Acts 27:6

Well, until obama took office.

Tuesday, 23 April 2024

There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and he put us on board. Acts 27:6

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 precisely, it reads, “And there, the centurion having found a ship of Alexandria sailing to Italy, he placed us in it” (CG).

Having arrived in Myra of Lycia in the previous verse, it now says, “And there, the centurion.”

Luke had previously given the name of the centurion, Julius. However, he now reverts to using his official rank rather than his name. His identification was established, but it is appropriate to the narrative that Luke refers to him according to his capacity and rank as a soldier. Of him, Luke next says, “having found a ship of Alexandria.”

An Alexandrian ship most probably means a large container ship which was used to transport wheat from Alexandria to Rome, which was a regular occurrence during this period. As it is out of a direct route for this, the thought is that it was caught up in the same contrary winds that necessitated the ship Paul and Luke were on to also travel under the lee of Cyprus.

However, Ellicott notes, “A local inscription describes Myra as a ‘horrea,’ or store-house of corn (Lewin’s St. Paul, ii. p. 187), and the Alexandrian ship may therefore have gone thither to discharge part of its cargo.” Either way, the ship was heading in the direction they were going, which was that it was “sailing to Italy.”

As has been previously noted, traveling at the time was not unlike taking a bus or plane now. Although we normally have tickets to our final destination, that is not always the case, especially if we are on a walkabout on the way to our final destination.

The final destination for the centurion and those he was conducting was Italy. Whatever ship would get them closer with each stop is the one they would take. In this case, the Alexandrian ship was going all the way there to drop off the remaining portion of its cargo. This would avoid changing ships again. Therefore, “he placed us in it.”

Here is another word found only once in the New Testament, embibazó. It is also found in the Greek Translation of Proverbs 4:11. It is a nautical term used concerning embarking men on board a ship, but it is also a medical term used to indicate “placing patients in a bath” (Pulpit). Again, we see Luke’s mastery of words and the connection between his medical experience and his knowledge of nautical terms as well.

Life application: As noted, the word embibazó is also found in Proverbs 4:11. There it says –

“I have taught you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in right paths.”

In Proverbs 4, Solomon is writing as a father to his children, giving them words of instruction. The Lord included these words in Scripture, indicating that the wisdom to be drawn from them is universal in its application. Every person in every culture and time will benefit from the words found there.

Today, the progressive mindset is to reject things written by various people groups, such as anything from a white person, saying such wisdom is biased and finds its roots entrenched in racism. This is taught in schools, government, and business alike.

Even though the Bible was received by people in the Middle East, because of its heavy influence upon the white people of the world, and because they have used it to evangelize people groups around the world, progressives treat the Bible as a book derived from a concept of white supremacy.

But this is nonsense, and deep down they know it is. The Bible clearly claims in Acts 17 that all people are derived from one man. Skin color is something that changes throughout regions of the world. It even changes in some people as their skin goes from black to white because of vitiligo.

Although rare, a couple with a certain skin color may have a child with a completely different skin color. These things don’t determine what a person is thinking or where he or she stands on a particular issue.

When it comes to the Bible, it is ultimately derived from God. Therefore, it is a book that exists as a manual for all people in order to conduct their lives in a manner that is right and pleasing to God. It is not a Jewish book, even if it was mostly Hebrew in its being transmitted and maintained.

It is not a Greek book, even if its concluding books were written in the Greek language. It is not a Western book, even if it was first accepted and most widely studied and passed on by Western societies after it was finally completed.

These ideas are incorrect. The Bible is a divinely inspired and God-centered book. It is that which brings about restoration between God and man. It is for this reason, not some other distractionary concept, that the progressives of the world hate it. They hate God, despising His moral character and being, and therefore, they hate the book that He has given to man.

Be aware of this when dealing with people who attack the Bible or the Christian portion of society. You need to address their disconnect between God and them first. Only after this is realized, will you have a chance to then correct them concerning their understanding of the importance of Scripture.

Lord God, the world is so at enmity with those who love You and who uphold Your word as the message from You. Help us to correct their thinking about You. Help us to be wise in how we approach others as they challenge You, Your word, and those who love You. May we be able to open eyes that are dulled over concerning their need to see clearly. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acts 26:7

War memorial. Wisconsin State Capitol.

Saturday, 23 March 2024

“To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. Acts 26:7

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).

In the previous verse, Paul said, “And now, upon a hope, the [promise] unto the fathers – a promise having been made by God – I have stood, being judged.” He now continues with that thought, beginning with, “To this promise our twelve tribes.”

The word promise is inserted. It is the hope Paul spoke of, which is the promise made by God and to which the twelve tribes of the Jews were directed. Before going on, it is of note that Paul’s words reflect one of several times in the New Testament which confirm, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that there are NO LOST TRIBES OF ISRAEL.

There are those of Israel who were lost, but of the tribes, there is no void. Paul, speaking many, many hundreds of years after the exile of Israel by Sennacherib, king of Assyria, notes the twelve tribes as existing and earnestly serving God. Members of almost all of the tribes are mentioned in Scripture after that exile, even in the New Testament. If there is one person left of a tribe, the tribe remains.

The word Paul uses that is translated as “twelve tribes” is found only once in Scripture, dódekaphulon. It comes from dódeka, twelve, and phulé, tribe. The other times the twelve tribes are mentioned, a variation using the word dódeka is used. Of these twelve tribes, Paul next says they were “earnestly serving God night and day.”

It is to the promise of the previous verse that these twelve tribes spent their time in this manner. The fact that this service was even conducted throughout the night is found in several places of Scripture, but Psalm 134 gives a clear enough witness to that fact –

“Behold, bless the Lord,
All you servants of the Lord,
Who by night stand in the house of the Lord!
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary,
And bless the Lord.
The Lord who made heaven and earth
Bless you from Zion!” Psalm 134

The word translated as “earnestly” is en ektenei. It is only found here in the New Testament. It indicates “in intensity.” This intense “serving” refers to the religious aspects of the Jewish nation, meaning the special worship that is derived from their Scriptures.

They conducted the required sacrifices, they observed the holy days, they participated in the pilgrim feasts, etc. The conduct of their lives was centered on this service and the purpose of it was that they had a “hope to attain” the promise through it.

The word translated as “attain” indicates arriving at a goal, a final end. Therefore, the promise must be more than just the resurrection, but what accompanies the resurrection. A resurrection to live forever in a white box would be an eternity of boredom. A resurrection to live forever on this earth in the state we are in would be an eternity of frustration. But a resurrection that allows man to behold the fullness of his infinite Creator as He ceaselessly reveals Himself to His creatures would be a resurrection of eternal wonder.

That is what the faithful of Israel looked forward to with intensity, and that is the promise that the twelve tribes hoped to attain. And Paul includes himself and his trial in that hope. As he says, “For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.”

Paul has inextricably tied the charges against him by the Jews to the very thing that the twelve tribes hoped for. He has avowed that Christ is risen from the dead, and therefore, his hope in Christ cannot be sedition if it is true. Rather than sedition, it is submission to the fulfillment of the promise. Being accused by the Jews is then an implicit slap in the face of his accusers. They have failed to realize the very thing that the nation had hoped and striven for.

Life application: When asked what their religion is, people around the world will normally respond in whatever manner they were raised in. Some will say, “I am a Muslim.” Others, “I am a Buddhist.” Still others, “I am a Christian.”

However, when asked what that means, many of them will have no idea. They were born into a culture that is directed by a particular religion and so that is what they claim. They may know some of the basic rites of the religion, along with some of the cultural things that they do along with their religion, but they really have no idea what their claim of Islam, Buddhism, or Christianity actually teaches.

But there is a simple fact to remember which is that a person who has not received Christ is not a Christian. His claim is merely a cultural or family identification. A Christian is a follower of Christ. That comes from knowing who He is and what He has done, accepting the premise through belief, and being sealed with the Holy Spirit as a promise that God has saved him.

When you go out to evangelize, and you ask the question, “What do you believe about God?” if you are given the answer, “Oh, I’m a Christian,” you might want to ask more questions just to be sure. Many people raised as “Christians” have no idea what it means to be a Christian. Don’t assume. Instead, give the simple gospel and ask if they believe that. It can make an eternity of difference in that person’s life.

Lord God, may we never assume that just because someone claims to be a Christian he actually is. Help us to remember to be clear and precise about what You have done. People need Jesus, not just a title that was bestowed upon them at birth. Help us to remember this as we speak to others. Amen.