Acts 28:23-31 – They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” 27 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ 28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” 29 And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves. 30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!
“Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe.” We know that all who hear the Gospel do not favorably respond to it. Acts 2:40 states that about three thousand people believed the Gospel that Peter preached on Pentecost. Some with motive for a lower number estimate say the population of Israel at that time was no more than twenty thousand people. Some believe it could have been as high as hundreds of thousands. Yet, taking the lower number we can be sure that those present in Jerusalem on that day of Pentecost was at least forty thousand and likely well over a hundred thousand and perhaps several hundred thousand. We know that because even if the population of Jerusalem was twenty thousand, that number was multiplied since Jews from many nations were there to celebrate the festival. (Acts 2:5-11) Therefore we praise the Lord for the mighty “kick-start” that happened with three thousand new believers, but there were likely just as many, and even many more, who heard and did not believe. In modern times the Gospel is being preached in huge stadiums and now simultaneously broadcast to the world. We praise God for the many thousands who come to a life with Jesus but we are also aware that many don’t. In fact, we can be sure that multiplied more don’t than do. That should not surprise us. It has been that way since the beginning and Paul will later address the reason why. We only need to remember that our Lord Jesus said “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14) Yet for everyone one soul that repents and comes to Jesus, we are over joyed and praise God, as do the angels in heaven! (Luke 15:10)
Here we see that some were convinced and others were not. The verse does not conclusively state that any of them became disciples of our Lord. Yet, we hope that many did.
“They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” 27 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ 28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”” They disagreed and contended among themselves and then they left after Paul quoted from Isaiah 6:9-10. He was telling them that they are behaving just like their ancestors who were largely apostate at the time of the writing of Isaiah around 700 B.C. We know that such is the history of the people of Israel. Times of worshipping and praising God and times of rebellion against Him. Today we see the same thing. God is gracious and His Holy Spirit gives us revival and many people are saved. The church hums and glows for a period of time and then again many grow cold to God. Aren’t we all aware that many saints even now cry out for a revival in the land? Don’t we look about us and lament the spiritual condition of our country and the world?
It was at a time such as ours, and of Paul’s that the Lord gave those words to Isaiah to give Israel. It was a warning to a rebellious people to open their eyes. The Lord was telling the people in Isaiah’s time that they were just like their ancestors before them, they were relying on traditions and not open to truth and to seeing the true ways of God. Paul was telling the Jewish leaders that they were the same as their ancestors. Only their spiritual condition was worse, it was generations of apostate traditions and stubbornness passed down. It had gotten to the point that the Messiah that they had, for generation after generation cried out for, had come to them and they could not recognize Him and they would not accept Him. Jesus had earlier identified their hardness of heart and told them that the end result of it would lead them to hell. (Matthew 11:20-24) God reached out to these people, generation after generation, decade after decade, century after century and millennium after millennium and the vast majority had rejected Him. Yet, they called out to God for relief, for help, and then blamed God when He did not answer their Godless prayers. (James 4:2-6) It is any different from the time we live in. The vast majority of the world rejects the Gospel, they reject God, and then they demand that He do for them what they ask. What arrogance! What foolishness! The prayer of the repentant person God hears but not those selfish prayers of those who reject Him (John 9:31, James 4:6, Proverbs 3:34).
People do not listen to a true word from God. In the Old Testament times they rejected, and even killed those who brought corrective words from God and Jesus even gave a parable about it and about how they would also reject and kill him. (Matthew 21:33-46) Paul would prophetically write to Timothy about our generation that would not listen to the truth but only wanted to hear things that made them feel good, that scratched the desires of their flesh (2 Timothy 4:3). The Israelis killed the prophets who told them prophecies from God that they didn’t want to hear (Luke 11:47-51). In V51 Jesus told the Jews that they will be responsible for the sins of their ancestors and for the traditions of them. Why? Because they did not repent from the error of their ancestor’s teachings and traditions that had been handed down to them. Instead they continued them on and passed them on to their children. They honored their ancestors and the traditions more than God. They desired these things more than God’s Truth, indeed, more than God!
Today a preacher, if he does not tell the truth of God’s Word, but instead removes the hard truth and instead dispenses sweets, will have a large ministry. People want the candy and not the healthy fruit. Their teeth of their souls rot as they go to churches of preachers who betray God’s Word. Woe to you preachers who trim God’s Word in order to fill your pockets. You will go to hell and you bring the captive foolish with you. Woe to you! Change your ways while there is time. People, run from such men so that your eternal souls may be saved! (Isaiah 9:13-17, Matthew 15:14, 23:15)
Paul preached the Gospel to all. He didn’t grow weary even when the seeds seemed to fall on hard ground. And we, dear Family, should not grow weary. In these days we are opposed, and we know that the opposition will continue to grow. But we serve a risen Savior and our reward in Heaven is sure. Therefore Paul wrote to fellow believers, to us “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9) Most of those who heard Peter and Paul share the Gospel rejected it, but they both continued to share it. And we are told to continuously and persistently do the same. (2 Timothy 4:2) Many people today are telling the world that they care and love them. They seduce the people with lies of love. We must continue to reveal to them what true love is and where true love comes from. (John 3:16) We are whom the Lord has given the job of preserving the world and leading them to Him. (Matthew 5:13-14) Let us show that we love the Lord by doing so. (John 14:15, 15:14) In this way, we praise and honor God. (1 John 4:12) Not with words with no actions, but with actions that testify to truth of our words. Actions that display our faith and our love of God, and others. (Hosea 6:6, Matthew 9:13, James 2:20-26) We honor God with action that shows what lives within us. So let us, as Paul did, never stop loving, never stop sharing the Truth, and never stop obeying God. And that, dear Family, is what God desires of His children. 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.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”