this. The natives were hospitable, and they took care of the needs of their fellow men.

A little more history about the Malta of our current day is that it was colonized by the ancient Phoenicians/Canaanites who spoke a variation of the ancient Canaanite/Semitic tongue. There is a relation between today’s Maltese and the Lebanese dialect of Arabic.

Maltese is unique in that it is a Semitic tongue written with a Latin alphabet. It is the only Semitic-speaking nation in the European Union. It is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic. It was temporarily conquered by the Muslims, but soon re-conquered by the Crusaders.

The language and the people are related to the Phoenicians of Hiram, friend of David. Those Phoenicians who remained in Lebanon became the Maronite Catholics, who were the only Arab group friendly toward the Jews. Hiram was a friend of David. Likewise, the Maltese remained Christian, though speaking a cognate of Arabic. The closeness of the island to North Africa would have helped the continuance of speaking in this tongue.

Several key historical points are – Eighty-eight percent of Maltese speak English, as well as their native tongue. The Crusaders were the ones to drive off the Muslims. The Turks were destroyed on Malta. Napoleon besieged the place. Though they resisted British rule, they refused to surrender to the Nazis.

Life application: Malta is an island that identifies with Roman Catholicism. However, like the majority of adherents to this denomination, they have no personal relationship with Jesus. They have been deluded into the belief that by adhering to Roman Catholicism, they are heaven bound.

The same sentiment is found wherever this aberrant doctrine is taught. Like the belief of most Jews, Catholics live for this world and let their religious leaders worry about their afterlife, trusting that what they have been taught is all they need.

However, without a personal belief in the gospel, there will be no salvation for them. The pope himself mentions the words “the gospel” continuously. It is hard to find a formal or informal speech by him that does not include those words. And yet, it is likely he has no idea what the gospel of Jesus Christ is. His “gospel” is doing good works in order to somehow make God happy.

If the pope has not trusted the simple gospel of Jesus as it is laid out in Scripture, he is no closer to God than the most pagan person on the planet. Malta needs the good news in a desperate way. Be sure to include them in your prayers today, asking the Lord to direct faithful Christians who are excited about sharing the gospel to do so on Malta.

Lord God Almighty, today we lift up the people of Malta who have been deceived that they are secure and heaven bound because of adherence to the Roman Catholic Church. May their hearts be softened and may their eyes be opened to their need for Jesus. And may an explosion of desiring to know You and Your word come about among them. To Your glory, we pray. Amen.