Acts 3:17-23 – “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you.23 Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’
“Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer.” God gave us a model on what to say when sharing Him with the world. A question that most people will have is “Why do I need to be saved? What am I in need of being saved from? If I need to be saved, how do I get saved?” Peter has not backed up from the fact those that surround him were complicit in the act of killing Jesus. Now, as he leads them toward the road of knowing Jesus as their Savior, he softens slightly to let them know that eternal life with God is possible for them. Many of the Jews had been misled by their priests. They were children being taught the error. The one who teaches about God has great privilege and huge responsibility to teach only the truth, as God has warned (James 3:1, 1 Timothy 1:6-7)
The murder of the fleshly body of Jesus was done by ignorant and, or, evil men. Yet, as previously discussed, what happened to Jesus was what God had foretold. The will of God was executed exactly as God had foretold by men who did not want to play the part of bringing the fulfillment of the prophecies to be in Jesus. They were united against Jesus and so would not have knowingly and willingly been a participant in fulfilling of the scriptures in Jesus. Proverbs 16:9 is especially apt to describe God’s response to the plans of people who, like these, are not seeking God’s will “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” The divine will of God will be done. So what God had foretold came to be. Jesus was born a baby, a Jewish baby, He came to be the Savior they didn’t understand that they needed, He willingly suffered, died, and was resurrected, ascended to Heaven and now sits at the right hand of God. Just as God had foretold. Praise God! His will be done! Praise God!
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” Peter has just recounted to the Jews their horrible sin of rejecting and killing the Messiah they said they were waiting for. He told them that they had sinned in the worst way. Then, because Jesus truly is the Messiah that has come from God, He is Messiah even to the ones who rejected and killed him. Since the grace of God extends to the sins of those who had Jesus killed, let us no more say that God has yanked away the promises He made to the Jews. The promises that God gave to the Jews still remain to them. They had hoped that the Savior will give them their promises and all the promises are still available to the Jews through the Messiah. All Jews may still receive salvation and all the promises of God through their Messiah Jesus. How wonderful and inspirational is the love and mercy of God! As we see the love and mercy God extends to the Jews, we become more confident that He will love and forgive us. Since Jesus offers to forgive the sins of those who murdered His Son, He also has fully offered to us His love and mercy, and that, Family, should bless us, just as God foretold (Romans 11:11-12).
The refreshing comes from being loved, forgiven and kept by God. The refreshing comes from the deepest meaning of the Sabbath. God is good. God is faithful, even when we are not. To all God has offered salvation through Jesus. We need only accept and cling to it. Praise God!
“and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.” Peter has said that God will forgive these Jews if they will repent. Then after they have repented, the Messiah, who is Jesus, the one they killed, will come to them and give them eternal life. Oh Family, how wonderful is that? Wonderful for them and also wonderful for us. Family, after all, Jesus did not only die for the sins of the Jew, but also for our sins. God used the Jew to bring us the Messiah, but they did not need Him any more than us. They are, yet again, an example of God’s love and mercy that came first to them and then to then us (Romans 11:25-32). Though God loves Israel so dearly, He loves us just as much. When my first child was born I thought I could never love another child as much as I loved him. I was afraid that I might not love another child as much. But there was no need for fear. I love my second son as much as my first. I have my first and second sons and that is only by chronological order and is not differentiated by degree or amount. I love them the same. Yes, the blessings of God flowed first to the Jew and then to us, but because they are first does not mean more or better. God loves us as much as them and them as much as us. God is good all the time and He loves all the people all the time. Indeed God is great beyond our ability to understand, but not to know. Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.