Luke the beloved physician wrote, “when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, You men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on. Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and you that fear God, give audience. The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it”, and in chapter thirteen and verse eighteen of the book of Acts Luke shared how Paul said, “about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness” where we read:
And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.
The verse begins, “And about the time of forty years ...” Luke began with the words, “and about the time” which means “and around and according to the space or interval of time” “of forty years” or “pertaining to forty years passing”. Luke shared how “Paul” referred to the “forty years” in which the people of Israel wandered in the wilderness after their deliverance from “Egypt”.
The verse goes on to say, “... suffered he their manners in the wilderness.” Luke continued with the words, “suffered he their manners” which means “God endured and bore the character and habits of the people of Israel” “in the wilderness” or “within the solitary, lonely, desolate and uninhabited desert place”. Luke shared how God “endured” the “habits and character” of the people of Israel as they wandered in the “wilderness”.
When we meditate upon Luke's words in this verse, we discover how “Paul” referred to the way “God” endured the “habits and character” of the people of Israel as they wander through the “desert wilderness” for “forty years”. Step by step “Paul” was recounting the experience of the people of Israel, and he is leading the people within the “synagogue” toward the purpose and reason God sent His Son Jesus to die for theirs sins. Each story and step along the way was employed by God to redeem mankind from their sins, and as “Paul” brings these people along with his words, let everyone who carefully examines what he has to say realize God's deliberate intention to bring them to His “saving grace” which will forgive their sins and grant them everlasting life by believing and trusting in His Son Jesus.
Next time Luke shares how Paul refers to when God, “had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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