13 v. 6-11 False doctrine and practice is not to be tolerated. The fellowship in Christ is more important than family loyalties in this respect. Matthew 10:37 The family of Korah understood this so the sons of Korah did not perish in the uprising at that time Numbers 26:11

14:21 That Israel were not to eat of that which 'dieth of itself' is seen in the following passage. Leviticus 7:24 22:8 Defilement follows from such activity. The spiritual lesson is that death is the punishment for sin. Not that the animals have sinned but they are all suffering change that came over creation as a consequence of Adam's transgression. Therefore to eat such flesh is to associate oneself with the dying nature of creation.

13:12-17 Idol worship was a total abhorrence to the Lord. Therefore those who harboured the idol worshippers and those who taught error were to be punished along with those who were in error. This is rather like the way in which the whole nation rose up against Gibeah of Benjamin (Judges 20:9)

14:3-20 This detailed list of clean and unclean things given to instruct Israel as to what they could and could not eat develops the instructions of Leviticus 11. As Leviticus 11 was spoken at Sinai many standing listening to Moses at this time would not have been old enough to understand what was said at Sinai. The laws were not primarily to preserve health. Rather they were to teach holiness (14:2)

ch 13 -The whole focus of this chapter is the removal of idol worship. It starts first with the prophets and then the family. There would be no point in ridding the land of the idol worshipping inhabitants if the nation of Israel was not already clear of idol worship itself.

14:21 Whilst Israel could not eat of 'that which dieth of itself' it could be given to the 'stranger' which demonstrates that the law is not primarily concerned with health matters. The prohibition was to mark the point that the nation of Israel was 'holy' - the 'stranger' and the 'alien' were not holy.

13:1 When John told the brethren to 'try the spirits'  (, 1John 4:1) he was advising the implementation of the principle laid down in this chapter. Just because someone claimed to be 'of God' was - and still is not - a guarantee of their veracity. We have a responsibility to asses, against Scripture, the validity of their words.

14:2 The reason for the constraints put upon Israel - 'thou art ... a peculiar people' shows that the restrictions are not a punishment but the consequence of a privilege. We should appreciate this in our walk in Christ.

13:2-3    Israel had seen amazing things in Egypt. The magicians had been able to deceive Pharaoh into thinking that they had special powers. Israel are now warned that even if someone can make predictions that is not a sufficient reason to believe what they say. The acid test is to be found in what they say. Therefore the people were not only to listen to word which were the sign but they were also to measure the words against what Scripture taught.  Each individual had that responsibility.  Today it is all too easy to be deceived by words. We must always measure the words of teachers against the background of Scripture. John says ‘try the spirits’ –1John 4:1.

13:4 Worship requires activity – therefore Israel were to ‘walk’ – 1Kin 6:12, Hos 14:9, Eph 2:10

14:2    The idea of Israel being a ‘peculiar people’ is developed in the New Testament to show that we, likewise, are special to God – Titus 2:14, 1Pet 2:9.

14:23 Fearing God – that is having respect for Him – does not come naturally. It is learnt by keeping His commandments. It follows, therefore, that the more diligent we are in trying to understand and practice the principles of the gospel the better will be our understanding of and respect for our Father.

13:1-5  As in the case of natural Israel, so it is in the case of spiritual Israel. Christendom has been led astray by false prophets who will suffer the same condemnation as any prophet in natural Israel (Gal 1:8; Rev 19:20).

13  Israel had, by and large, been isolated from the insidious effects of people around them with different beliefs. However they were now to move into a totally different environment. The warnings of this chapter served to highlight the potential problem of individuals among them being influenced by the nations living in Canaan.

Eyesight is a wonderful gift from God. The Preacher says (Ecc 6:9) that it is better to see than to dream. Perhaps he had far more lofty ideas in his head when he wrote this, but just taking it on face value we should always treasure our eyesight.

6:11 Isn’t it so true that there are many things that increase vanity. As I write this Christmas approaches – and we are assailed on all sides by tempting adverts. But, when compared with the good news of the kingdom the things we are encouraged to desire are all empty and fruitless.

6:3-4 A large family, in Israel, was seen as a blessing. However it must be coupled with a Godly upbringing and Divine blessing. The children, in themselves, are not sufficient. God has to be involved in that person’s life.

6:7   The sentiments of this verse reflect the words of  Prov 16:27

6:10-12 The use of the word ‘man’ here clouds the force of the point. The word translated ‘man’ is actually the word translated ‘Adam’ in Gen 2:7. Adam was given charge over creation but, through desire, lost it all. Thus Solomon is highlighting this point showing that now Adam’s life was full of vanity.

6:12 Here we come across another use of ‘all the days’ echoing Deut 12:31. Israel should serve God ‘all the days’ of their lives but instead they were tempted to be involved in ‘vanity’ – things of no profit ‘all the days’. What about ourselves?

3 v.15 When Peter and John assert that the Jews have killed Jesus he is not simply condemning them.  Rather he is wishing to cause them to appreciate their sins in order that they can repent.  Consider Romans 3:23-24.  Unless we recognise our sinfulness then we cannot appreciate the forgiveness that is available through Christ. Acts 4:11 'The stone which the builders rejected' quotes Psalm 118:22.  The use of Psalm 118 reflects Jesus' use of that Psalm when speaking to the same people as Peter and John.  During the last week of his life, only a few weeks earlier, Jesus used the Psalm to great effect, drawing on the expectations of the common people.
The use of Psalm 118 in the last week - a Passover Psalm
On the way in to Jerusalem Matthew 21:9-10 - Psalm 118:25-26 'Have ye never read?' Matthew 21:42 - Psalm 118:22 'Ye will not see me until...' Matthew 23:39 - Psalm 118:26

4 v.13 Consider what it must have been like to spend 40 days with the risen Jesus.  What is it like to be with a man you know is alive for ever.

ch 3 - We ought to realise that when Peter was preaching the resurrection of Jesus he was speaking only a few weeks after the tremendous events of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and he was speaking in the city where Jesus was killed to the men who actually did the deed.

4:21 So the leaders have not changed. They feared the people in the days of Jesus and now, after the resurrection, they are just the same. So whilst the disciples had been changed out of all recognition by the resurrection it had no impact on the Jewish leaders.

3:21 'restitution of all things' quotes their earlier comment (Mark 9:12) that they understood that Elijah was coming back but now they understand that Jesus will restore all things even though Elijah has a work to do.

4:13 In taking knowledge that the apostles had been with Jesus the understanding is that the leaders realised that they had been with the risen Jesus.

ch 4- As Jesus had forewarned in the Olivet Prophecy Peter and John were brought before the religious leaders. And Peter answered them vs 10-12; “Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”.

Why did Peter go on to quote Psa 118: in this way. Well is used a number of times in the N.T regarding their rejection of the Messiah, but it is used here I believe in connection with something Jesus himself had said to the Chief priests scribes and elders after he had spoken the parable of the wicked husbandmen. Jesus saith unto them, “Did ye never read in the scriptures, the stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder”.

Here is a clear reference to the present and later rejection of the word of God. Were any of these religious leaders there when Jesus spoke those words? Well we don’t know for sure from their response. It didn’t seem that they had immediately caught on to what he was saying but what I believe is certain both Peter and John remembered and had in mind what Jesus had said at the end of that parable and the salvation they had in mind wasn’t just related to eternal life but their deliverance from God's destructive judgments coming upon the nation.

3:25 The use ofv Gen 12:3 is the first time any of the disciples have given any indication that they see the gentiles being involved in the gospel message of salvation - we are doubtless aware that this same verse from  Gen 12:3 is used elsewhere in Scripture (Rom 4:17) to make just this point.

4:4 When Jesus fed the 5,000 he later reproved them for only seeking him because of the 'loaves and fishes' (John 6:26) but now we see the same number baptized!

3:25 The use ofv Gen 12:3 is the first time any of the disciples have given any indication that they see the gentiles being involved in the gospel message of salvation - we are doubtless aware that this same verse from  Gen 12:3 is used elsewhere in Scripture (Rom 4:17) to make just this point.

4:4 When Jesus fed the 5,000 he later reproved them for only seeking him because of the 'loaves and fishes' (John 6:26)(John 6:26) but now we see the same number baptized!

3:8  That the man who had been lame was ‘leaping up’ is a fulfillment of Isa 35:6

4:25  Notice the mention of ‘David’ try to be alert to the number of times that David is mentioned in Acts. This demonstrates that things about david are relevant to the Christian gospel.

3:16 In speaking of ‘Jesus Christ’ Peter is the first after the resurrection of Jesus to use the name and title together. This is why Jesus was born – to be the saviour as highlighted at his birth – Matt 1:18 etc:

 3:5 Luke had no way of knowing what went through the man's mind, but, in stating this, he shows us a deep insight into human character. This remark tells us something of the character of Luke. He was a great lover of people, and he was also capable of providing a life like character sketch.

3:12,14            ‘holiness’ and ‘Holy One’ highlights the emphasis that the disciples put on where the power to heal came from. It was not from their own status, but from him who had been raised from the dead.

 

3:2	Lame	Isa 35:6
3:8	leaping up	Isa 35:6
3:12	Holiness	Isa 35:3

3:17 The ‘ignorance’ was quite specifically ignorance of the teaching of the prophets about Messiah. The message of Messiah was ‘hidden’ but was now revealed in Jesus - 1Cor 2:9  - the preaching of the apostles was now making the message clear and it was the responsibility of the Jewish hearers to accept the message.