The Suicide of a Disciple (Acts 1:16-20)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/6/2017 7:42 AM

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  The Suicide of a Disciple

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Acts 1:16-20

            Message of the verse:  “16 “Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 “For he was counted among us and received his share in this ministry." 18  (Now this man acquired a field with the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out. 19  And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20  "For it is written in the book of Psalms, ’LET HIS HOMESTEAD BE MADE DESOLATE, AND LET NO ONE DWELL IN IT’; and, ’LET ANOTHER MAN TAKE HIS OFFICE.’”

            The first thing that I want to write concerning this section and the next section which is “The selection of a Disciple” is that there is some disagreements over whether or not Peter should have done this at this time as Jesus said to wait for the Holy Spirit.  Some feel that Paul should be the one chosen to fill this spot of Judas.  Jesus spoke in Matthew 19:28 “And Jesus said to them, "Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”  John writes in the book of Revelation “And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”  In the winter quarter of our Sunday school class which began in December 1978 and went through January of 1979 the class I was in was studying the gospel John and then in the spring quarter we moved onto study the book of Acts and when we got to this section I learned that some people believe that Peter should have waited and not done what he did.  I have heard John MacArthur speak on this subject and he believes that Peter did the correct thing and so as we study this section we won’t bring this up again and just think that what Peter did was what the Spirit of God was leading him to do.  John MacArthur concludes in his first paragraph of this section “Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, acts to allay those doubts and avoid any possible quibbling over who would occupy the twelfth throne.”  The twelfth throne he is speaking of comes from the Matthew 19:28 the verse we quoted.

            Peter speaks of the “Scriptures” in verse twenty as Peter was already thinking of what the Scriptures stated concerning a replacement for Judas which as we will see comes from the book of Psalms.  Peter was not offering his own opinion on this subject but looking at the Old Testament Scripture to show that someone else must take the place of Judas.  There are many predictive portions from the Old Testament and every one of them has to be fulfilled.  Sometimes when we think about the section of the Old Testament that is called the Prophets and goes from the book of Isaiah all the way through the end of the Old Testament ending with the book of Malachi, and not everything that was written in these books was prophetic, but prophets in the Old Testament were also teachers too.  There are many prophecies found in the Old Testament that as yet have not been fulfilled, and many have been fulfilled.  Every prophecy written about Jesus first coming has been fulfilled, and every prophecy concerning His second coming will also be fulfilled too.  Bible prophecy has to be fulfilled just as it was written and so we come to the replacement of Judas which David wrote about in the Psalms and it too has to be fulfilled and Peter knew this as the Holy Spirit was the One who showed Peter this.  John MacArthur writes “God’s Word is true, and what He predicts must certainly come to pass.  In Psalm 115:3, the psalmist writes, ‘Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.’  God Himself adds in Isaiah 46:10, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure’ (cf. Josh. 23:14; 1 Kings 8:15, 20, 24).  Isaiah added that God’s word never returns empty but always accomplishes its purpose (55:11).

            Perhaps some of the others were wondering about what happened to Judas and remembering what Jesus said in Matthew 28:19 they may have been wondering how that was going to happen since Judas did what he did as Peter states he was “a guide to those who arrested Jesus.”  The Scripture that Peter was about to quote he states is that “which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David.  John MacArthur states that “No clearer description of inspiration can be found anywhere in Scripture.  The Bible was written when ‘men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God (2 Peter 1:21)…God’s word was being fulfilled.  Judas’s betrayal was, in fact, crucial to the plan of the Sovereign who predicted it in the Old Testament.”

            We will continue looking at this subject in our next SD.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Knowing that God has always been in control of what is going on here on planet earth gives comfort to me.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “Garden of Gethsemane” (Mark 14:32).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who commanded that Joseph’s cub be put in Benjamin’s bag?”

Answer in our next SD.

7/6/2017 8:23 AM