Bible Studies In The Word of God

ACTS 17

 

Verse 1. Amphipolis and Apollonia were cities in Macedonia, but Paul did not pause for any work until he  reached Thessalonica, another Macedonian city. The existence of a synagogue made it desirable to stop in this place.

Verse 2. Three sabbath days. The Jews would be engaged in their regular occupations through the week, and
on the sabbath days they would as-
semble to hear the reading of the
Scriptures. Paul based his reasoning
,on things written in that very book.

Verse 3. Thayer defines opening as
follows: “To explain, expound,” and
alleging is virtually the same, except
that it is a somewhat clo-ser applica-
tion of the statements inthe Old Testa-
ment. Paul showed these Jews that
their own Scriptures set forth the doc-
trine that he was giving them, namely,
the death and resurrection of Jesus
(Psalms 16: 8-10). Having proved by
their own sacred writings that Jesus
was to fulfill such predictions, he de-
clared Him to be the Christ.

Verse 4. Consorted means they asso-
ciated with Paul and Silas because
they believed their teaching. The de-
'vout Greeks were the ones religiously
inclined, and chief women were the
leading persons among the female sex.
Verse 5. The original for lewd is
defined “bad” and baser sort means
the loafers around the markets. Such
characters would be inclined toward
the kind of service these envious Jews
needed in their wicked plots. Paul and
Silas were staying in the house of
Jason (verse 7), but at the present
time were not “at home.”

Verse 6. Being disappointed at not
finding the preachers, they to-ok their
spite out on Jason and other brethren
by forcing them before the rulers of
the city. Turned the world upside
down was a reference to the success
accomplished by Paul’s preaching.  

Verse 7. Whom Jason hath, received
was said as explanation for having
him now in the presence of the rulers.
Do contrary to the decree of Caesar
was a false charge. Paul always taught
obedience to the laws of the land, but
he did not agree with the contentions
of the Jews about the law of Moses.

Verse 8. The rulers owed their ofil-
cial position to Caesar, and did not
want any condition to arise that might
endanger their place in the public
affairs. That is why the report of the
envious Jews troubled them and the
people.

Verse 9. Taken security denotes that
they either required a deposit of
money, or found some responsible per-
son to stand good for their conduct
toward the laws of the land. Such an
arrangement would satisfy Caesar
should he hear about the commotion
in one of his provinces in Macedonia.

 

Verse 10. When Paul was chased
from one city to another he continued
his work for Christ. Berea was an-
other city of. Macedonia and contained
a synagogue.

Verse 11. Noble is from eugenes and
it means of better breeding; more
highly cultured. Such a character
caused them to be more reasonable
in their attitude toward the preaching
of Paul  Silas. Instead of attack-
ing them enviously, they investigated
their claims by reading up on the sub-
ject. If the preachers made an argu-
ment based on the statements of the
Old Testament, the Bereans looked into
the book to see if they were telling
the truth: that was fair for both
speaker and hearer.

Verse 12. Finding that Paul was
giving them the truth, many were
made believers. Honorable is from
EUsoHEMoN which Thayer defines, “of
good standing, honorable, influential,
wealthy, respectable.” All classes need
and are offered the benefits of the
Gospel, but it is well to know that it
found those who accepted it among
the high ranks of society as well as
the lower classes.

Verse 13. The envy of the Jews knew
no bounds, so when they heard of the
work of the Gospel at Berea they pur-
sued the preachers there. Stirred up
the people means they worked up a
sentiment against Paul which cut off
further opportunity for his work there.

Verse 14. The feeling seemed to be
more sharp against Paul than against
Silas and Timotheus, so that he was
induced to leave for other parts leav-
ing them for the present.

Verse 15. An escort of brethren went
with Paul on his sea voyage until they
came to Athens, which was the chief
city of Greece, the province joining
Macedonia on the south. From there
they returned to Berea, taking back
with them an order for Silas and
Timotheus to come to Paul as soon as
possible.

Verse 16. Paul could not wait until
Silas and Timotheus came to him
when he saw the conditions. Given to
idolatry is rendered “full of idols” in
the margin, which is correct as may be
seen by other verses in this chapter.

Verse 17. Therefore is not a conclu-
sion from the preceding verse because
the synagogue was a meeting place of
the Jews who were not idolaters. But
the people in the market were a mixed
group and contained , idolaters. The
verse means that Paul followed his
usual practice of preaching the Gospel,
first in the synagogue where he could
meet the Jews, then in any other place
where he could find some hearers.

Verse 18. Athens was the chief city
of Greece and the seat of learning and
civilization for that province. Hence
Paul would encounter various classes
of citizens whose ears were alert for
any literary or philosophical subject
that might be introduced. The Epi-
cureans were a class founded by Epi-
curus, who taught that fieshly plea-
sure should be the chief purpose of
man on earth. The theory of the
Stoicks was almost opposite of the
Epicureans, but it was based chiefly
on the supposed importance of philoso-
phy. It is easy to see why both these
groups would criticize the Gospel
which seeks to find true pleasure in
humble devotion to the risen Lord.

Verse 19. Areopagus and Mars’ hill
(verse 22) were names for the same
place, which was the highest court in
Athens in the days ofthe apostles. Not
only were criminal cases tried in this
court, but also any subject thought to
affect the public welfare.

Verse 20. Thus far there was noth-
ing particularly objectionable to the
Athenians in the teaching of Paul, but
he had raised their curiosity by intro-
ducing a new subject, or one that was
strange which means an outside or
unknown (to them) matter. They told
him they wished to know what it all
meant.

Verse 21. The inspired writer throws
in this verse by way of explanation of
the curious inquiry of the people.
Nothing was as exciting to them as
the prospect of hearing something that
had not been told them before. It will
develop that what Paul had to offer
the Athenians was new to them, but
yet did not meet their demands that it
must be something new along the lines
of philosophy.

Verse 22. Paul was invited to speak
before this highest court in Athens.
His audience was composed of idola-
ters and various classes of philoso-
phers and Greek statesmen. His intro-
duction was not intended as a criticism
but rather a friendly comment. The
adverb too is not justified by the Greek
original, for it does not have any
separate word in the Greek at this
place. It is a part of the original for
superstitious, so the phrase too super-
stitious should be rendered “very religious.” This extensive religious atti-

tude was indicated by the presence of
so many idols or altars. (See verse16.)

Verse 23. Paul had not seen them
engaging in their idolatrous services.
Devotions is from SEBASBIA which
Thayer defines, “whatever is relig-
iously honored, an object of worship.”
An altar was an elevated place on
which to offer sacrifices. Among the
places Paul saw was one that had an
inscription written upon it which read
to the unknown god. The occasion for
such an altar is explained by Horne,
Introduction, Volume 1, Page 90, as
follows: “The Athenians, being afflicted
with a pestilence, invited Epimenides
to lustrate [purify with sacrifice] their
city. The method adopted by him was,
to carry several sheep to the Areo-
pagus, whence they were left to wan-
der as they pleased, under the obser-
vation of persons to attend them. As
each sheep lay down, it was sacrificed
on the spot to the propitious [gracious]
God. By this ceremony, it is said, the
deity was satisfied; but as it was still
unknown what deity was gracious, an
altar was erected to the unknown God
on every spot where a sheep had been
sacrificed.” It is not known just what
actually took place, but since all bless-
ings come from the true God, if any
miraculous cure was bestowed upon
the community, it was through the
goodness of Him; hence the Athenians
ignorantly gave the credit for their
great blessing to the right One, whose
existence and power Paul declared
unto them. These idolaters actually
did worship the true God though
ignorantly. (See the note at Matthew
2:2 on worship.)

Verse 24. The God who made every-
thing in the universe could not be ex-
pected to dwell (be confined) in man-
made temples, and certainly not in as
small and lifeless a thing as analtar
of earth or stone, such as the Athen-
ians had erected for the purpose.

Verse 25. The Athenians offered
their worship to God in connection
with a supposed case of healing, hence
Paul selected a word from their vo-
cabulary that pertains to the art of
medicine and healing. Worship in this
passage is from T1~11e:nArr:Uo which
Thayer defines, “to heal, cure, restore
to health.” The word also means “to
serve,” but Paul used it in the first
sense because the Athenians were wor-
shiping God (unknowingly) in con-
nection with their experience in the
healing of the epidemic. Since God
is the source of all the creatures of life
and health, it would be foolish for
such to think they could grant healing
to Him through the works- of their
hands.

Verse 26. One blood. The Lord said
that the blood is the life of all flesh
(Leviticus 17: 14), and God is the
creator of all flesh. The conclusion is
that all life originated with Him, there-
fore it is foolish t-o think that he can
be represented by objects made of
metal or stone. Determined the times
before appointed. Not that the moral
conduct of man has been predetermined
by the Lord regardless of his own will,
for that would rule out any human
responsibility. But the statement just
means that the universe did not come
“by chance,” but was the intelligent
work of God, who did set a boundary
to the habitation of man which is the
face of the earth.

Verse 27. This restricted location
for man’s habitation away from the
visible presence of God made it neces-
sary that they seek the Lord. If haply,
etc., is said in the sense as if it said,
“with the intent that man would seek
or feel after the invisible God and
succeed in finding Him through the
evidence shown in chapter 14: 17.”

Verse 28. If we live in Him with all
our activities of life, it follows that He
is greater than any of us or anything
that we can make, which is another
argument against man-made images of
God. Making reference to their own
heathen poets was good psychology.
They would be bound to accept their
own authors, and finding that they
taught the same things as Paul, it
would incline them to think favorably
of the statements of the apostle. Chief
of the quotations was the one that
spoke of man as the offspring of God.

Verse 29. It would be inconsistent
to think that living, intelligent beings
like men could be the offspring of a
God who was represented by objects
made -of stone or metal.

Verse 30. Winkcd at is from Hurra-
1-:IooN which Thayer defines, “to over-
look, take no notice of, not attend to.”
The heathen in times past did not
have the complete information that
was to be given the whole world
through the Gospel, hence God did not
hold them to strict account. That
leniency was to end with the period of
the law of Christ, and all men were
then required to come to repentance.
(See 2 Peter 3: 9.)

 

Verse 31. Appointed 1 day but not
a “date.” If God has predetermined
just when the judgment day is come,
it must be learned from some passage
other than this one. It means only
that God has made an appointment
with the risen One to be the judge of
the people of the world whenever the
proper day arrives. By raising Jesus
from the dead, God not only proved
that He issable to manage “all things
after the counsel of his own will”
(Ephesians 1: 11), but gave notice that
all must meet the risen Jesus as the
Judge.

Verse 32. The Athenians were in-
terested in philosophical subjects only,
as they regarded them, and the resur-
rection from the dead did not come
under that classification in their esti-
mation. Some of them made fun of the
matter, but others were a little more
polite and promised to give it their
attention at some other time.

Verse 33. Paul did not take their
promise seriously, but departed from
the court and went elsewhere in the
city.

Verse 34. The preaching of Paul was
not an entire failure as to results, for
one member of the Aeropagite court
became a believer, also some private
persons.