Atos 10
Kenneth Wuest · Citado em PreceptAustin
Atos 10
Wuest adds that the prefixed preposition pros "gives it the idea of definiteness and directness in prayer, with the consciousness on the part of the one praying that he is talking face to face with God...(thus proseuchomai) speaks also of the consciousness on the part of the one who prays, of the fact of God’s presence and His listening ear (ED: But see Ps 66:18)." John G. Butler said, “Those who pray are much more likely to learn about the will and way of God than those who do not pray.” Peter prayed and God revealed His will and way to His servant. Related Resource: How can I be sure I am praying according to the will of God? See in depth study on The Will of God Acts 10:10 But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance; KJV Acts 10:10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, he became Mt 4:2; 12:1-3; 21:18 he fell Acts 22:17; Numbers 24:4,16; Ezekiel 8:1-3; 11:24; 40:2; 2 Cor 12:2-4; Rev 1:10; 4:2,3 Acts 10 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries But he became hungry and was desiring to eat - The smells from the kitchen below likely wafted upward and Peter's stomach began to "growl." Why does Luke give us this detail (there is a reason for every detail in the Bible!)? It is 12 noon so his hunger is expected and provided a perfect preparation for God's "food" vision. What a meal Peter would soon be served! Our God is the God of infinite, finite detail! He is active in our lives in even the smallest, mundane, seemingly meaningless details. This is a truth that is good for us to remember, because at times we consider the "details" to be irritating intrusions in our lives. Remember that there are no chance occurrences with the omnipotent, sovereign God! Became (1096)(ginomai) speaks of something coming into existence, in this case hunger pangs! Hungry (4361)(prospeinos from pros = to, toward, intensifies meaning of peina = hunger, famine) probably means very hungry (others say it just means hungry). This is the only use and it is even rare in secular Greek (possibly one use). The fact that Peter was actually desiring (thelo - imperfect tense - again and again) would support the idea that he was very hungry.
Atos 10
Wuest writes that ergazomai "emphasizes the process of an action, carrying with this the ideas of continuity and repetition. It means “to labor, to be active, to perform,” with the idea of continued exertion being included." Right (1343) (dikaiosune) is rightness of character before God and rightness of actions before men. Cornelius was "righteous" in the sense of his general way of life, but he still lacked the perfect righteousness provided only by the Gospel, only by believing (sola fide) in Christ Who is our righteousness (1 Cor 1:30) and thereby being declared perfectly positionally righteous or fully justified before a Holy God. Cornelius reminds us of Jesus' promise in Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Cornelius would soon be satisfied! While dikaiosune is a major word in the theology of Paul, Luke only has a few uses Lk. 1:75; Acts 10:35; Acts 13:10; Acts 17:31; Acts 24:25. As noted above, neither fearing God or doing what is righteous saves a person, because as Isaiah 64:6 says "all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment." Only belief in the Gospel saves a person. But in this context of God not showing partiality and of being willing to "put out the welcome mat" (so to speak), the man or woman (wherever they may be in the world, whether deep in the jungles of Africa or on the mountain tops of the Himilayan mountains) who manifests these tendencies (as did Cornelius) the one to whom God will send His messenger with the saving Gospel. Neither their fear nor their works merited God's grace, but characterize a seeking heart in a lost person and God in His sovereignty does respond to the seeking heart by sending the saving Gospel. GOD PUTS OUT THE WELCOME MAT! Welcome to Him - Note carefully the distinction - Welcome but NOT yet saved. They are (as it were) on the "doorstep" of salvation, not yet having entered through the Door, Christ Jesus (Jn 10:9)! But Peter will give these Gentile hearers the "key" to the Door in his presentation of the Gospel (Acts 10:36-43). THOUGHT - A MODEL GOSPEL PRESENTATION - Notice that Peter's presentation of the Gospel is a model for all of us when we share Christ with others. (1) He emphasizes Jesus was God (Acts 10:36 "Lord of all), (2) that He became a Man who the apostles witnessed (Acts 10:37, read their witness in the Gospels), (3) that He had power, including power over the devil (Acts 10:38), (4) that He hung on a cross (literally a "tree") and died (Acts 10:39), (5) that God raised Him from the dead on the third day (fulfilling prophecy), this event again witnessed by the apostles (who saw Him eat indicating He was not a phantom but a physical Person) and others (Acts 10:40, 41 - note he mentions the resurrection twice!), (6) that they were to tell others of Him because every man will have to stand before Him as the Judge (thus we see the "bad news" that accentuates the "good news") and (7) finally that personally believing in Jesus results in forgiveness of one's sins! (Acts 10:36-43). To summarize - Jesus the Son of God came to earth, lived as a Man that He might die on a Cross, after which He was raised by God from the dead on the third day, and He will judge all men, which should motivate all to believe in Him to receive forgiveness of sins. That is the Gospel of Jesus Christ which we are to proclaim. Let us be faithful to proclaim it fully and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Paul declared a parallel truth in different words when he said "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.." (Galatians 3:28+) Robertson on welcome (KJV - accepted) - That is to say, a Gentile would not have to become a Jew in order to become a Christian. Evidently Peter had not before perceived this fact. On the great Day of Pentecost when he spoke of the promise "to all those afar off" (Acts 2:39) Peter understood that they must first become Jews and then Christians. The new idea that now makes a revolution in Peter's outlook is precisely this that Christ can and will save Gentiles like this Cornelius group without their becoming Jews at all. (Acts 10 Commentary) Welcome (acceptable) (1184)(dektos from dechomai - to accept or receive favorably) means accepted, acceptable, welcome (admitted), pleasing in view of its being acceptable (giving pleasure, agreeable, gratifying). Dektos describes one of whom there is or has been a favorable decision of the will. It conveys the picture of a "open" reception, much like when one puts the "welcome mat" on their front door step, something Jesus did not experience even in His own hometown! (Lk 4:24+ - He was not "dektos" - not welcome) Thankfully, here in Acts 10:34 Peter comes to a full understanding that God puts out the "welcome mat" for all who fear and obey Him whether they are Jew or Gentile. In Proverbs 15:8 in the Septuagint delight is translated with dektos - "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His delight (Heb - ratson/rason)." Are my (your) prayers His delight? It is interesting that the Septuagint uses dektos to describe sacrifice in Lev 1:3-4+ as one that met with divine approval (cf uses in Lxx of Lev 19:5). In Exodus 28:38 dektos describes the High Priest as being acceptable to the LORD, Moses recording "It shall be on Aaron's forehead (Engraved with "Holy to the LORD" - see Ex 28:36-37), and Aaron shall take away the iniquity of the holy things which the sons of Israel consecrate, with regard to all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted (Hebrew - ratson/rason; Lxx = Dektos) before the LORD." Paul Apple - God does not restrict the Gospel based on any type of favoritism or prejudice; Access to God is open to all on an equal footing (ON LEVEL GROUND AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS) – Jew has no advantage over the Gentile; all believers are baptized into one body of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 12:13). Who are we to show partiality? (cf James 2:1, 9) Our society is all about making distinctions: Black vs white; Men vs women; Skilled vs unskilled; Rich vs poor; Young vs old; Professional vs blue collar; Healthy vs handicapped; Educated vs uneducated. We are not to try to anticipate who is a good prospect for receiving the Gospel and who is not – don’t fall into the trap of spiritual profiling; understand that with God there is no partiality – proclaim the message of saving grace to everyone. Are you able to identify any prejudices in your thinking or in that of your church community? Do you know people who think they are unsavable – destined to be excluded from God’s kingdom? Should churches be established just to minister to a specific ethnic and cultural group to the exclusion of others? Is your hospitality limited to just certain types of people? David