GOD’S DIVINE PLAN FOR ISRAEL
Acts 3:24-26
For the last couple of weeks we have been dissecting Peter’s sermon at Solomon’s Colonnade. This is a fascinating message that is filled with amazing truths about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is important for me to remind you that this message was delivered to a Jewish audience. In this passage the Church is not in view, the Kingdom is.
In the closing verses of this chapter (and Peter’s sermon) we receive a history lesson concerning God’s chosen people. Peter references the Abrahamic Covenant, the Old Testament Prophets and the marvelous work of the Messiah.
As he has done in his entire sermon, he uses history and scripture to prove that Jesus is the Promised Messiah. He was the one sent from God, the fulfilment of the Covenants and the one spoken of by the Prophets. I would like to examine verses 24-26 and preach about “God’s Divine Plan For Israel”. As I side note, let me encourage you with the fact that God has a divine plan for us (the Church) as well.
As Peter stood at Solomon’s Colonnade and proclaimed these truths, he was not delivering a new message to the people of Israel. He was actually pointing out the fact that the prophecies of old had been fulfilled before their very eyes.
v24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.
Samuel was a servant of God who lived during the days of the judges of Israel. He was the man whom God used to warn Israel that they did not need a king. When the people refused to heed this warning, Samuel was the man that God used to anoint both Saul and David as king of Israel. Samuel did not specifically prophesy about Christ, but he was essential in the establishment of David’s kingdom. It would be through that royal line that the Messiah would come.
God’s prophets pointed to the arrival of God’s Messiah. The Jews that were present at Solomon’s Colonnade needed to understand that they were witnesses of the days that had been spoken of by the prophets of old.
v25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, 'And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'
This verse makes it clear that God is not finished with Israel. Don’t miss the fact that Peter refers to his audience as “the sons of the prophets”. These people were the descendants of Abraham. In verse 13 Peter says that Jesus had been glorified by “the God of OUR fathers; “the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob”. In verse 17 Peter refers to his audience as “brethren”. These men were indeed the “sons of the prophets” and heirs of the covenant promises.
Genesis 22:17-18 records the covenant that God made with Abraham. He said “…I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."
God reaffirmed this covenant with Isaac in - Genesis 26:2 Then the LORD appeared to him and said: "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. 4 And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed”
The Jews did not realize it, but Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham. He is the source of the blessings that God promised to the Jewish people. Paul referenced this fact in - Galatians 3:16 “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, "And to seeds," as of many, but as of one, "And to your Seed," who is Christ.”
Those who were gathered at Solomon’s Colonnade hearing the message of the Apostle Peter were the recipients of God’s promises; they were “the sons of the prophets”. God fulfilled His promise concerning the Abrahamic Covenant. He sent Christ who was the One in whom He would bless “all of the families of the earth”. The Messiah was a decedent of Abraham and just as God promised, He has blessed the world through Abraham’s “Seed”.
God chose Israel and sanctified them. He set them apart to be a holy nation that would teach the rest of the world about Him. They were to be the missionaries who introduced God’s Messiah to the other nations. Unfortunately, when the Messiah arrived, He was not what they were expecting and they despised Him, rejected Him and killed Him. Peter addresses this in - v26 To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities."
God “raised up His Servant Jesus” and sent Him first to the nation of Israel. Moses pointed to Christ in the Law and the Prophets spoke of His arrival for hundreds of years. In God’s perfect timing the Messiah was born of a virgin in Bethlehem. He grew up and in time He began His earthly ministry. He lived a perfect life, taught with power and authority, performed many miracles and changed countless lives. Jesus’ words and actions demonstrated the reality that He was the Promised One. God sent Him “to bless Israel in turning away every one of them from their iniquities”, but the Jews rejected Him.
As John said in his Gospel, “He came unto His own and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). Through His mercy, grace and patient longsuffering God had given the people of Israel ample opportunity to repent and receive Christ as the promised Messiah. Tragically, in unbelief and stubborn rebellion they refused to hear God’s message or believe in His Son.
We would love to think that the Nation of Israel responded accordingly to Peter’s message, but that is not the case. The following chapters chronicle the hardheartedness of Israel and the increasing persecution against God’s Apostles and the other members of the early Church. In fact, Peter’s message was interrupted by some of the religious leaders who were furious that the Apostles were preaching in the name of Jesus:
Acts 4:1 Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
While it is disturbing and disheartening that the majority of the Jews continued to reject Jesus as Messiah, it is also exciting and encouraging to read that “many of those who heard the word believed”. Many within this crowd heard the gospel and accepted the truth contained therein. They experienced all of the promises that Peter had shared in his address. They “repented”, they were “converted” and their sins were “blotted out”.
Even though Peter and John were arrested and taken before the authorities, the number of converts to Christ’s Church increased, Luke says that “the number of the men came to be about five thousand”. It is important to note that the emphasis in Peter’s message is on national repentance and restoration rather than individual. Furthermore, the context of these verses is speaking of the Kingdom, not the Church.
With that being said, we have become recipients of God’s mercy and grace and we have the opportunity to receive salvation in Christ. God certainly had a divine plan for Israel; and He still does! But as you continue to read Acts you will see the continual rejection of Jesus by the Jews and as a result a great door was opened for the Gentiles. This shows us that God has a divine plan for us as well.
It is important that we understand that God’s grace for the Gentile was not an afterthought, it was all part of His divine plan. Like the Jews in this passage, we must respond to the message we have received, the message of the Gospel. Those who “repent” and believe will be “converted” and our sins will be “blotted out”. We have the glorious opportunity to be a part of the Kingdom of God. On the other hand, those who refuse to surrender to Jesus will be “utterly destroyed”, they will face eternal condemnation in the lake of fire.
For this reason, it is essential that I again remind you of Peter’s plea to the Jews in verse 19. He said “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord”
Repentance was the proper response for those who were gathered at Solomon’s Colonnade; and repentance is the necessary response for us as well. When we hear the Gospel message and when we experience Holy Spirit conviction, the proper response is to repent of our sins and surrender to Jesus Christ. The Bible says that if you will repent, you will be “converted”.
The word converted is used throughout the New Testament to describe what happens when lost sinners turn to the Holy God. When people repent and are converted, their sins are “blotted out”. The same Jesus who was willing to forgive those who crucified Him, is willing and able to save you.
If you will repent and believe in Him then you can be converted; your sins will be washed away, and you can receive eternal life. I pray that you will hear, believe and respond accordingly to the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
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