This week we read Acts 7:44 to Acts 10:48. There seemingly are questions that will come up almost every day that will require a search of the cross references in your reference Bible and reading the notes in your Study Bible and even reading articles in a Bible Dictionary. Even then you might not be satisfied with your answers. But keep in mind that the church is still in its infancy. Old prejudices had to be overcome for the church to grow and the Gospel to be proclaimed in all the world. An Internet site that has a large number of commentaries, dictionaries, and other Bible study helps is studylight.org most are public domain but not all. They also have various translations available.
Some questions you might consider or that might come up in discussion groups:
Acts 7:53 What did ‘angels’ have to do with the giving of the Law? (Acts 7:38; Gal 3:19; Heb 2:2)
Acts 7:59 If the Roman government reserved the use of capital punishment for themselves (Jn 18:31) how did they get away with stoning Stephen?
Acts 8:12-13 Was Simon saved?
Acts 8:15 Why did the Samaritan’s not receive the Holy Spirit when they believed and were baptized?
Acts 9:7 Is there a conflict between the various accounts of Paul’s conversion experience? (Acts 22:6-11; Acts 26:12-18) see also John 12:28-30.
Just a couple of additional comments on this week’s reading. In Acts 8:26-40 we have the account of Philip explaining the Scriptures to an Ethiopian eunuch. The Ethiopia in this verse is not the same as the country of Ethiopia today. It was located just south of Egypt and in the Old Testament it was known as Cush. It is also known as Nubia. The Nubians controlled Egypt in the 25th Egyptian Dynasty and were known as the Black Pharaohs. This unnamed official is said to be a ‘eunuch.’ The Greek word used here is eunouchos and generally means a male that has been castrated. Some apply the term to government officials, but Luke uses a term meaning ‘high official’ in the same so we should probably accept it literally. The Law found in Dt 23:1 would have prevented this eunuch from fully participating in Jewish worship. The only book that held out hope for a eunuch was Isaiah, see Isa. 56:3. No doubt this was his favorite O.T. book and possibly why he was so interested in the passage he was reading.
We read of Saul’s conversion and his early preaching experiences and are told his life is threatened and he escapes by being lowered in a basket through a wall in the city of Damascus. The Greek term for this basket is the same as the basket used to take up the leftovers when Jesus fed the 4,000 plus in Mt 15:37.
Finally, we read of Peter raising a woman from the dead in Joppa and then staying with a man named Simon whose occupation was a tanner. It’s amazing the change that has come over Peter. Tanning was not thought of as a good occupation. Their shops had to be located outside of town and generally along the coast lines. They were known for the odors emanating from the shops. Reading about the tanning process is interesting. Some Bible Dictionaries have good articles on the occupation of tanner, others have little treatment or none at all. The New Bible Dictionary 3rd edition 1996 discusses the process at length. Also, the 1915-39 edition of the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia which is available free on the Internet at internationalstandardbible.com or the web site mentioned above has a pretty good article on tanner. The Church Library has the more recent ISBE but the article, while good, does not describe the process as thoroughly as the older edition.
As you meditate on these Scriptures this week, think of all the cultural hurdles that were being crossed to carry the Gospel message. What cultural hurdles do we need to cross today?
Some questions you might consider or that might come up in discussion groups:
Acts 7:53 What did ‘angels’ have to do with the giving of the Law? (Acts 7:38; Gal 3:19; Heb 2:2)
Acts 7:59 If the Roman government reserved the use of capital punishment for themselves (Jn 18:31) how did they get away with stoning Stephen?
Acts 8:12-13 Was Simon saved?
Acts 8:15 Why did the Samaritan’s not receive the Holy Spirit when they believed and were baptized?
Acts 9:7 Is there a conflict between the various accounts of Paul’s conversion experience? (Acts 22:6-11; Acts 26:12-18) see also John 12:28-30.
Just a couple of additional comments on this week’s reading. In Acts 8:26-40 we have the account of Philip explaining the Scriptures to an Ethiopian eunuch. The Ethiopia in this verse is not the same as the country of Ethiopia today. It was located just south of Egypt and in the Old Testament it was known as Cush. It is also known as Nubia. The Nubians controlled Egypt in the 25th Egyptian Dynasty and were known as the Black Pharaohs. This unnamed official is said to be a ‘eunuch.’ The Greek word used here is eunouchos and generally means a male that has been castrated. Some apply the term to government officials, but Luke uses a term meaning ‘high official’ in the same so we should probably accept it literally. The Law found in Dt 23:1 would have prevented this eunuch from fully participating in Jewish worship. The only book that held out hope for a eunuch was Isaiah, see Isa. 56:3. No doubt this was his favorite O.T. book and possibly why he was so interested in the passage he was reading.
We read of Saul’s conversion and his early preaching experiences and are told his life is threatened and he escapes by being lowered in a basket through a wall in the city of Damascus. The Greek term for this basket is the same as the basket used to take up the leftovers when Jesus fed the 4,000 plus in Mt 15:37.
Finally, we read of Peter raising a woman from the dead in Joppa and then staying with a man named Simon whose occupation was a tanner. It’s amazing the change that has come over Peter. Tanning was not thought of as a good occupation. Their shops had to be located outside of town and generally along the coast lines. They were known for the odors emanating from the shops. Reading about the tanning process is interesting. Some Bible Dictionaries have good articles on the occupation of tanner, others have little treatment or none at all. The New Bible Dictionary 3rd edition 1996 discusses the process at length. Also, the 1915-39 edition of the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia which is available free on the Internet at internationalstandardbible.com or the web site mentioned above has a pretty good article on tanner. The Church Library has the more recent ISBE but the article, while good, does not describe the process as thoroughly as the older edition.
As you meditate on these Scriptures this week, think of all the cultural hurdles that were being crossed to carry the Gospel message. What cultural hurdles do we need to cross today?
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